Chapter 16 Evolution and Human Behavior.ppt

Chapter 16: Evolution and Human Behavior Minds/brains are products of Natural Selection Evolutionary Psychology Human Universals Evolution of Culture Human Behavioral Ecology Behaviors have evolved by the same principles as other physical traits. Examples: Language acquisition Maze Rats Pit Bulls and Mastiffs Guinea Pigs and Grandmothers Ants Large Coalitions, Complex Division of Labor, Agriculture, Domestication, Slavery, Warfare, and Architecture Evolutionary Psychology is the study of Human Nature Species Typical Behaviors Innate cognitive mechanisms for making decisions concerning specific evolutionarily stable (ES) problems and motivate actions based on these decisions.? This involves:? Adaptations for perceiving, recognizing, and making salient appropriate inputs to determine if a ES problem exists, and assessing the costs and benifits.? Choosing between possible solutions (STRATEGIES) to problems using the gathered inputs and filling in the blanks when information is incomplete. Attaching appropriate emotional states that motivate actions that lead to probable solutions to ES problems. The goal of this new science of the mind is to map out all of the decision-making rules that make up human nature. Deep-Blue and Casperoff Human Nature must be universal with low tolerance for variability Shirley McLain and Sybil Theories of Evolutionary Psychology Focus is on the design features of adaptations rather then on RS Adaptive mismatch problem Both the Abstract and Social Contract problems are logically identical (P, not Q) Significance : We have specialized cognitive mechanisms (adaptations for making decisions) for policing social contracts: CHEATER DETECTION If you don’t pay the cost you are not entitled to the benefit (Reciprocal Altruism and Tit-for-Tat) The mind is modular: Functionally specific not just capacity for reasoning Abstract (clerical) problem not in the form of a social contract and we don’t turn on the cheater detection module to solve it.