What qualities does your ideal partner have?

1. What qualities does your ideal partner have? Close your eyes, imagine them and then write down a description of them. Not everyone is inclined towards a relationship or romantic or sexual interest. In this case, consider what you offer in a relationship.

3. The Nature-Nurture Debates “Jim twins” • Jim Springer and Jim Lewis • Identical twin brothers separated 37 days after birth and raised by different adoptive families • Reunited at age 39 • For scientists the question was once they were reunited, how were they alike after growing up in different environments?

4. What similarities do you think the Jims have? What do they share? • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw3S35wGgT8

5. Married women named Linda, divorced, then married women named Betty • Oldest sons named James Allan and James Alan • Liked math, but hated spelling in school • Worked as deputy sheriffs, pumping gas, and McDonald’s • Enjoyed stock-car racing and woodworking • Mannerisms, tastes, habits, etc. “Jim twins” and their eerie similarities

6. Wait, there’s more! • owned dogs called “troy” • drove same model and color Chevy • chewed fingernails • vacationed at same spot each year • Got headaches at same time each day

7. Nature and Nurture The longest debate in the history of psychology

10. First three minutes give a good overview

11. Evolutionary Psychology • A subfield that uses the principles of evolution to understand human social behavior • Adaptations are not only physical, but behavioral as well

12. Within a species, no two are alike. • Individuals differ in their suitability to their environment. • Those better suited are more likely to _____________________________ • Reproduction perpetuates the genes of ______________________________ Survive and reproduce Evolution: Principles of Natural Selection Better suited individuals

13. Behaviour is strongly influenced by inherited factors • All human beings act to enhance their inclusive fitness – to increase the frequency and distribution of their genes in future generations Evolutionary Psychology

14. The human brain consists of neural circuits that have developed to solve problems that our ancestors faced during our evolutionary history • Our minds are adaptations • Adaptations evolve to meet challenges in the environment Evolutionary Psychology

15. Reproduction is a key avenue of research and explanation as evolutionary psychology seeks to identify factors that maximized reproductive success • Women feel attracted to healthy men but are especially attracted to wealthy men who can take care of their offspring • Men are attracted to young fertile women because they have a biological impulse to mate widely Major tenets

16. Sexuality and the Evolutionary Psychologist • Casual sex is more accepted by men. • When average men and women randomly ask strangers for sex tonight, 75% of men agreed, almost no women agreed. WHY?

17. Sperm is Cheap Eggs are not

18. Sexuality and the Evolutionary Psychologist • Casual sex is more accepted by men. • When average men and women randomly ask strangers for sex tonight, 75% of men agreed, almost no women agreed. Alternative Reasons?

19. Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice

20. Can you conceive of alternative explanations?

22. Aggression: effective aggressors gain and maintain access to food, water, and desirable mates • These “aggressive” behaviors increase the likelihood of survival and reproduction Evolution: Adaptive behavior in humans and non-humans

23. Cars kill many more people than spiders. So why are phobias of spiders much more common than phobias of cars? Evolution

24. Evolution of phobia

25. X Evolution of phobia

26. Evolution of phobia

27. Evolution of phobia

28. X Evolution of phobia

29. X Evolution of phobia

30. X X X X Evolution of phobia

31. You cannot properly experiment and those in this field begin with the effect and work backwards to come up with an explanation • Evolutionary psychology does not take current socio-cultural factors into account when constructing explanations nor does it emphasize the fact that much of who we are is not hard-wired • Over emphasizes sex differences and downplays contrary evidence Criticisms of Evolutionary Psychology

33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbRCFuet0Nk Let’s watch one of the founders of the field…

34. Now that we have seen David Buss, to what extent do the tenets and/or criticisms ring true?

35. Extreme biological position • Personality traits, physical characteristics, etc. are all programmed or “hard-wired” • Extreme environmental position • All traits and characteristics are shaped by life experience The Nature-Nurture Debates So how do we study this???

37. Twin and Adoption StudiesIdentical Versus Fraternal Twins

38. Twin and Adoption StudiesIdentical Versus Fraternal TwinsMonozygotic Dizygotic

39. Twin and Adoption StudiesIdentical Versus Fraternal TwinsMonozygotic Dizygotic

40. Twin and Adoption StudiesIdentical Versus Fraternal TwinsMonozygotic Dizygotic

41. Twin and Adoption StudiesIdentical Versus Fraternal TwinsMonozygotic Dizygotic

42. Twin and Adoption StudiesIdentical Versus Fraternal TwinsMonozygotic Dizygotic

43. Genetic influences • Based on the Minnesota personality studies: • When raised together, monozygotic twins are more similar than dizygotic twins. • MZ Twins raised apart are almost as similar to each other as those living in the same home. Nature and Nurture

44. . Where does this leave you?

45. Other studies of twins and adoptees show: • Genetic factors account for some differences in intelligence, verbal and spatial abilities, criminality, vocational interests, and aggressiveness. • There is a genetic component to psychological disorders, such as alcoholism, depression, and schizophrenia. • And, there is evidence for a genetic link to people’s attitudes toward issues and activities. The Nature-Nurture Debates

46. The Nature-Nurture Debates • This study involved 672 twins who rated their attitudes on various issues and activities. • The results show some influence of genetic factors.

47. Genetic differences typically account for less than 50 percent of the variation in personality. • Environmental factors account for the rest of the variation. The Nature-Nurture Debates

48. The Nature-Nurture Debates • A study of 5,542 three-year-olds found that • Children with older brothers had higher masculinity scores • Children with older sisters had higher femininity scores • These results would seem to support the nurture hypothesis.

49. Genetic and environmental influences are not independent. • Identical twins receive more similar treatment from their parents compared to fraternal twins. • People’s genetic makeup influences how they are treated by others, the environments in which they live, and the way they perceive and recall the details of that environment. The Nature-Nurture DebatesThe Interplay of Nature and Nurture

50. Your time to work on your debates. • Two options: • Regular debate within your group Or • Investigate both positions, present both sides and then provide your own analysis Debates reborn!