Review for Evolution for everyone – cque professor glenn geher May 23, 2018

This review is based on applied evolutionary psychology Examples are used based on two things: 1. They are based on concepts that will be on the exam 2. they are all related to applications that can be used to help improve educational outcomes

Adaptation, natural selection, fitness, reproductive success Adaptation: a feature of an organism that helps increase survival or reproductive success. It is the product of natural selection. It corresponds to an increase in fitness. APPLIED EXAMPLE: gaining a reputation as being helpful is adaptive in human groups. We can use this information to encourage students to be helpful in the classroom.

Altricial versus precocial altricial species have offspring that need a lot of help. Precocial species have offspring that are independent early on in life APPLIED EXAMPLE: Understanding the fact that humans are an altricial species can help preschool teachers understand young children better

Evolutionary mismatch and EEA Evolutionary mismatch exists when the current features of the environment of an organism are not the same as the features of the environment that characterized the ancestral environment of the organism EEA (Environment of evolutionary adaptedness): The ancestral environment for an organism (when the evolution of that organism took place) Applied example: Modern educational systems are highly mismatched from the kinds of educational experience that our ancestors had during the EEA. We should try to understand what education was like then so we can reduce this mismatch.

Reciprocal altruism Reciprocal altruism: Helping another with an expectation for help at a future point in return. Only exists if: Individuals can identify conspecifics The species has a long life span for individuals The individuals live in stable social groups Applied Example: Understanding reciprocal altruism can help us teach kids how sharing and helping others will be good for themselves in the long term

Kin-selected altruism Kin-selected altruism: helping kin (i.e., family members) which ultimately helps one’s own genes (Because kin share genes with an individual) Applied example: We can teach children about the importance of family in a whole new way by underscoring the importance of kin relationships in terms of evolution

Antagonistic co-evolution Antagonistic co-evolution: When an adaptation in one species (usually) evolves as a reaction or response to an adaptation in another species. This can go on for a long time! It can also be within a species …. Applied example: Children evolved exaggerated neotenous features (e.g., big eyes, small nose …) Adults evolved the tendency to think that these features are cute … Adults came to give special attention and time to cute babies More cuteness came to characterize human babies!

Life history strategy Life history strategy: it is an approach to life that is based on either reproducing early and often (fast) or reproducing later in life and having few offspring that are well taken care of (slow). Applied example: Children who live in harsh, unstable environments may be likely to have a fast life history strategy

Dunbar’s Number Dunbar’s number: This number, 150, corresponds to how large human group sizes were in the EEA Applied example: Based on Dunbar’s number, we know that humans do best when working in small groups with the same individuals over time. We can use this information to structure the classroom in a way that is best.

Parental investment theory Parental investment theory: The idea that the amount of investment required to successfully raise an offspring will determine the mating strategies (and other species) of a species (or within the sex of a species) Applied example: One reason that mothers are more likely to be involved in their children’s education (compared with fathers) is due to the fact that they have higher parental investment. This may also be why teachers are more likely to be females.

Ekman’s research on the basic emotions Basic emotions: Happiness, sadness, and anger. These are thought to be products of our evolutionary history because they show the same expressions across the globe. Applied example: When a teacher has a student from another country or culture, he or she can use emotional techniques to reach students (because emotions are the same across the globe)

.7 waist to hip ratio .7 waist to hip ratio: “ideal” in terms of ratings of women’s beauty and attractiveness. It corresponds to being highly able to have a baby successfully Applied example: When students learn about things like beauty, we need to realize that beauty is partly in the eye of the beholder, but also there are certain features of people that are universally considered beautiful

Short-term mating strategy Short-term mating strategy: The tendency to interact with a mate on very few occasions. This is common when parental investment is low. Applied example: Children who come from very poor neighborhoods might have parents who put less investment into them. These parents may be more likely to not be married – they may be more likely to use short-term mating strategies

Strategic pluralism Strategic pluralism: The tendency for more than one strategy to be able to lead to evolutionary success. This could be in any domain. Applied example: Some students are highly successful because they are very smart and good at academics. But others are very successful because they are good socially and they are good at leading groups. Both strategies (being a strong academic or being a strong leader) can lead to success

Intrasexual Competition (or intrasexual selection) Intrasexual competition: When members of the same species compete with each other for access to members of the opposite sex. In humans, this is most common between the ages of 15-25 Applied Example: Physical fighting in high schools is more common among boys than among girls.

Selfish Gene approach to evolution Selfish gene approach to evolution: The idea that adaptations evolve to benefit oneself and one’s own genes – not the species that it belongs to Applied example: Parents are famous for caring a great deal about the education of their children. This is partly because one’s children are the ultimate products of their genes (and this is why people often care about their own children more than they care about other people’s children!)

Katie Gruskin’s research on education and evolution Katie Gruskin found that people whose elementary school experiences were more like the EEA did better in high school and in college. Applied example: We should work to make the education of our students more like how things were in the EEA when at all possible!

Here is Katie with our research group Here is Katie with our research group! If you come to New Paltz, talk to me about joining our group – the New Paltz Evolutionary Psychology Lab!

Thank you!!! … and here is my family!