An Overview of Evolutionary Psychology - 718 Words

Evolutionary psychology is the study of universal human nature, or the sex specific male human nature and female human nature. Human nature consists of domain-specific evolved psychological mechanisms. A psychological mechanism is an information-processing procedure which evolution by natural and sexual selection has equipped humans to possess in order to solve an adaptive problem, such as: survival and reproduction. Psychological mechanisms mostly operate behind our conscious thinking. Evolved psychological mechanisms produce values and preferences, which performers then pursue within their constraints; they also engender emotions. Evolutionary psychology is important to the study of crime because it provides an understanding to human behavior, including criminal behavior and responses to criminal behavior. Evolutionary psychology also provides criminologist with the tools to examine domains that have been unknown or to discover features in the causal chain that otherwise might be missed by existing criminology theories. According to evolutionary psychology, all human behavior, criminal or otherwise is a creation of psychological mechanisms combined with environmental contribution that activates them or prevents their activation. All human behavior, at some essential level of description, requires psychological mechanisms and environmental input into those mechanisms for their activation. Without the presence of psychological, no behavior could be produced. CriminalShow MoreRelatedThree Theoretical Perspectives Explaining Human Behavior893 Words   |  4 Pagesvarying degrees of efficacy. These include evoluti onary psychology, behavioral genetics, and behavioral neuroscience. Each theoretical framework makes intellectual sense and can claim to explain human behavioral in a general sense. At the same time, they take vastly different attitudes toward the way in which the human brain operates, and the theoretical perspectives should not be viewed as inherently equal in value. First, this paper offers a broad overview of the governing principles associated withRead MoreTheories Of Evolution Of Psychology1192 Words   |  5 Pages Ideas in psychology have been influenced by many fields of study ranging from philosophy to physics. Evolutionary ideas, themselves, have had a substantial role in shaping psychological thought. This paper will provide an overview of the influence of evolutionary thought on the field of psychology along with a discussion of the range of societal implications associated with evolutionary psychology. The influence of evolutionary ideas on psychology dates back to Charles Darwin, the man who proposedRead MoreBiological Psychology2321 Words   |  10 Pages* MERGEFORMAT ï ¿ ½9ï ¿ ½ Running Header: BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY Biological Psychology Paper Sandra Lattin University of Phoenix Biological Psychology Biological psychology, as defined by the New World Encyclopedia, is the application of the principles of biology to the study of mental processes and behavior. In other words, it is the study of psychology in terms of bodily mechanisms.(New World Encyclopedia). Most processes associated with psychology have some sort of correlation with biological/physiologicalRead MoreSocial Referencing in Infants: A Review of Historical and Current Research1728 Words   |  7 Pagesreferencing and how fathers are looked to for social cues will also be presented. Feinman: Social Referencing in Infancy Feinman (1982) was one of the first psychologists to detail this phenomenon and in regards to infants. Beginning with a brief overview, he claimed that â€Å"social referencing is the hallmark of many psychological theories,† and he cited social comparison, affiliation, conformity, obedience, and modeling as examples (Feinman, 1982, p. 445). Previous research which touched on socialRead More Masculinity and Evolutionary Psychology Essay1836 Words   |  8 Pagessuch an example. Evolutionary psychology reaches for the roots of human development when they were in their most basic stages to explain why people behave the way they do. Specifically, explaining human masculinity through science has been a major focus of evolutionary psychology. This paper seeks to explain why masculinity cannot be explained by sociology alone and will present evidence that certain male behavior such as aggression can be explained through evolutionary psychology and sexual selectionRead MoreMonste rs On The Brain : An Evolutionary Epistemology Of Horror Essay1455 Words   |  6 PagesMary D. Bell, Silvia M. (1970) Attachment, exploration, and separation: Illustrated by the behavior of one-year-olds in a strange situation. Child Development, 41(1), pp. 49-67. Doi: 10.2307/1127388 Asma, S. T. (2014). Monsters on the brain: An evolutionary epistemology of horror. Social Research, 81(4), 941-968. Belsky, J., Steinberg, L., Draper, P. (1991). Childhood eExperience, iInterpersonal dDevelopment, and rReproductive sStrategy: An eEvolutionary tTheory of sSocialization. Child DevelopmentRead MoreEssay on Behaviorism: Modern Applications1240 Words   |  5 PagesTolman, and John B. Watson. These men opposed the study of consciousness believing that psychology should instead focus on only what could be seen, heard, or touched. The result was a science of behavior that viewed human beings as machines (Schultz Schultz, 2008). This paper offers a discussion of the evolution of behaviorism, the contributions of Albert Bandura, and the impact of behaviorism on modern psychology and life in the 21st century. The major schools of thought which preceded behaviorismRead MoreSchool of Thoughts in Psychology1604 Words   |  7 PagesMajor Schools of Thought in  Psychology When psychology was first established as a science separate from biology and philosophy, the debate over how to describe and explain the human mind and behavior began. The first school of thought, structuralism, was advocated by the founder of the first psychology lab, Wilhelm Wundt. Almost immediately, other theories began to emerge and vie for dominance in psychology. The following are some of the major schools of thought that have influenced our knowledgeRead MoreGender Bias in Everyday Life Essay981 Words   |  4 Pagesreceive federal financial assistance. Examples of the types of discrimination that are covered under Title IX include sexual harassment, the failure to provide equal opportunity in athletics, and discrimination based on pregnancy (Sex Discrimination: Overview of the Law). Discrimination against women in education persists in career and technical education, math and science programs, and athletics, to name a few. Adding insult to injury, women of color often face double discrimination, on the basis ofRead MoreA Draft Persuasive Essay : Cheyenne Regnier1252 Words   |  6 Pagescontroversy, the obvious physical advantage males have over females. â€Å"Weight, shape, size, and anatomy are not political opinions but rather tangible and easily measured.† (Connor) This is a strictly a fact, that men have natural, biological, and evolutionary advantages in many aspects of physical exertion, however, it wouldn’t be fair to say that woman have no hope in physical dominance over any man in the 21st century. Females in male sports aren’t just sitting ducks waiting to be beaten, they have