Evolutionary Perspective - social behaviors are rooted in unintentional ways that helped our
ancestors survive & reproduce
- NATURAL SELECTION, MOTIVATION, REPRODUCTION
- GENES/ADAPTATIONS
Theory - scientific explanation based on theories based on observations; unify findings and help
guide fu...
FSU SOP 3004 Exam 1
Evolutionary Perspective - social behaviors are rooted in unintentional ways that helped our
ancestors survive & reproduce
- NATURAL SELECTION, MOTIVATION, REPRODUCTION
- GENES/ADAPTATIONS
Theory - scientific explanation based on theories based on observations; unify findings and help
guide future research
Four Major Theoretical Perspectives (all correct) - 1. Sociocultural
2. Evolutionary
3. Social Learning
4. Social Cognitive
Sociocultural Perspective - prejudices, preferences, & political persuasions are affected by factors
that work at group level such as nationality, social class, current historical trends;
- SOCIAL NORMS, OUR CULTURE
Natural Selection - process by which animals pass characteristics useful for survival on to their
offspring
- changes in POPULATION
3 Principles of Evolutionary Perspective - 1) Variation (random)
2) Heritability (must be able to be passed on)
3) Differential survival & reproductive success
Misconceptions of Evolutionary Perspective - 1. Evolution isn't purposeful.
, 2. Traits are random (beneficial, detrimental, neural) & don't appear in response to need.
3. Environment (physical or social) plays role in determine which traits are + or -
Misconception Ex: "The male peacock evolved a large colorful tail to attract females." - WRONG -
"Male peacocks w/ large colorful tails were more successful at finding mates, which led to large
colorful tails becoming more numerous in the population." - RIGHT
Adaptations - - characteristics that are well suited for a particular environment
- there are universal patterns, but some things are byproducts
Adaptation Ex: Innate Fears - children and dogs fear snakes
Possible Motivations - Acquire resources, mating, child-rearing, protection
What do evolutionary social psychologists study? - Translational questions:
- human behavior patterns vs. animal?
- how environmental patterns affect people from different cultures
Biological questions:
- hormones affect on social behavior
- social situations affect on physiological responses
Naturalistic Fallacy - - is to ought
- what is natural is good/how things should be
Naturalistic Fallacy Ex: - "Bc people are genetically different and endowed with different innate
abilities and talents, they ought to be treated differently."
Moralistic Fallacy - - ought to is
- assumption that what ought to be is what is -- that the undesirable opposes nature.
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