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Evolutionary Psychology Research Paper

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Recommended: Strengths and weaknesses of functionalism in psychology

Evolutionary psychology and the fundamental basis of attraction:
Psychologist William James proposed functionalism, which is a theory that saw behaviour as meaningful, purposeful and creating a contribution to our survival. James emphasised the role of evolution. He had the belief that evolution had a part to play in creating and moulding human behaviour. Evolutionary psychology as a whole, looks at how the behavioural and physical structure has been shaped by our evolutionary need to reproduce and survive.
Adaptation:
Adaptation refers to either the process or result of change because of natural selection. A species can respond to an environmental change by adapting, and features of the new phenotype (physical characteristics) may be called
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Adaptions are characteristics that living things have in response to its enviornment changing. All plants and animals have their own unique characteristics to defend and protect themselves from their enviornment around them. Organisms need to use their characteristics to find a way to reproduce, have a need for energy, protect themselves from predation, and from their own enviornment. Gray wolves have many special adaptions that help them to protect and live in their own enviornment. Gray wolves have a thick fur coat to protect themselves from their cold enviornment in the snow and their log guard hairs to keep them out of moisture.

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(R. Bijlsma, 2005). This process is known as genotypic adaptation or evolutionary adaptation. These phenomena are important from an evolutionary perspective. The possible occurrence of evolutionary adaptation and the rate at which it can proceed depends on the presence

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James Mark Baldwin , evolutionist inspired by Charles Darwin, Baldwin developed a biosocial theory. Baldwin was the first Psychologist to use children, his own daughters in scientific observation. Baldwin’s theories pioneered contemporary psychology. Major is his theory on behavioral adaptation to knowledge development. What we understand today as the biopsychosocial theory of intellectual evolution and behavior stems from his theories of natural heredity through genetics and social heredity through environment and culture.

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Adaptation is a special feature that allows an animal to live in a certain habitat. The platypus and the koala are two of many native animals that have special features that help them survive. A dingo, which is a non-native animal to Australia, also has special features that help them acclimate. The platypus has many characteristics that help it adapt to its environment.

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The ongoing conversation revolving around nurture versus nature can be applied in many different situations. Nature is the genetic influence on the individual's personality. Nurture, on the other hand, is the effect of environmental factors on someone's personality. Nurture is a more influential factor in a person's development and personality, and this can be shown through the Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Throughout the story, the boys' pasts affect the way they function on the island; tendencies they learned throughout their life reflect on how they treat each other and themselves.

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Do dreams have an evolutionary function? In this essay I will discuss Flanagan’s reasons for believing consciousness is an adaptation, I also will discuss why sleep is an adaptation and his stance on dreams being spandrels. And I will end with my opinion on why dreams may or may not be significant based on Flanagan’s theory and the treat simulation theory. I will also discuss the reasons why or why not dreams may have an evolutionary function.

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With constant, varying levels of environmental stress, human beings develop biologically in order to respond to these stresses, leading to the creation of a trait that can be inherited from generation to generation. These genes that are developed are continuously passed on in order to offer an advantage in response to these stresses, however, the development of these genetic changes usually take many generations to develop to its full capability (Anthro Palomar). Natural selection, the process in which an organism that is better fit to its environment survives and continues to thrive while the weaker organism dies out is also significant in the explanation of biological adaptation. The better fit organism has adapted biologically in order to survive in its environment and has developed genetic traits in order to do so, while the weaker one has not or cannot develop in this

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Gantt and Slife (2015) asked whether or not evolution provides a good explanation for psychological concepts; and the answer is “no”. Greek philosophers first introduced the question as to why organisms adapt to environments during the 7th Century BC (Shtulman, 2006). However, it was Darwin, who formulated the very first theory of evolution (via natural selection) in 1859, leading to confoundment and controversy through present day. Michael Ghiselin inaugurated the term evolutionary psychology in 1973; and Barkow, Cosmides and Tooby universalized starting in 1992. Evolutionary psychology maintains that the mind (and traits) have been determined by evolutionary forces in order to facilitate survival and “copying” (reproduction).

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The evolution of our species, Homo sapiens, took place within the past 200,000 years or so and recent research indicates that in East Africa, where Homo sapiens are thought to have originated, the trend towards greater aridity began around 660,000 years ago. It is thought that this general trend towards increased aridity had an important influence on the dispersal of early humans from their presumed original homeland. In addition to its alternate periods of heat and cold, natural movements of the Earth's crust have changed the shape of landmasses, flooding areas that were once dry land and creating continents and even mountains from areas that were once deep below the ocean. Migration to Australia took place during the closing stages of the

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In 1890 James Cattell started the specialization of psychological assessment. James called it “Mental Tests’. Sir Francis Galton developed the technique known as the correlation for his intelligence studies. This helped with the understanding of interrelationships. The ‘Principles of Psychology’ which became the stepping blocks for functionalism was published by William James.

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Many people believe that if you cannot see something, that something does not exist. By something I mean God. Those who discard the thought of a Creator then turn to science to provide evidence for our origins. The theory science puts forth is called evolution. What is evolution?

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