A Unified Psychology Evolutionary Psychology as a Metatheory

Universal Acid The Philosopher Daniel Dennett (1995) has described Darwinian theory as a “Universal Acid” Evolutionary theory can be applied to all domains of psychology, unifying them by asking Ultimate questions, rather than proximate ones As such, EP provides a metatheory for the field of Psychology

Cognitive Psychology (1) For quite some time, a debate over naturalistic experimentation in cognitive psychology has been waged  The “purist” argument is one of experimental control and the avoidance of contamination  The “naturalist” argument is one of ecological validity

CP assumes mechanisms are general-purpose and content-free EP argues, however, that there does not exist any “general problem” with a “general solution” and that the number of possible responses are nearly infinite in a general- purpose model Moreover, how can we study a mechanism without understanding its function? Cognitive Psychology (2)

According to CP doctrine, individuals constantly make logical errors when tested However, it has been argued by evolutionary psychologists that experimental tasks are often not ecologically valid  When tasks are more naturalistic, they produce strikingly good results  E.g., Wason task Cognitive Psychology (3)

Social Psychology (1) Humans are a highly social species  Hence, we should expect a good deal of adaptations to work in the social domain Social psychological research has often focused on behavioural phenomena without attempting to understand the origins of these phenomena  Proximate vs. Ultimate causes

Several evolutionary theories shed light on social phenomena, such as inclusive fitness, reciprocal altruism, and sexual choice  Discriminative parental solicitude  Bargaining behaviour  Cell phones as lekking devices Multilevel selection may be of particular relevance here Social Psychology (2)

Developmental Psychology There is considerable consensus in the DP literature regarding developmental stages However, without a selectionist approach, an understanding of why these features develop when they do is lacking  Infant survival and crying  Father-absence and reproductive strategies  Intrasexual competition and risk

Personality Psychology The literature has consistently demonstrated heritable personality dispositions If directional selection works to reduce variability, how are these multiple personality dispositions maintained?  Niche picking and birth order  Reactive heritability and physical traits  Frequency-dependent selection and psychopathy

Clinical Psychology The DSM is an explicitly atheoretical text with regard to causes Criteria for mental disorder may not be somewhat value laden Wakefield has argued for the idea of “harmful dysfunction” Dysfunction may be due to genetic factors, neurodevelopmental insults, or adaptive lag  Autism and theory of mind

Cross-Cultural Psychology “Culture” has been falsely pitted against “nature”  They are heavily interwoven concepts The concept of evoked culture provides an interesting synthesis of cultural and genetic factors  Food variance and sharing  Pathogen prevalence, FA, & attractiveness

The Wrap-Up Evolutionary psychology can provide a metatheory for the field of psychology  Unifies psychological theory by researching Ultimate causation EP does not “compete” with proximate models, only attempts to find an appropriate explanatory framework for them EP is relevant to all domains of psychology, be they cognitive, social, developmental, personality, clinical, or cultural

Things to Come General course review Final exam review  BRING QUESTIONS!!!!!!!!!