1 / 67

Teaching Evolutionary Psychology

Teaching Evolutionary Psychology. David M. Buss. “In the distant future . . . psychology will be based on a new foundation, that of the necessary acquirement of each mental power and capacity by gradation.” --Charles Darwin, 1859. Teaching Tool #1. Convey to students a sense of “deep time”.

maitland
Télécharger la présentation

Teaching Evolutionary Psychology

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. TeachingEvolutionary Psychology David M. Buss

  2. “In the distant future . . . psychology will be based on a new foundation, that of the necessary acquirement of each mental power and capacity by gradation.” --Charles Darwin, 1859

  3. Teaching Tool #1 • Convey to students a sense of “deep time”

  4. Origins of Modern Humans • Homo Erectus • Migrated from Africa to Asia (1.8 MYA)

  5. Increases in brain size during evolution modern human brain size: 1350 ccs ardipithecus brain size: 300 ccs Australopithe-cus brain size: 310-530 ccs homo habilis brain size: 580-752 ccs homo erectus brain size: 775-1225 ccs Neandertal brain size: 1200-1450 ccs

  6. Milestones in the Origins of Modern Humans

  7. Milestones in the Origins of Modern Humans

  8. Teaching Tool #2 • Teach students that there are multiple levels of causation and explanation.

  9. Turtles

  10. Teaching Tool #3 • Explain the three theories of the origins of complex adaptive mechanisms

  11. 1. Creationism

  12. 2. Seeding theory

  13. 3. Evolution by natural selection

  14. Teaching Tool #4 • Explain the logic of evolution by natural selection

  15. Evolution Before Darwin • Change over time in organic structures: evolution • Characteristics seemed to have a purpose (porcupines, turtles, skunks)

  16. Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection • The explanatory challenge: 1. why change takes place 2. how new species emerge 3. what the functions are of parts

  17. The answer--natural selection: Variation, inheritance, differential reproduction

  18. The key to natural selection: Differential reproductive success because of heritable variants; everyone has ancestors, but not everyone leaves descendants

  19. Natural selection provided 3 key answers • Explained change over time: descentwithmodification • Explained the apparent purposive quality of component parts: adaptivefunction • United all species into one grand tree of descent: including humans

  20. Darwin Was Deeply Troubled by Facts that Could not Be Explained by Natural Selection

  21. Teaching Tool #5 • Hence, need to explain the tremendous importance of the theory of sexual selection

  22. Sexual Selection

  23. Intersexual Selection:Preferential Mate Choice

  24. Sexual Selection Components • Intrasexual Competition

  25. Teaching Tool #6 • Explain the core tenets of evolutionary psychology

  26. Core Tenets of Evolutionary Psychology • 1. All behavior is a function of psychological mechanisms + input to those mechanisms

  27. Core Tenets of Evolutionary Psychology • 2. All psychological mechanisms, at some basic level, originate from evolutionary processes

  28. Core Tenets of Evolutionary Psychology • 3. Natural and sexual selection are the most important evolutionary processes responsible for creating psychological mechanisms

  29. Core Tenets of Evolutionary Psychology • 4. Evolved psychological mechanisms can be described as information processing devices. Inputs Outputs Decision Rules

  30. Core Tenets of Evolutionary Psychology • 5. Evolved psychological mechanisms are instantiated in the brain.

  31. Core Tenets of Evolutionary Psychology • 6. Evolved psychological mechanisms are functional: Designed to solve statistically recurrent adaptive problems

  32. Teaching Tool #7 • Teach the critical distinction between ultimate and proximate causation

  33. Proximate and Ultimate Causation • Proximate causation: Immediate causal forces—development, input, mechanism • Ultimate causation: Why? [example: Why are men taller than women, on average?]

  34. The “Long Bones” Explanation

  35. Teaching Tool #8 • Explain that humans were not “designed” to understand the causal processes that created their own psychology

  36. What Was the Human Mind Designed to Comprehend?

  37. Teaching Tool #9 • Use examples from the human body

  38. Teaching Tool #10 • Use animal examples

  39. All Species have a Nature

  40. Sexual Conflict Dampwood termites: Antennating males

  41. Animals Mating and Fighting

  42. Teaching Tool #11 • Use examples that relate to what’s important in the lives of students*: • Mating • Cooperation • Aggression • Common clinical problems: depression, eating disorders, etc. • Social conflict *Coincidentally, these are precisely the topics that evolutionary theory suggests tremendously important.

  43. Topics Students Care About

  44. Teaching Tool #12 • Use thought experiments

  45. Illustrative Thought Experiment:Mission Impossible • What would you do if you were a gene? • Your Mission: to increase your replicative success

  46. Inclusive Fitness Revolution • What would you do if you were a gene? • Ensure the survival of your “vehicle” (body) • Making copies of yourself: influence your “vehicle” to reproduce (find fertile mates, etc.) • Aid in the survival and reproduction of other “vehicles” that contain copies of you (help genetic relatives)

  47. Thought Experiment • List all of the qualities women want in a long-term mate. • List all of the qualities men want in a long-term mate.

More Related