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Evolutionary psychology or (EP) proposes that human cognition and behavior could be better understood by examining them in light of human evolutionary history. Specifically, EP proposes that the brain comprises a large number of functional mechanisms , called psychological adaptations, that evolved by natural selection to effect or facilitate the reproduction of the organism. These mechanisms are universal in the species, with the exception that some will be specific to one sex or to persons of a certain age. Uncontroversial examples of psychological adaptations include vision, hearing , memory, and motor control . More controversial examples include male and female mating preferences and strategies, incest avoidance mechanisms, and cheater detection mechanisms.
The main sources of evolutionary psychology are: cognitive psychology, genetics, ethology, anthropology, biologyBiology studies the variety of life clockwise from top-left E. coli tree fern, gazelle, Goliath beetle Biology is the science of life. It is concerned with the characteristics and behaviors of organisms, how species and individuals come into existence, an, and zoologyThis article is the top of the Zoology series. History of zoology (before Darwin) History of zoology (since Darwin) Zoology is the biological discipline which involves the study of animals. History of zoology Main articles History of zoology (before Darwi. The term evolutionary psychology was probably coined by Ghiselin in his 1973 article in Science. Leda Cosmides and John Tooby popularized the term in their highly influential 19921992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday. Events January January The Internet Society is formed. January 1 Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Perez de Cuellar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General January 1 George H. Bush becomes the fi book The Adapted Mind: Evolutionary Psychology and The Generation of Culture (BooksEnthsiast.com).
Evolutionary psychology has been applied to the study of many fields, including economicsEconomics is the social science studying how society uses its limited resources to meet desires and wants. Put otherwise, economics studies what, how and for whom society produces. This involves analyzing the production, distribution and consumption of go, aggressionAggression is defined as The act of initiating hostilities or invasion. The practice or habit of launching attacks. Hostile or destructive behavior or actions. Aggression in humans is partly genetic, with origins going as far as to our reptilean ancestors, lawThis article is about law in society. For other possible meanings, see law (disambiguation). Law (a loanword from Danish-Norwegian lov , in politics and jurisprudence, is a set of rules of conduct which mandate or proscribe (or both) specified relationshi, psychiatryPsychiatry is a branch of medicine that studies and treats mental and emotional disorders (see mental illness). The term alienist is an old term for a psychiatrist, and the term shrink (from "head shrinker") is a (sometimes offensive) slang term for a psy, politicsPolitics is the process and method of decision-making for groups of human beings. Although it is generally applied to governments, politics is also observed in all human group interactions including corporate, academic, and religious. Political science is, literature, and sex.
1 Theoretical background
The idea that organisms are machines that are designed to function in particular environments was eloquently argued by William Paley (who, in turn, drew upon the work of many others). This idea is the foundation of modern medicine and biology. Prior to Darwin and Wallace, it was thought that the design evident in organisms was evidence for God. Darwin and Wallace's theory of evolution by natural selection provided a scientific account of the origins of function.
Evolutionary psychology is based on the presumption that, just like hearts, lungs, livers, kidneys, and immune systems, cognition has functional structure that has a genetic basis, and therefore evolved by natural selection. Like other organs and tissues, this functional structure should be universally shared amongst humans and should solve important problems of survival and reproduction. Evolutionary psychologists seek to understand cognitive processes by understanding the survival and reproductive functions they might serve.
