Psychology 3106

1
Introduction

• Psychology 3106

2
Introduction

• Why study psychology from an evolutionary
  perspective?
• Well, umm we are animals after all
• Darwin talked about evolutionary psychology
• William James talked about evolutionary psychology

3
Evolution and Social Science

• Most psychologists adhere to the Standard Social
  Science Model
• This of course affects research, theories,
  hypotheses etc.
• It is almost completely at odds with Evolutionary
  Theory, and dare I say, with reality.

4
SSSM - Assumptions

• 1) The Blank Slate
• Most of us can see this is silly, but, the SSSM
  seems to accept it
• 2) Biology is Irrelevant
• If experience is all that matters, biology really
  has no effect now does it
• 3) There are only a few learning mechanisms

5
Why the SSSM is wrong

• Development NEEDS biology
• So, when you hear say language, you learn
  language, as a kid.
• No matter how many hockey stats I flash at you,
  you will not become a hockey stats expert by the
  age of 4.
• Why?

6
Another example or two

• Why cant my parents dog learn to speak English?
• BECAUSE SHE IS A DOG
• Why cant you remember where you cached 30 000
  seeds six months ago?
• BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT A CLARKS NUTCRACKER
• There is such a thing as human nature

7
Nature vs. Nurture

• The SSSM divides nature and nurture, this is
  silly as you cannot have one without the other
• The interaction principal
• Genes do not just set some sort of limit. They
  interact with the environment
• So, say learning, needs a mechanism and so forth
  to allow experience to change behaviour

8
The SSSM and the natural sciences

• We cannot study behaviour in a vacuum
• We cannot ignore biology
• Exempting the behaviour of organisms from the
  principles of biology is like exempting the
  behaviour of atoms from the principles of physics
• We cannot ignore evolution of sociality in other
  species and us

9
Why study animal behaviour

• Tells us a lot about ourselves (as I hopefully
  have explained in the last few slides)
• Could be usefully applied
• You know, like conservation, or invasive species
• Cuz it is cool

10
Why?

• This butterfly is brightly coloured and
  ornamented
• It is also quite poisonous
• Why?

11
Tinbergens Four Whys

• Causal or Proximate mechanisms
• Genetics
• development
• Functional or Ultimate mechanisms
• The function, what it accomplishes
• The evultion of the behaviour

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Why are the four whys important?

• To truly understand behaviour (or any
  characteristic) we must have all the explanations
• Please dont mix up cause and funtion