🧠 Evolutionary Explanations of Behaviour

📌Core Concepts

Evolutionary psychology explains behaviour as adaptive responses shaped by natural selection to enhance survival and reproduction. Behaviours are viewed as evolved mechanisms encoded genetically.

Adaptation: Traits that increase survival likelihood.

Natural Selection: Differential survival of advantageous traits.

Sexual Selection: Traits that increase reproductive success.

📌Key Studies

Key Study 1: Buss (1989)

  • Aim: Investigate cross-cultural preferences in mate selection.
  • Method: 10,000 participants across 37 cultures completed questionnaires.
  • Findings: Women preferred financial stability; men preferred youth and physical attractiveness.
  • Conclusion: Universal patterns reflect evolutionary pressures.
  • Evaluation:
    • 👍 Large cross-cultural data.
    • 👎 Social desirability bias; gender role stereotypes.

Key Study 2: Curtis et al. (2004)

Evaluation: Online survey limits control; large sample strengthens reliability.

Aim: Explore whether disgust evolved as a disease-avoidance mechanism.

Findings: Stronger disgust response to disease-related images.

Conclusion: Disgust has adaptive, evolutionary roots.

🔍Tok link

To what extent is evolutionary psychology speculative rather than empirical?

How do values and cultural assumptions shape scientific explanations of human nature?

 🌐 Real-World Connection

Explains modern stress, phobias, mate selection patterns, and parental investment.

❤️ CAS Link

  • Debate or podcast: “Are human behaviours products of evolution or culture?”

🧠  IA Guidance

Experimental replications of disgust-response studies (Curtis-style) possible within ethics.

🧠 Examiner Tips

  • Always connect evolutionary theory to specific behaviours (e.g., disgust, attraction).
  • Avoid teleological (goal-driven) language — natural selection has no intent.