Evolutionary Psychology
What is Evolutionary Psychology?
Evolutionary Psychology is a theoretical approach to psychology. The purpose of this approach is to bring the functional or normal way of thinking about biological mechanisms such as the immune system into psychology. In the simplest terms, it's the study of evolution, and how the human evolves psychologically. Evolutionary psychology shouldn't necessarily be thought of as a sub field of psychology, it is more along the lines of a way of thinking in psychology and can be applied to any topic including emotions. Evolutionary psychology is centered around the thought that evolution has molded the mind and behavior in thought, and in deed.
Who founded Evolutionary Psychology?
The very beginning of evolutionary psychology began with Charles Darwin, and his theories on humans social instincts that evolved from natural selection, and adaptation.
This is described in his book "The origin of Species" and some more in "The Descent of Man."
During the 20th century psychologist focused more on behaviorism and proximate explanations for human behavior, creating a mixture between behavioural psychology and evolutionary.
In recent history, E. O. Wilson synthesized recent theoretical advances in evolutionary theory and explained social behavior in animals including humans. He did all of this in his book Sociobiology.
Evolutionary psychology has roots in cognitive psychology and evolutionary biology but also draws on behavioral ecology, artificial intelligence, genetics, ethology, anthropology, archaeology, biology, ecopsychology and zoology. It is closely linked to sociobiology, but there are key differences between them including the emphasis on domain-specific rather than domain-general mechanisms, the relevance of measures of current fitness, the importance of mismatch theory, and psychology rather than behavior.
Key Figures in Evolutionary Psychology
E. O. Wilson
E. O. Wilson is renowned for his work in sociobiology, which laid the foundation for modern evolutionary psychology. His research synthesized evolutionary theory and social behavior in animals, including humans.
John Tooby
John Tooby is one of the pioneers of evolutionary psychology. He co-founded the field along with Leda Cosmides. Together, they developed many foundational concepts and theories that have shaped the way we understand the mind from an evolutionary perspective.
Jerome Barkow
Jerome Barkow has made significant contributions to the field of evolutionary psychology, particularly in understanding the role of culture in shaping human behavior. His work has provided valuable insights into the interplay between biology and culture in human evolution.
Leda Cosmides
Leda Cosmides is a prominent figure in evolutionary psychology. She, along with John Tooby, developed the concept of the "modular mind," which suggests that the human mind consists of specialized modules that evolved to solve specific problems faced by our ancestors.
Key Terms in Evolutionary Psychology
Adaptation- The dynamic evolutionary process by which a trait with a current functional role in the life as an organism is maintained and/or modified by the means of natural selection in order to render the organism fit to survive in their current environment. (The species must adapt, as the most fit survives).
Evolutionary Biology- A scientific sub-field concerned with the origin and descent of species and their evolution, multiplication, and diversity over time. (Key focus, change over time).
Natural Selection- A process by which heritable traits conferring survival and reproductive advantages to individuals tend to be passed on to succeeding generations and become more frequent in a population. (i.e. Humans who were more fearful, and stuck with the pack of humans had a greater chance of surviving than those that didn't, thus why we have a psychological need now to be with other humans, and to be afraid of the dark. Fear is a trait that was passed on to us via natural selection, and is a gift, scientifically speaking).
For AP Psychology Course (Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology (also known as AP Psych)).
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