Evolution
Evolution & behaviour
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Evolutionary psychology is part of the biological approach to explaining behaviour (based on Darwin’s theory) which explains how and why behaviours e.g. aggression, memory, language, mate selection are the products of natural selection
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Natural selection is the process whereby behaviours and traits which are useful for survival and reproduction are retained – and those which are not eventually die out
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Adaptive behaviours are those which increase the chances of survival and reproductive success which is why they are passed down through the generations i.e. how we behave now is the product of causes rooted in the past
- Genes are the mechanisms which drive evolution: any genetically determined behaviour which increases a specie's chance of survival will be passed down to future generations
- Biological psychologists believe characteristics such as intelligence is adaptive as:
- it enhances human survival - for our ancestors intelligence manifested as knowing where to find the best food source, understanding weather patterns, fashioning tools, creating transport, negotiating with other tribes etc.
- intelligence today equals further education/training/an entrepeneurial drive, a good job which should ensure security and abundance of resources, the ability to network and make useful social/professional contacts etc.
- Other human behaviours believed to be adaptive include memory and attachment:
- Memory may be adaptive as it has evolved to enable our survival e.g. memory for faces ('friend or foe?')
- Attachment to a primary caregiver is adaptive as it increases an infant's chances of surviving
| Exam tip: When answering a question on evolution and behaviour remember that evolutionary psychologists have very little in the way of evidence to work from (it would be impossible to conduct research comparing neanderthal humans' dating behaviour with 21st century humans...a shame as this could produce some very interesting results!) |
Research which investigates evolution & behaviour
- Clarke & Hatfield (1989) ran a daring field experiment which investigated female choosiness when it comes to dating or having sex with a complete stranger
- Curtis et al. (2004) found that people showed higher levels of disgust for disease-salient images than for neutral images (disgust is an evolutionary mechanism as it prevents people from ingesting toxic materials)
Evaluation of evolution & behaviour
Strengths
- Some behaviours have clearly been advantageous to humans across the millennia e.g. the fight or flight response which gives the theory some validity
- Research such as that conducted by Curtis is easily replicated to check for reliability
Weaknesses
- Evolutionary psychology tends to deal in absolutes (e.g. men prefer younger females; women prefer males with resources) which means that it is overly reductionist in its approach
- Some behaviours which are not advantageous to a 21st century person still remain e.g. ADHD, aggression, fear of the dark (these behaviours would at one point in history have been highly beneficial but not so much today)
