information processing
information from the senses is transformed into something that our brain can interpret
Four elements of evolution
- Variation
- Heredity
- Natural Selection
- Competition
Variation
individual organisms have minor variations in their characteristics
*Point of Fixation
when a trait either disappears from the population or replaces the ancestral allele entirely
Heredity
characteristics are passed from parents to offspring
Natural Selection
characteristics that provide an advantage will become more common and those conferring a disadvantage will disappear
Form-Fit Relationship
everything that evolution “designs” is going to have a fit relationship with something that solves the problem
E.g. the hawk moth polinates the orchid; a parent using a soothing baby voice to sooth a crying baby
Competition
not all individuals have the same representation in the next generation
Descent with modification
the four elements of evolution describe how species change over time
agent-based modeling
an agent acts according to the world you set up in a model
kludgey system
evolution designs makeshift solutions to problems
Selfish genes
genes that enhance their own transmission at the expense of another gene, even if it does not benefit the fitness of the organism
What do evolutionary psychologists study?
how cognition is functionally organized to solve adaptive problems faced by our ancestors
domain specificity
each adaptive problem requires its own solution
domain
an area of behavior
e.g. hearing, vision
