evolutionary psychology a very basic introduction to the topic this is a tough topic to teach!

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Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

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Page 1: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Evolutionary PsychologyA very basic introduction to the topic

This is a tough topic to teach!

Page 2: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

The Darwin Awards This maybe a bit much for some students.

Use this carefully, after all, a life was lost or someone may have been injured.

The Darwin Awards 2010

Page 3: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

To begin with, some definitions:

What is evolution?

What is evolutionary psychology?

Page 4: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

What is evolution? Biology’s definition - change in the gene pool of a

population from generation to generation by such processes as mutation, natural selection and genetic drift

Evolution (also known as biological or organic evolution) - the change over time in the proportion of individual organism differing in one or more inherited traits. A trait is a particular characteristic that is the result of gene-environment interactions.

Evolutionary Psychology- the study of the psychological adaptations of humans to the changing physical and social environment, especially of changes in brain structure, cognitive mechanisms, and behavioral differences among individuals.

Page 5: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Peter Gray of Boston College notes this misconception

about evolution: Students may believe that “lower

species” are on their way to becoming humans or that evolution occurs in order to meet future conditions or higher moral purposes.

Reference: Myers, David Psychology Teacher’s Guide, Ch. 3 p.7

Page 6: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Grays says, no! His example is the evolution of beak

thickness in finches on the Galapagos Archipelago.

Over many years of drought, the birds evolved thicker beaks that could crack harder seeds.

Then over years of heavy rains, the same species evolved thinner beaks for eating softer seeds the moisture produced.

What was fit for one situation was not fit in the other.

Page 7: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

So, The species did not anticipate

the change in climate by developing characteristics that would meet the situation in advance.

Gray suggests that the evolutionary perspective is useful in raising the “why of behavior” question that is central to the discipline of psychology.

Page 8: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Gray continues to explain

If one can answer the “why” then one can understand the distinction between proximal causation

(immediate inducers of behavior) and ultimate causation (the evolutionary advantage served by the behavior)

Both explanations show how different perspectives are complementary.

Page 9: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Gray also notes That the evolutionary

perspective does not equal psychopathology.

Some behaviors have potential evolutionary value

For example, “Why do young children resist

going to bed?

Page 10: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Are they just being spoiled ?

Well, perhaps not.

In some cultures, bedtime protest is absent. Why?

See article, nytimes.com “A Darwinian Look at a Wailing Baby” P. 112

Page 11: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Some may answer, that the child fears being alone in the

dark

In hunting and gathering days, being alone in the dark was a very real fear.

Children who protested, attracted adult attention and were more likely to survive.

In present day hunting and gathering societies, putting a child to bed alone is child abuse.

Page 12: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Thus, perhaps this behavior is really one that

has evolved for survival.

Reference: Gray, P. (1996) Incorporating evolutionary theory in the teaching of

psychology. Teaching of Psychology 207-214.

Page 13: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Let’s try a few questions

Questions designed by Bernard Weiner to introduce a few basic principles of evolutionary psychology.

Weiner, B. (1992) Human Motivation: Metaphors, theories and research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications

Page 14: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Questions #1-2 1) You are on a boat

that overturns. It contains your 5 year-old and your 1-year old children (of the same sex). The boat sinks an you can save only one. Whom do you choose to save?

5 year old 1 year old

2) That same boat contains your 40 year old and 20 year old children (both of the same sex). Neither can swim. As the boat sinks, whom do you chose to save?

40 year old 20 year old

Page 15: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

They Say #1

The 5 year old

Why?

More likely to survive and reproduce

#2

The 20 year old

Why?

More likely to survive and reproduce

Page 16: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

The Questions #3-4 3) Have you (or

would you) rather marry someone older or younger than yourself?

#3 The answer depends on male vs. female response

4) Of the following six, which three are most important in the selection of your mate?

Good financial prospects

Good looks

A caring and responsible personality

Physical attractiveness

Ambition and industriousness

An exciting personality

Page 17: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

And “they” said MALES: Of the following

six, which three are most important in the selection of your mate?

Good looks

Physical attractiveness

An exciting personality

FEMALES: Of the following six, which three are most important in the selection of your mate?

Good financial prospects

A caring and responsible personality

Ambition and industriousness

Page 18: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

To define evolutionary psychology

A branch of biology that studies brains, how brains process information and how the brain’s information processing programs generate behavior.

~as defined by K. Minter, Austin, TX

Page 19: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Why Students Love

Evolutionary Psychology. . .

And How To Teach It

David Buss, PhDUniversity of Texas, Austin

Page 20: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

From his article in Psychology

Teacher NetworkFall 2010

Content is taken from the PTN article and other sources quoting Dr. Buss.

Further references my be derived from Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind (Buss, 2011)

Page 21: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Dr. Buss states Topics students are

interested in include mate-selection, conflict between the sexes, aggression, cooperation, parent-offspring relationships and status hierarchies

Evolutionary psychology provides a compelling “meta-theory.” (overarching idea to understand all introductory psychology topics)

evolutionary psychology has high interest due to real-world applicability

Page 22: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Main tenets of Evolutionary

Psychology The fundamental basis of evolutionary

psychology dates back to Darwin’s (1859) theory of natural selection which has 3 basic components Variation (individual differences

within a species) Inheritance (passed down reliably

from parents to child) Differential reproductive success

(solves problems of survival)

Page 23: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Evolutionary Psychology has

historically been applied to anatomy

and physiology.

Now the ideas can be applied to psychological, strategic and behavioral adaptations which help to solve the specific problems of survival and reproduction and many issues as well.

Page 24: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

To quote Dr. Buss, the main

tenets of evolutionary

psychology are

2) All psychological mechanisms owe their existence, at some basic level of description, to evolutionary processes (scientifically, no other known causal processes exist for creating complex organic mechanisms)

Note: Natural selection- those traits and characteristics that help survival will remain; those that do not help survival will die out over time (be “selected” out)

1) All manifest behavior is a function of psychological mechanisms, in conjunction with environmental and internal inputs to those mechanism.

3) Natural selection and sexual selection (Darwin’s theories) are the most important evolutionary processes responsible for creating psychological adaptations.

Page 25: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

More tenets 5) The output of

psychological adaptations can be physiological activity, information that serves as input to other psychological mechanisms or manifest behavior.

7) Psychological adaptations are functional, that is “designed” to solve statistically recurrent adaptive problems confronted by our ancestors over deep evolutionary time. (more on deep time later)

4) Evolved psychological mechanisms can be described as information processing devices (input, decision rules or other transformation procedures and outputs).

6) Psychological adaptations are housed in the brain.

Page 26: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Common misunderstandings about

evolutionary psychology (to name but 2)

This is a false dichotomy. “Learning” and “evolutionary psychology” are not competing explanations, learning requires evolved learning adaptations, at least some of which are specialized for solving distinct adaptive problems.

This misunderstanding stems from a failure to understand that evolutionary psychology provides a truly interactionist framework. Humans show great flexibility precisely because of the large number of evolved psychological adaptations they possess.

#2 Human behavior is a product of learning, not evolution.

#3 If human behavior is a product of evolved psychological adaptations, it means we cannot change it.

Page 27: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Teaching Tools for Evolutionary

PsychologyThe full set of 17 can be found on Dr. Buss’

website www.davidbuss.com

Page 28: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

A Few Specific Teaching Tools

1) Convey to students an understanding of “Deep Time.”

Use a spatial metaphor of a football field. Life first evolved at one

end of the field. You would travel a full 99

yards before apes evolved. The genus Homo did not

emerge until the last foot of the field.

Truly modern humans, Homo-sapiens (Cro-Magnons) did not colonize Europe until the last tenth of an inch.

Page 29: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Teaching Tools #5 Use Sexual Selection

Theory to explain the logic of the evolutionary process.

The three components of evolution by selection are variation, inheritance and differential reproductive success.

Variation (originally caused by mutations) provides the raw materials on which selection operates.

Only variants that are inherited, reliably transmitted from parents to offspring, can be selected.

Differential reproductive success because of heritable variants is the “bottom line” of evolution by selection. (This is the final arbiter of which characteristics evolve.)

Page 30: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Teaching Tools # 7 Hammer home the

critical distinction between proximate and ultimate causation.

Proximate causation deals with the immediate causes that trigger activation.

Ultimate causation deals with the evolution of the mechanism and its adaptive function.

Why does Sally develop calluses on her hand? What caused her calluses? (pc) Why did the callus producing mechanism evolve? (uc)

Why did Johnny get jealous? Was someone flirting with his girlfriend? (pc) Why have humans evolved the emotion of jealousy? (uc)

Page 31: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Teaching Tools

#10 Bring in an animal example.

Sometimes it is easier to see things in other species.

Example: Many insects, mammalian and primate species use something called “mate guarding.”

The male will maintain physical proximity to the mates and conceal them from other males Build a fence Move locations Emit scents that cover the

female scent Physically jostle other males

away

Page 32: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Teaching Tools

Do humans ever do anything like this?

Page 33: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Teaching Tools Do humans ever do anything like this?

While each species is unique, humans may use the ability to communicate through language or use some variation in culture to “mate guard.”

Ex: Burkas, check-up phone calls, monitoring email or text messages

Page 34: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Teaching Tools

#12 Use thought experiments.

Buss calls this the “mission impossible” exercise.

To teach the understanding of the logic of inclusive fitness theory, ask students to consider: “Imagine that you are a

gene residing within a body. Your mission is to increase your own replication success (making copies of yourself) relative to competing genes. What would you do?”

Page 35: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

What would you do?

1)

2)

3)

Page 36: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

What would you do?

1) Influence the body in which you reside.

2) Ensure that the body in which you reside reproduces.

3) Help other organisms that contain copies of you –genetic relatives- to survive and reproduce.

Page 37: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Another example For mating, Buss asks all students to list all

of the qualities women want in a long-term mate.

List all of the qualities men want in a long-term mate

Compare lists.

Page 38: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

Another example For the topic of conflict, Buss asks all

students to make a list of all the things that men they know have done to annoy, irritate, anger or upset women.

Make a list of what women do that has the same effect of annoying, irritating, angering or upsetting men.

Could this be studied scientifically?

Page 39: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

To quote Dr. Buss, “Evolutionary

psychology has the combination

of a powerful big-picture

theoretical perspective, real-life

applicability and topical intrigue

that captures students’

interest.”

Page 40: Evolutionary Psychology A very basic introduction to the topic This is a tough topic to teach!

This is one tough topic to teach!