How does natural selection explain human behavior?
How does natural selection explain human behavior?
According to evolutionary psychologists, patterns of behavior have evolved through natural selection, in the same way that physical characteristics have evolved. Because of natural selection, adaptive behaviors, or behaviors that increase reproductive success, are kept and passed on from one generation to the next.
What is an example of natural selection in humans?
One example of recent natural selection in humans involves the ability to tolerate the sugar, lactose, in milk. In most parts of the world, adults are unable to drink milk because their body switches off the intestinal production of lactase, an enzyme that digests the sugar in the milk, after weaning.
What is an example of natural selection in psychology?
Examples of natural selection Resistance to antibiotics is increased though the survival of individuals which are immune to the effects of the antibiotic, whose offspring then inherit the resistance, creating a new population of resistant bacteria.
How does human behavior develop?
Behavior is also driven, in part, by thoughts and feelings, which provide insight into individual psyche, revealing such things as attitudes and values. Human behavior is shaped by psychological traits, as personality types vary from person to person, producing different actions and behavior.
What do studies of evolution tell us about human behavior?
The study of the evolution of the human species can provide insight to understanding the violence, aggression and fear around us today. Humans have evolved as social, empathetic, collaborating and altruistic beings in small groups sharing common identities.
What is the best example of natural selection?
A classic example of natural selection at work is the origin of giraffes’ long necks. The ancestors of modern giraffes were animals similar to deer or antelope, with necks of ordinary length.
How does natural selection relate to psychology?
Evolutionary psychology is inspired by the work of Charles Darwin and applies his ideas of natural selection to the mind. Darwin’s theory argues that all living species, including humans, arrived at their current biological form through a historical process involving random inheritable changes.
What is human behavior theory?
Behavioral theory seeks to explain human behavior by analyzing the antecedents and consequences present in the individual’s environment and the learned associations he or she has acquired through previous experience.
What are the factors that influence human behavior?
Behaviour is affected by factors relating to the person, including:
- physical factors – age, health, illness, pain, influence of a substance or medication.
- personal and emotional factors – personality, beliefs, expectations, emotions, mental health.
- life experiences – family, culture, friends, life events.