...The Evolutionary Psychology of Emotions Abstract This paper will discussed that evolutionary perspective on emotions and behavior may help to resolve its inconsistency. To resolve this inconsistency we will evaluate two evolutionary approaches to emotion, discuss how linking these emotions to specific problems work, and argue that the findings are consistent with the claim that the emotions often display evidence of being intended to help, rather than deter. EVOLUTIONARY THEORIES OF EMOTION Over the years there have been several adaptive-evolutionary treatments of emotion that have developed ( Ekman & Davidson, 1994), there are several evolutionary approaches but the psychological evolutionary approach distinguishes itself by implementing an overtly adaptationist perception (Barkow, Cosmides, & Tooby, 1992). According to research conducted by Buss, Halelton, Shackelford, Bleske, &Wakefeild (1999) adaptionist seem to think that the mind is made up of countless psychological adaptions, which is said to produce natural and sexual selection over several generations throughout human evolution. Emotions can be affective by the ways humans think and behave (Clore, Schwarz, & Conway, 1994). Throughout the years evolutionary approaches for emotions and social decision making changed from hypothetical models to empirical investigations. One of the theoretical approaches used in emotion and decision making is experimental economics which is used to explore...
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...Kadejah Hairston PSY 225 Final Evaluation Paper I took this course in evolutionary psychology, not only because I needed it for my minor credits, but because I wanted to learn how evolutionary principles shape the body and the mind. In the same way that physiological systems can be described as products of natural selection, psychological systems can be described as mental adaptations acquired by the same processes. People can learn a lot about the mind if they were to take a course on evolutionary psychology. I did not have much knowledge about evolutionary psychology when I signed up for the class, but I did have expectations about the class when I signed up. I expected to do a lot of the things that we did end up doing, such as watching videos and reading about different things. This was not a class where I had to always read the book for a good example, because examples of psychology could be found anywhere. If it was not a video that I could watch I would try to find another source other than the book after reading the assigned chapter so I could see it from different prospective. Yes, this course did meet my expectations. We did majority of the things that I expected to do plus more. I was not expecting us not to have a limit to how much we posted each week, but I think without the word limit on our post it made the topics easier to talk about. Some people would just get straight to the point while others would go into a lot of detail in their post. The...
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...Environmental and Evolutionary Psychology Transcript PSYCH/635 February 1, 2016 Dr. John Barker Environmental and Evolutionary Psychology Transcript Introduction The environmental and evolutionary psychology field is the study of how a person’s environment can affect their psychological process. The environmental field helps identify if there is a connection involving the environment of a person and what impact it can have on a person’s life. The evolutionary psychology part of the field does research on a person’s memory, perspectives, and language through the theory of adaptation. Evolutionary theory will focus on the properties of an organism and how the organism functions and it will include information on how the brain functions. Some people will react to certain situations in one manner and someone else in another. It depends on the person and the situation that they are faced with as well as the environment that they were raised in. People will tend to adapt in their environment because of necessity to survive and to become comfortable within their environment. Theorists that study evolution may view a person’s psychological traits to be progressed adaptations. The field of environmental and evolutionary psychology can help a person in understanding how external factors may affect their lives. Some people do not see the outdoors as being therapeutic, but there are a lot of factors of being in nature that can help a person. Spending time outdoors and with animals can...
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...In a diverse country we live in, the study of psychology takes part in everyday life of a human soul. Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. It helps us understand many different roles people go through. In psychology, there are seven different schools of thought, in which they focus in different roles people behave and think. Evolutionary psychology would be the school I follow. Being a evolutionary psychologist would allow me to study how human behavior required for survival have adapted in the face of environment. Certain skill is need to learn to adapt for survival, like language. The way we communicate allows us to express our feelings, what we think and give a reasonable explanation of why we act the way we do. As well as passing down...
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...What Men and Women Want in a Mate Maria Morel Florida Atlantic University Introduction In recent decades researchers have generated considerable documentation on the evolutionary psychology of human mating strategies and romantic relationships. Much of this research stems from the features and genetic makeup of hominids, and their reproductive biology. Across mammalian species females are the key factor in reproduction, because they provide almost all of the physiological resources required for the production of offspring. There are many investments that females make when carrying an offspring. They invest themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. This makes females have much lower potential reproductive capacities than males. It started with the work of psychologist David Buss of the University of Texas. In 1985, Buss published an article based on interviews with more than 10,000 participants from 37 cultures. Subjects were given a list of 18 possible characteristics of a mate and asked to rate those characteristics. Almost unanimously both sexes put love, dependable character, emotional stability, and pleasing disposition first. It wasn't until the fifth...
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...The Moral Animal: Why We Are The Way We Are: The New Science Of Evolutionary Psychology For centuries, the question on psychologists’ minds around the world has been, “Why are we the way we are?” What causes us to act the way we act, think the thoughts we think, and love who we love? Psychodynamics will tell you that it is the selfish needs we are born with. Social psychodynamics will say that we do all the things we do in order to feel accepted in society. The quixotic humanists will explain that everything we do is to better ourselves as human beings. Behaviorists will laugh in all the school of thoughts faces and say simply that our environment bends and molds us like plato from the second we enter this world. In his book, The Moral Animal: Why We Are The Way We Are: The New Science Of Evolutionary Psychology, Robert Wright addresses his view on this equivocal topic in a feasible and easy to understand manner. Wright turns a discussion that may be declared esoteric into something that the average joe can comprehend. He creates the foundation for his theory on why we are the way we are from a more Freudian and Darwinian view. The axiom for Wright’s novel is that we have a genetic coding that we are born with that is basis for everything we do. What we say and how we act is due to the human nature that is in all of us, and has been since the beginning of human existence. According to Wright, we are animals built with an array of moral equipment that we use...
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...Human Mating Systems By Samantha Nemasango Evolutionary psychology are debating on whether humans are designed for monogamy, polygyny or extra marital relationship (Hazan and Zeifman, 1999) Mating systems refers to how human and other animals form sexual relationships 4 types, monogamy, polygyny, polyandry, polygynandry or promiscuity ( Valsiner, 2000) Fig1: percentages of the mating systems MONOGAMY Mating system which involves one male and one female 2types of monogamy, perennial and serial Perennial monogamy- pair bonds for life (Black,2001) 20% of world society are perennial monogamist Serial monogamydifferent partners throughout lifetime but one partner at a time (United States) Fig2: male and female monogamy 16% of human society practising monogamy E.g Mesopotamia, Romans and modern christians Monogamy may be the consequence of mate guarding Males prevents food theft Reduces infanticide and sexual coercion No sperm competition Humans are one of the 32 species with concealed ovulation Concealed ovulation is associated with monogamy Fig3: ratios of male and female in different mating systems Discourages man to search for another partner because he will not know who is fertile among them Females way of keeping males from killing their offspring (Rice, 2007) Increased paternal certainty and care Female lost estrous synchrony Fig 4: Fertility rate in mono / polygyny...
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...jealousy guards wombs” (2006, p. 162). Jealousy is created when a human being believes there is a potential threat to a valuable relationship. It can occur in any relationship, but most notably, romantic ones. Men and women experience jealousy differently because it is believed they faced different reproductive obstacles during early human evolution. Men are more likely to exhibit jealousy in response to sexual infidelity, while women are more likely to exhibit jealousy in response to emotional infidelity. Male sexual infidelity stems from the evolutionary reproductive strategy of having as many mates as possible to increase the chances of passing on genes to the next generation. While this tactic may have elevated the need for multiple mates in early human mating, today’s society has enforced a strict relationship between a man and a woman, known as monogamy. In a study conducted by Jeff Ward and Martin Voracek of the School of Psychology at the Australian National University, it was found that of the 268 participants involved, men (44%) were more likely than women (20%) to select sexual intercourse as the most distressing. Also, men (28%) were more likely to find their partner trying different sexual positions more distressing than were women (5%) (2001, p.168). Of these findings, it’s apparent that men and women experience different jealous reactions when it involves romantic relationships. Social beliefs are also a primary driver of jealousy, and are influenced by how we believe...
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...Week 1 Anth 315 Notes Theory of Evolution: * Gradualism * Speciation * Exchange genes. * Common ancestry. All species go back to a common ancestry. * Natural Selection * Variation * Inherited * Selection * Population will become better adapted to a particular environment. Evolutionary Psychology - 1992 An evolutionary psychological approach: 1. Humans are part of biology. 2. There is nothing special about the human brain 3. Human nature is innate 4. Human behavior is the product of both innate human nature and the environment. Cognitive Psychology 1. Actions are caused by mental processes. 2. The mind is a computer. 3. Humans descended from an ape like ancestor. Heredity 1. Makes offspring look like parents. 2. Genes are written in a molecule called DNA. 3. Children obtain 50 % of their genetic make-up from each parent. Mutations: 1. Mutations occur when a gene inside a cell changes. The evolution of the mind: Cognitive psychology and evolutionary biology meet when we begin discussing the mind evolving through the process of natural selection. What were the adaptive problems faced by our hominid ancestors? 1. Shelter 2. Food The Savannah Principal 1. The savannah principle holds that the human brain has undergone virtually little or no change in the last 10,000, years. Sugars and fats contain calories for survival. Week # 2 Sexual...
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...the psychology Welcome & Introduction If your reading this your studying for AQA A Psychology Psya3 and the Relationship topic is one of the ones you have chosen. Its a wise move I think as its one of the easier ones to learn. I generally advise picking something you can relate to because you have some grounding for it as opposed to learning whole new concepts or ways of thinking on subject matter thats completely foreign. It tends to save you time in getting your head around things. A bit about me - My name is Sajan Devshi and I self-taught myself AQA A A Level Psychology between 2011-2012 achieving an A* grade and 100% in both Psya3 & Psya4. You can check out my certificate on my website at http://www.loopa.co.uk as well as get my other model answers too for the other topics in Psya3 and Psya4. But enough about me - you can learn about me in more depth on my website - lets get on with the show and onto the the overview of this topic, structuring and the model answers themselves too. S ECTION 1 Memorising Your Model Answers This is going to be pretty much your hardest task and with the help of this book hopefully it becomes more manageable. People have various ways they memorise things and it is entirely up to you. Memorising Essays U SING A CRONYMS + P RACTICE The method of memorising the essays is the same across all my model essay answers. I employ the concept of “chunking” alongside the use of “acronyms”. Combined this helped me memorise ...
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...recognition of the giving). Much debate exists as to whether true altruism is possible. Arguably, the act of sharing, helping or sacrificing may be primarily motivated by the gratification it returns. This seems to assume a different understanding of 'benefits', though, from the traditionally assumed meanings (which are external - recognition from others, reciprocation etc. - rather than internal), making this a problematic argument. The term altruism may also refer to an ethical doctrine that claims that individuals are morally obliged to benefit others. Used in this sense, it is the opposite of egoism. Contents[hide] * 1 The notion of altruism * 2 Scientific viewpoints * 2.1 Anthropology * 2.2 Evolutionary explanations * 2.3 Neurobiology * 2.4 Psychology * 2.5 Sociology * 3 Religious viewpoints * 3.1 Buddhism * 3.2 Jainism * 3.3 Christianity * 3.4 Islam and Sufism * 3.5 Judaism * 3.6 Sikhism * 3.7 Hinduism * 4 Philosophy * 5 See also * 6 References * 7...
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...Isaac Guajardo J. Floerke Interpersonal Communications 6 February 2014 What Women Want: An Analysis of Female Attraction Mechanisms Among the many clichés that exist in our modern day culture, one that has not lost its relevance among Westerners is the saying that goes, “Women do not really know what they want in a romantic partner.” Although this is obviously not a statement of fact, for many people—especially those who consider women romantically attractive (specifically men), the question continues to be, “What do women really want in a partner?” or “What do women find attractive?” When it comes to answering either of these questions there is no one solution that fits all, as no two women are identically the same. However, there are some basic principles that can be drawn out to determine what attracts women to men. Although the task of discovering what sparks the interest of women in men is sometimes not easy, there are a few general guidelines that can backed up scientifically and culturally to identify the common attractions that women have for men. Such guidelines are perhaps dominant or recessive in different circumstances, but they do tend to be expressed throughout interpersonal relationships that women and men have. In analyzing the gender and biological differences that women and men have, there emerges a pattern which expresses some general guidelines for what women find attractive in men. One of the main factors that contribute to the attraction that...
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...What made you into who you are today? For years psychologist have debated nature vs.nurture, something that has a great influence on a persons behaviour. Nature is a genetic material while nurture refers to the experiences you've had. In Truman Capote "In Cold Blood" Capote expresses that both nature and nurture play a role in a persons life. Richard "Dick" Hickock was a star athlete and a successful student. While Perry Smith has had a very traumatic life from moving, suffering from abuse, etc. What made these two very opposite people, come together to commit one awful crime? Smith had a terrible upbringing. Starting with parents that didn't get along, a mother who abandoned her family, and sister who committed suicide. Capote goes into full detail describing Perry's dreams, almost making Perry naive. By showing detailed memories including letters and books, kind of a childlike manner. Capote sort of portrays Perry as a sympathetic character. Therefore, Capote uses all these different things for the reader to feel sorry. One can't help but feel nothing but sorry for him, regarding his situation while growing up. Then blaming him for turning to a life of nothing but crime. He is calm and gentle, and he seems to want love and acceptance, but he is eventually revealed to be the more brutal of the two men. One of his main motivations is to take Dick to Mexico, and to hunt for treasure and go skin diving. After the murders, Perry seems unable to reconcile his personal opinion of...
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...The start of this paper I think the best place to look is to the bible for what it says about our human nature as well as how nurturing plays a part inside the life of a person. When we look to the bible for understanding of human nature we are lead to see that our human nature is one of sin and death. Looking at Romans 8:13 for an example of this to quote part of it “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die” this tells us that if we live by our human nature that it will only lead to death. However if we finish reading the verse it also says “but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live” this gives us hope that if we live by the Spirit there is hope in life. Furthermore we can see answers for how nurturing plays a key part inside our lives. Inside the bible we can see a lot of examples of what the bible says about nurturing a child to adult to bring them up right and proper. The best example I have found is inside Ephesians 6:4 to quote it says “bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord”. This is a great example of how to raise a kid inside a household. Moving forward to develop an answer to the first question on my opinion on the idea of the whole argument of Nature vs. Nurture took me on a road that really has left me with more questions than answers. What I have to say about this topic is based upon a lot of my personal experiences with addiction as much as with other addicts. To say out...
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...Each person among the seven billion people on this planet has their own personality and their unique fingerprints even among identical twins or triplets. Many scientists have been desperate to determine these differences and these differences drive scientists to further their researched. The debate between nature and nurture, the two most important elements for inheritance and environment, has been unanswerable and going on for years because the results are not significant enough to separate those two elements. Steven Pinker, a Harvard College Professor and the Johnstone Family Professor at Harvard University, is primarily focusing in language and cognition for his research. He is the author of six books, and some of which include, “How the Mind Works” (1991), “The Language Instinct” (2000), and “The Blank State” (2002). In the article, “Why nature and nurture won’t go away”, Pinker argues that nature and nurture are two essential players in human growth and those two elements cannot be separated because one cannot perform without the other. To persuade the audience, Pinker shows his ethos and logos through various examples between nature and nurture throughout the article. In his essay, Pinker helps his readers understand the ideas of holistic interactionism by leading his audience through his points consistently with organized examples and interpretations. In order to catch the audience’s attention and guide them into the argument, Pinker begins with several questions to examine...
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