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Evolutionary Psychology: Understanding Human Relationships and Adaptations

This exploration delves into the intersection of evolutionary psychology and human relationships, examining how psychological traits are shaped by natural and sexual selection. Key concepts like neotenic cranial development and hypermorphic brain growth are discussed to highlight the evolutionary pressures that molded the human mind. The study also incorporates a questionnaire on romantic relationships, prompting reflection on emotional attachments and sexual encounters, deepening our understanding of psychological adaptations in the context of human behavior.

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Evolutionary Psychology: Understanding Human Relationships and Adaptations

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  1. 4. Our development chimp bonobo Humas: Hypermorphic brain growth Neotenic cranial development Christoph P.E. Zollikofer ∗, Marcia S. Ponce de León, 2009

  2. Evolutionary Psychology • …seeks to identify which human psychological traits are evolved adaptations, that is, the functional products of natural selection or sexual selection. Adaptationist thinking about physiological mechanisms, such as the heart, lungs, and immune system, is common in evolutionary biology. Evolutionary psychology applies the same thinking to psychology, arguing that the mind has a modular structure similar to that of the body with different modules having adapted to serve different functions. Evolutionary psychologists argue that much of human behavior is the output of psychological adaptations that evolved to solve recurrent problems in human ancestral environments [environment of evolutionary adaptedness]. Wikipedia

  3. Questionnaire: • Instructions: Please think of a serious committed romantic relationship that you have had in the past, that you currently have, or that you would like to have. Imagine that you discover that the person with whom you’ve been seriously involved became interested in someone else. What would distress or upset you more:

  4. Dilemma 1: • A) Imagining your partner forming a deep emotional attachment to that person. • B) Imagining your partner enjoying passionate sexual intercourse with that other person. • On your card, please note your choice and if you are or

  5. Questionnaire: • Instructions: Please think of a serious committed romantic relationship that you have had in the past, that you currently have, or that you would like to have. Imagine that you discover that the person with whom you’ve been seriously involved became interested in someone else. What would distress or upset you more:

  6. Dilemma 2: • A) Imagining your partner trying different sexual positions with that other person. • B) Imagining your partner falling in love with that other person. • On your card, please note your choice and if you are or

  7. = “Forced choice” questionnaire • These questions have been used in several studies

  8. Why? • Adaptationist explanation… • Cultural explanation

  9. Be careful about adaptationist explanations… 1a) The “use” of a feature is not always obvious (video)

  10. Be careful about adaptationist explanations… 1b) The “use” of a feature is not always obvious (video)

  11. Be careful about adaptationist explanations… 2) The feature may have arisen in a different environment Cheetah in North America until 10,000 ya

  12. Be careful about adaptationist explanations… 3) Some features were originally selected for another purpose (exaptation) Feathers arose before flight; Heat retention? Display?

  13. Be careful about adaptationist explanations… • Neutral theory: some variation in nature [especially genetic] can be selectively neutral

  14. Be careful about adaptationist explanations… 5) A feature may be a by-product of selection for another trait

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