The first article of the book, entitled toward a topography of mind. Modularity of mind stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. It contains no domainspecific knowledge, so it cannot support inferences that. To conclude, evolutionary psychology has many criticisms, some of these are scientifically valid, such as the domain specificity debate, which should become clearer as a result of the scientific process. In recent years, researchers in anthropology, psychology, linguistics and neuroscience have. Parental investment, in evolutionary biology and evolutionary psychology, is any parental expenditure e. Mapping the mind introduces a general audience to a domainspecificity perspective, by compiling a collection of essays exploring how several of these cognitive abilities are organized. Despite its relative sophistication, however, it is important to realize that the research program is only in its beginning phases, and we are a long way from having complete models of the phenomena in question. Both theories rely on evidence from behavioral, neuropsychological and biological studies to verify their assumptions. Logical reasoning and domain specificity springerlink. Evolutionary psychology stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Cosmides originally studied biology at harvard university, receiving her a. The functional domain specificity of selfesteem and the differential prediction of aggression.
While the domain general supporters argue that face recognition only seems to be special because people have greater expertise in discriminating faces. Evolutionary psychology is one of many biologically informed approaches to the study of human behavior. Some people think that evolutionary psychology claims to have discovered that human nature is selfish and wicked. Origins of domain specificity the evolution of functional organization. Domainspecific mechanisms evolutionarily informed research has suggested that brains are composed of a number of specialized domainspecific mechanisms. Evolutionary psychology is closely linked to sociobiology, but there are key differences between them including the emphasis on domain specific rather than domain general mechanisms, the relevance. Evolutionary psychology is a theoretical approach in the social and natural sciences that examines psychological structure from a modern evolutionary perspective. The articles in the book argue for the hypothesis of domain specificity mostly from a. The new science of evolutionary psychology by robert wright, the b. The new science of evolutionary psychology book article.
This volume introduces a general audience to a domain specificity perspective, by compiling a collection of essays exploring how several of these cognitive abilities are organised. Foundations in evolutionary cognitive neuroscience. The evolution of functional organization, attempt to show how modules can be viewed as evolved adaptations. George williamss 1966 book, adaptation and natural selection, clarified the. Now in its second edition, this twovolume set features expanded discussion on culture, neuroscience, and human development, with a broader scope that. The position is a close relative of modularity of mind. Gangestad domain specificity and intuitive ontology pascal boyer and h. In addition to wellstudied areas of investigation, such as mate choice and reproduction, the book also includes articles on the philosophical underpinnings of evolutionary psychology, comparative.
Evolutionary psychology thus rests on a couple of key arguments and ideas. Over the years, it has occurred to me that the primary argument for the domain specificity of ct i. Based on observations of other species in their natural environments, the evolutionary psychology of human mating tends to lean toward the idea that females are more selective in their partners than males. Leda cosmides, born may 7, 1957 in philadelphia, pennsylvania is an american psychologist, who, together with anthropologist husband john tooby, helped pioneer the field of evolutionary psychology. Mapping the mind introduces a general audience to a domain specificity perspective, by compiling a collection of essays exploring how several of these cognitive abilities are organized. Some of the controversy stems from hypotheses that go against traditional psychological. But they are flattering the researchers and anyone who would claim to have discovered the opposite. Cep reading list center for evolutionary psychology. Mapping the mind introduces a general audience to a domainspecificity.
Psychological mechanisms, domain specificity, and domain generality. The evolutionary psychology movement of the late 1980s and 1990s has been less inclined than sociobiology to question the accepted view of basic emotions. Evolutionary psychology and conceptual integration. Some mechanisms, termed domainspecific, deal with recurrent adaptive. Evidence for the domain specificity hypothesis psychology essay. This book is an introduction to the burgeoning f ield of evolutionary psychology ep, wri tten by one of its preeminent researchers, professo r david buss. Chapters present application of cognitive neuroscientific methods to answer evolutionary psychology questions. The handbook of evolutionary psychology wiley online books. Evolutionary psychologists study what people look for in a partner, and how these preferences may have been shaped by evolutionary pressures. At the same time, it has generated critiques and remains controversial among some psychologists. Aug 24, 2017 evolutionary psychology is an approach that views human nature as the product of a universal set of evolved psychological adaptations to recurring problems in the ancestral environment. The handbook of evolutionary psychology, volume 1 book. Evolutionary psychology, and specifically, the evolutionary psychology of humans, has enjoyed a resurgence in recent decades. Some psychologists argue that the specificity of face perception is an illusion and that human beings simply become expert recognizers of faces by using unspecialized visual capacities.
Buss conceptual foundations of evolutionary psychology john tooby and leda cosmides life history theory and evolutionary psychology hillard s. Evolutionary psychology and the generation of culture is a 1992 book. Along with cognitive psychologists, evolutionary psychologists propose that much, if not all, of our behavior can be explained by appeal to internal psychological mechanisms. This volume is appropriate as a reader for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in cultural psychology, psychological anthropology, developmental and. Adaptations are designed by evolutionary process to solve specialized adaptive problems domain specific mechanisms for eating, finding cooperative partners, etc. Domainspecificity emerged in the aftermath of the cognitive revolution as a theoretical alternative to empiricist theories that believed all learning can be driven by the operation of. In the decades since the term module and its cognates first entered the lexicon of cognitive science, the conceptual and theoretical landscape in this area has. Domain specificity is an important property of physiological adaptations, and is presumed to be an important property of psychological adaptations as well. Domain specificity and intuitive ontology the handbook of. Tooby and cosmides also critique domaingeneral psychological. For example, birds use different memory systems and different rules for remembering species song, the taste of poisonous food, and locations of food caches. Affective influences on social cognition and behavior. Choose from 500 different sets of evolutionary psych flashcards on quizlet. The concept of modularity has loomed large in philosophy of psychology since the early 1980s, following the publication of fodors landmark book the modularity of mind 1983.
Evolutionary psychology primer by leda cosmides and john tooby. An introduction to domain specificity, introduces the problem of domain specificity and how it arose historically. Nov 27, 2015 by taking aim at such questions, the science of evolutionary psychology has emerged as a vibrant new discipline producing groundbreaking insights. Domainspecific mechanisms, on the other hand, come with content that is. Domain specificity is a theoretical position in cognitive science especially modern cognitive development that argues that many aspects of cognition are supported by specialized, presumably evolutionarily specified, learning devices.
Evolutionary psychology and the generation of culture. Evolutionary psychology specifies the domain as the problems of survival and. It is very tricky to define what a domain actually is, but the authors of this article take it up in some detail. Evolutionary psychology and the generation of culture pp. The social exchange theory of reasoning, which is championed by leda cosmides and john tooby, falls under the general rubric evolutionary psychology and asserts that human reasoning is governed by contentdependent, domainspecific, evolutionarilyderived algorithms. Ct ability conceptualized as being specific to a particular areas stems from the simple. Domain specificity means that adaptations evolve to solve problems in particular domains, and therefore are less well suited to solve problems in other domains. A frequent criticism of evolutionary psychology is that its hypotheses are difficult or impossible to test, challenging its status as an empirical science. Evolutionary psychology has emerged over the past 15 years as a major theoretical perspective, generating an increasing volume of empirical studies and assuming a larger presence within psychological science. Evolutionary psychology is a theoretical approach in the social and natural sciences that. Ancestral cues elict specific emotions fear and ancestral sources of danger as we have already hinted, perhaps nowhere does there exist better evidence for the domain specificity of emotion than in the domain of fear. Domain specificity, numerousness, and functionality. In order to fit in to the evolutionary paradigm of modern science, the authors of the fourth article in the book, entitled origins of domain specificity.
What are the best books about evolutionary psychology. Domain specificity emerged in the aftermath of the cognitive revolution as a theoretical alternative to empiricist theories that believed all learning can be driven by the operation of. The handbook of evolutionary psychology, 2 volume set, 2nd. Contrast to domain general accounts of learning and human behaviormost unique human adaptations and characteristics cant be explained by domain general accounts e. Domain specificity and intuitive ontology the handbook. The handbook of evolutionary psychology book depository. Evolutionary psychology has generated substantial controversy and criticism. It seeks to identify which human psychological traits are evolved adaptations that is, the functional products of natural selection or sexual selection in human evolution. Evolutionary psychology specifies the domain as the problems of survival and reproduction.
As an example, critics point out that many current traits likely evolved to serve different functions from those they do now, confounding attempts to make backward inferences into history. According to cosmides and tooby, the presumptive existence of what they call cheaterdetection algorithms. The issue here, then, is not so much that domain general problems arent being accounted for by evolutionary psychology, but rather that the problems themselves are being poorly formulated by the. Groundbreaking developments, findings, and perspectives in evolutionary psychology the handbook of evolutionary psychology is the fields leading resource, providing comprehensive coverage of the latest findings and theoretical developments.
The handbook of evolutionary psychology is the definitive guide for every psychologist and student interested in keeping abreast of new ideas in this quicklydeveloping field. The evolutionary psychology of emotions and behavior martie g. Examining the strengths and weaknesses of applying. The handbook of evolutionary psychology book, 2005.
Because many adaptive problems exist, humans have accumulated many adaptive mechanisms. Testing the domain specificity hypothesis through wason selection task fabrizio ferrara fabrizio. Finally, tooby and cosmides offer an intriguing novel framework for conceptualizing the. Evolutionary psychologist an overview sciencedirect topics. Evolutionary psychology internet encyclopedia of philosophy. The evolutionary psychology of emotions and behavior. No one needs a scientist to measure whether humans are prone to knavery. Adaptive mechanisms apply to particular adaptive problem. The principles of psychological adaptation rely on darwins theory of evolution and are important to the fields of evolutionary psychology, biology, and. As such, it provides a brief overview of the theoretical and methodological commitments of. The evolutionary psychologists believe that the mind as a whole is made up of modules that operate independently of one another. Evolutionary reasoning and empirical evidence converge to suggest that knowledge of the natural and social world is supported by domainspecific neurocognitive systems, organized around recurrent. In the handbook of evolutionary psychology, leading contributors discuss the foundations of the field as well as recent discoveries currently shaping this burgeoning area of psychology. Identify how evolutionary psychology is interwoven with other academic subjects and traditional psychological disciplines.
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