EVOLUTIONARY APPROACH

Created by: Jade Marney
Created on: 05-04-18 13:20

What was Darwin's theory of Evolution?

Darwin claimed that humans evolved over time through natural selection. This is where organisms which are best adapted to environments survive and the others die and become extinct.

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What is meant by evolutionary psychology?

The idea that the mind has evolved over time and that individuals who possess physical characteristics and behaviours, which are adaptive, will survive.

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Give 3 examples of how the evolutionary theory is used in psychology

1) Attachment - Bowlby's Monotropic theory. 2) Biopsychology - the fight or flight response. 3) Phobias - biological preparedness

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How is determinism a strength of the evolutionary theory?

The emphasis on innate causes of behaviour is an important contribution to our understanding of the factors that influence behaviour

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Explain ex post facto evidence & how it is a weakness of the approach

Ex post facto means after the fact. It is hard to know whether a characteristic is actually beneficial and why it remained in the gene pool or whether it just wasn't selected against.

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How is lower applicability to human behaviours a weakness?

Human behaviour is more influenced by experience, conscious thought and our cultures, which is why evolutionary behaviour is more applicable to animals.

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How is the evolutionary approach limited by determinism?

Human behaviour is caused by numerous factors and it is limited to say that the innate, biological cause for behaviour is the only thing to influence it (eg like social and cultural contexts).

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How are individual differences a weakness to the evolutionary approach?

Individual differences between us (eg intelligence, learning ability, susceptibility to mental disorders etc) are important factors in our behaviour and the evolutionary approach fails to give an explanation for these factors.

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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What is meant by evolutionary psychology?

Back

The idea that the mind has evolved over time and that individuals who possess physical characteristics and behaviours, which are adaptive, will survive.

Card 3

Front

Give 3 examples of how the evolutionary theory is used in psychology

Back

Card 4

Front

How is determinism a strength of the evolutionary theory?

Back

Card 5

Front

Explain ex post facto evidence & how it is a weakness of the approach

Back

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EVOLUTIONARY APPROACH