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Evolutionary Psychology (EP) The evolutionary biology of mind, brain and behavior.

Evolutionary Psychology delves into the evolutionary biology of mind, brain, and behavior, synthesizing evolutionary biology, biological anthropology, psychology, and cognitive neuroscience. Contrasting traditional psychology, EP focuses on the proximate versus ultimate explanations of behavior, the role of experience and culture, and critiques the Standard Social Science Model by emphasizing the human mind as a product of specialized modules shaped by ancestral challenges.

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Evolutionary Psychology (EP) The evolutionary biology of mind, brain and behavior.

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  1. Evolutionary Psychology (EP) The evolutionary biology of mind, brain and behavior. Synthesis of: evolutionary biology biological anthropology psychology cognitive neuroscience NOT a subfield of psychology, but a different approach to the entire field.

  2. Differences between EP and traditional psychology. A. Proximate versus ultimate (Tinbergen) B. Role of experience and culture (the SSSM)

  3. The Standard Social Science Model (SSSM) • The human mind is a blank slate (tabula rasa). • 2. Biological constraints on human behavior are minimal. • 3. Human behavior is shaped by (one or a very few) general-purpose learning mechanisms.

  4. Critique of the SSSM • A blank slate could not respond to experience because it would have no rules for responding. • 2. The nature/nurture (genes/environment, innate/learned) dichotomy is false with respect to ontogeny (development). • 3. General-purpose learning mechanisms cannot explain behavior.

  5. Critique of the SSSM (continued) 4. Artificially separates natural and social sciences. 5. Lacks an overarching theory of design.

  6. What is human nature? SSSM: a blank slate on which (arbitrary) culture and experience make their mark. EP: a large collection of specialized modules built by selection to address the specific challenges that faced our ancestors over human evolution.

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