Evolutionary Psychology: An Introduction
Lance Workman
Language: English
Pages: 561
ISBN: 1107622735
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Written for undergraduate psychology students, and assuming little knowledge of evolutionary science, the third edition of this classic textbook provides an essential introduction to evolutionary psychology. Fully updated with the latest research and new learning features, it provides a thought-provoking overview of evolution and illuminates the evolutionary foundation of many of the broader topics taught in psychology departments. The text retains its balanced and critical evaluation of hypotheses and full coverage of the fundamental topics required for undergraduates. This new edition includes more material on the social and reproductive behaviour of non-human primates, morality, cognition, development and culture as well as new photos, illustrations, text boxes and thought questions to support student learning. Some 280 online multiple choice questions complete the student questioning package. This new material complements the classic features of this text, which include suggestions for further reading, chapter summaries, a glossary, and two-colour figures throughout.
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genes are implicated in a wide range of traits and behaviours such as intelligence, personality, obesity, addictive behaviours and so on. Although behavioural genetics research can inform researchers that a particular trait is genetically influenced, it does not tell us whether that trait is an adaptation. A second method, the comparative method, attempts to address more directly the problem of adaptation. Humans are under similar economic pressures to many other animals. Each needs to find and
original version of The Origin of Species but incorporated it into later editions at the suggestion of his friend and contemporary Alfred Russel Wallace from a suggestion by another contemporary Herbert Spencer (Wallace, 1864; Spencer, 1864). In many ways ‘survival of the fittest’ is an unfortunate term since fitness means different things to different people (Dawkins, 1982). In the years since The Origin of Species first appeared, fitness has been used in a number of different ways ranging from
indirect such as comparing the behaviour and reported internal states of twins and other relatives. Recent developments on molecular biology, however, have now allowed behavioural geneticists to identify specific genes involved in moulding personality. Two genes in particular have been strongly implicated in mental differences between people. On the long arm of chromosome 11 there is a gene which has been labelled D4DR. This gene codes for the production of a protein that protrudes from the
can progress without a commitment to modularity. Nature, nurture and evolutionary psychology One of the central debates of developmental psychology is the socalled ‘nature versus nurture’ debate. This asks to what extent human behaviour is the result of environmental factors (nurture) and to what extent it is the result of innate biological factors (nature). This question has a long history, starting at least as early as the Greek philosophers, and has been revisited by a variety of thinkers
world in an effective manner. If evolution has shaped the way that the mind works we might expect such understandings to emerge early in life. The Piagetian infant has no understanding of physics. A cynic might counter this by saying that nor do most high-school students. This is, however, incorrect as all clinically normal children have an intimate understanding of the physical world. Not the school physics of inclined planes, frictionless surfaces and masses which take up no space, but the