1. Logical Principles Underlying Evolutionary Psychology
Evolutionary psychology and scientific explanation.
- Four kinds of questions.
- “Proximate” and “Ultimate” explanations.
Five guiding principles.
- And some of their implications.

2. Buss, Chapters 1 and 2:
Some useful background and key concepts:
- natural selection
- sexual selection
- inclusive fitness
- adaptation
- environment of evolutionary adaptedness (EEA)
- basic principles of human cognition
- key properties of evolved psychological mechanisms
- levels of analysis in evolutionary psychology
- strategies for generating and testing ev. psych. hypotheses
Also some stuff that isn’t so important:
- Neanderthals
- mini-history of psychology
On website: a list of things that matter most.

3. Evolutionary psychology and scientific explanation:
Four kinds of questions that ethologists ask about behavior
(from Tinbergen, via Buss)
Questions about developmental influences on behavior.
Questions about the immediate influences on behavior.
Questions about phylogenetic origins of behavior.
Questions about adaptive function of behavior.

4. “Proximate” explanations “Ultimate” explanations
Schematic organization of these four kinds of questions,
as applied to psychological phenomena
(adapted from Nesse)
Ontogeny (Development)
How does [that psychological thing] develop over the course of an individual’s lifespan?
Mechanism
What are the structures and processes that, at any particular moment in time, exert an influence on [that psychological thing]?
Phylogeny
How has [that psychological thing] changed in form over the course of human evolutionary history?
Function (Adaptation)
What (if any) selective advantage was conferred by [that psychological thing] over the course of human evolutionary history?
“Proximate” explanations
“Ultimate” explanations

5. Five guiding principles of evolutionary psychology
(from Cosmides & Tooby)
Principle 1: The brain is a physical system designed to generate behavior that is appropriate to one's environmental circumstances.
Principle 2: Neural circuitry is the product of evolution by natural selection, and evolved as a means of solving problems that our ancestors faced over the course of human evolutionary history.
Principle 3: Consciousness is just the tip of iceberg.
Principle 4: Evolved psychology is defined by functional specialization and modularity.
Principle 5: Our modern skulls house a Stone Age mind.

6. Principle 1: The brain is a physical system designed to generate behavior that is appropriate to one's environmental circumstances.
Environmental
inputs
“Useful”
behavioral outputs

7. Principle 2: Neural circuitry is the product of evolution by natural selection, and evolved as a means of solving problems that our ancestors faced over the course of human evolutionary history.
“Problems” = challenges to survival and/or reproduction.
2 characteristics of problems that mattered:
- Recurring over long period of time.
- Implications for reproduction of genes.
Problems and sub-problems.

8. sub-sub-sub-problems: REPRODUCE
Example:
BIG problem to solve:
Some major
sub-problems:
Some more specific
sub-sub-problems:
Even more specific
sub-sub-sub-problems:
REPRODUCE
Survive long enough to reach reproductive age
Engage in successful reproductive behavior
Obtain nutrition
Avoid predation
Avoid deadly infections
Etc.
Detect presence of predators
Produce avoidant behavioral response
Etc.

9. sub-sub-sub-problems: REPRODUCE
Example:
BIG problem to solve:
Some major
sub-problems:
Some more specific
sub-sub-problems:
Even more specific
sub-sub-sub-problems:
REPRODUCE
Survive long enough to reach reproductive age
Engage in successful reproductive behavior
Obtain nutrition
Avoid predation
Avoid deadly infections
Etc.
Etc.

10. sub-sub-sub-problems: REPRODUCE
Example:
BIG problem to solve:
Some major
sub-problems:
Some more specific
sub-sub-problems:
Even more specific
sub-sub-sub-problems:
REPRODUCE
Survive long enough to reach reproductive age
Engage in successful reproductive behavior
Attract “good” mate
Produce offspring
Help offspring survive
Etc.
Identify potentially “good” mates
Make self attractive to those potential mates
Etc.

11. sub-sub-sub-problems: REPRODUCE
Example:
BIG problem to solve:
Some major
sub-problems:
Some more specific
sub-sub-problems:
Even more specific
sub-sub-sub-problems:
REPRODUCE
Survive long enough to reach reproductive age
Engage in successful reproductive behavior
Attract “good” mate
Produce offspring
Help offspring survive
Etc.
Etc.

12. Principle 3: Consciousness is just the tip of iceberg.
Principle 3: Consciousness is just the tip of iceberg.

13. Principle 4: Evolved psychology is defined by functional specialization and modularity.
Buss: Evolved psychological mechanisms tend to be problem-specific; Humans possess many evolved psychological mechanisms.
Examples…

14. [one list of evolved learning mechanisms]
``There are at least five imprinting processes, eleven varieties of Pavlovian conditioning, ten of instrumental conditioning, and eight forms of mimicry and imitation…``
(Moore, 2004)

17. Principle 5: Our modern skulls house a Stone Age mind.
- Important distinction between EEA and contemporary environments
Mismatches between EEA and contemporary environments.
Adapted ≠ adaptive.
Examples…