This is a summary of the chapters 8 through 10 from the book: personality
psychology, domains of knowledge about human nature. eighth edition. written by
Randy J. Larsen and David M. Buss.
Hoofdstuk 8
natural selection also called survival selection
Hostile forces of nature: such as food scarcity, weather conditions. diseases, parasites etc
sexual selection: evolution based on being attractive to mate more than survival
● intersexual competition: between the same gender a competition to win and
thereby be most favorable as a mate
● intersexual selection: having characteristics of preference to the opposite sex
evolution is based on the process of differential gene reproduction, defined by reproductive
success relative to others
the modern evolution theory based on differential gene reproduction is called
inclusive fitness theory (Hamilton)
inclusive because the survival of family ensures that dna gets passed along too
thus, inclusive fitness is your effect on the survival of others in your gene pool
plus your own reproductive success
the recurrence filtering process lets only three things pass through:
1. adaptations (primary product of selective process, ‘’reliably developing structure in
the organism , which because it meshes with a recurrent structure of the world,
causes the solution to an adaptive problem’’)
a. features of the environment have to be recurrent for a long time before
adaptation can happen
b. must facilitate the solution to an adaptive problem/ all adaptations must
contribute to fitness
i. and adaptive problem is anything that impedes on survival or
reproduction
2. byproducts of adaptations
a. evolutionary byproducts, not adaptations but incidental effects of the
adaptations
3. noise / random variations
a. random variation that are neutral with respect to selection. mutations that get
passed on and neither help or disturb the success of reproduction
Xenophobia: fear of strangers
Evolutionary psychology involves 3 key premises:
1. Domain specificity
a. most adaptations are hypothesized to be domain specific because they are
designed by the evolutionary process to solve specific adaptive problems,
different adaptive problems require different sort of solutions
2. Numerousness
a. humankind has faced a large amount of problems and adaptation in a lot of
different domains
3. functionality
, a. notion that our psychological mechanisms are designed to accomplish
particular adaptive tasks
deductive reasoning approach: top down, theory driven method of empirical research
inductive reasoning approach: bottom up, data driven method of empirical research, develop
theory later dat fits the observations
mate deprivation hypothesis: men who have experienced deprivation of sexual access to
women become more aggressive, has proven to be false
Evolutionary analysis hierarchy: (to test hypotheses)
Evolutionary perspective for the three key levels of personality:
● human nature
● sex differences
● individual differences
Freud: core motives of seks and agression
Aldfred Adler: humans have the striving for superiority as a core motives
psychology, domains of knowledge about human nature. eighth edition. written by
Randy J. Larsen and David M. Buss.
Hoofdstuk 8
natural selection also called survival selection
Hostile forces of nature: such as food scarcity, weather conditions. diseases, parasites etc
sexual selection: evolution based on being attractive to mate more than survival
● intersexual competition: between the same gender a competition to win and
thereby be most favorable as a mate
● intersexual selection: having characteristics of preference to the opposite sex
evolution is based on the process of differential gene reproduction, defined by reproductive
success relative to others
the modern evolution theory based on differential gene reproduction is called
inclusive fitness theory (Hamilton)
inclusive because the survival of family ensures that dna gets passed along too
thus, inclusive fitness is your effect on the survival of others in your gene pool
plus your own reproductive success
the recurrence filtering process lets only three things pass through:
1. adaptations (primary product of selective process, ‘’reliably developing structure in
the organism , which because it meshes with a recurrent structure of the world,
causes the solution to an adaptive problem’’)
a. features of the environment have to be recurrent for a long time before
adaptation can happen
b. must facilitate the solution to an adaptive problem/ all adaptations must
contribute to fitness
i. and adaptive problem is anything that impedes on survival or
reproduction
2. byproducts of adaptations
a. evolutionary byproducts, not adaptations but incidental effects of the
adaptations
3. noise / random variations
a. random variation that are neutral with respect to selection. mutations that get
passed on and neither help or disturb the success of reproduction
Xenophobia: fear of strangers
Evolutionary psychology involves 3 key premises:
1. Domain specificity
a. most adaptations are hypothesized to be domain specific because they are
designed by the evolutionary process to solve specific adaptive problems,
different adaptive problems require different sort of solutions
2. Numerousness
a. humankind has faced a large amount of problems and adaptation in a lot of
different domains
3. functionality
, a. notion that our psychological mechanisms are designed to accomplish
particular adaptive tasks
deductive reasoning approach: top down, theory driven method of empirical research
inductive reasoning approach: bottom up, data driven method of empirical research, develop
theory later dat fits the observations
mate deprivation hypothesis: men who have experienced deprivation of sexual access to
women become more aggressive, has proven to be false
Evolutionary analysis hierarchy: (to test hypotheses)
Evolutionary perspective for the three key levels of personality:
● human nature
● sex differences
● individual differences
Freud: core motives of seks and agression
Aldfred Adler: humans have the striving for superiority as a core motives
