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basics
By the 1990s the field had expanded considerably and gained a lot of recognition. Several Journals dedicated to evolutionary psychological research were started including [[Evolution and Human Behavior]] which is run by the [[Human Behavior and Evolution Society]].
By the 1990s the field had expanded considerably and gained a lot of recognition. Several Journals dedicated to evolutionary psychological research were started including [[Evolution and Human Behavior]] which is run by the [[Human Behavior and Evolution Society]].
==Basics of the field==
===Principles===
There are several major principles usually formulated by proponents:
*The brain as a physical system - this is usually analogous to a [[computer]], it is thought by proponents that the brain is responsible for taking in information from the environments, computing a solution for optimal behavior and then directing that behavior.
*Selection shaped the neural circuits in the [[Environment of evolutionary adaptedness]] - Proponents of the theory believe that selection shaped the psychological responses of the organism, but that this selection is rooted in the evolutionary past. One common example of this is the preference for fat in food. In the EEA it would have been a great benefit but in the modern age it causes health concerns, but because behavior was selected for in the EEA and there hasn't been enough time people still eat fatty foods in abundance.
*The conscious mind is only a small part of psychology - Most of psychology now recognizes that there is an extensive [[unconscious]] mind that can control behavior and motivation. One does not have to know why he is doing something in order to do it, or even really ware of what he is doing. Proponents of evolutionary psychology believe that much of the "why" is hidden from conscious thought.
*The mind is domain-specific not domain-genera - Evolutionary psychologist believe that the mind is made up of modular elements that evolved separately to address separate problems. This is opposed to thinking of the mind as a general problem solving system with out specific domains of processing.
===Adaptationist perspective and functional design===
Evolutionary psychology takes an [[adaptationist]] perspective to psychology. In evolutionary biology hypothesis about historical reasons for a particular trait can range from [[drift]], to [[phylogenetic constraint]]. Adaptationist are primarily interested in thos traits shaped directly by selection. In order to argue that a given trait is an adaptation evolutionary biologist and psychologist usually turn to ideas of [[functional design]].
If a particular trait appears to be designed to solve a particular problem evolutionary proponents theorize that selection shaped it for that function. The only mechanism that proponents of evolution postulate that can create functional design is selection. Drift, constraint, neutral selection and byproducts do not create functional design.
===Tinbergen's four questions===
Evolutionary psychologist rarely claim that their ideas are in direct competition with other hypothesis in [[cognitive psychology | cognitive]] or [[behavioral psychology | behavioral] or [[developmental psychology | developmental]] psychology. Instead they say that multiple causes are different levels of explanations.
This idea comes from [[Tinbergen's four questions]]. The evolutionary psychologist addresses casual relationships in [[deep time]] and focuses on [[ultimate causation]]. Developmental psychologist, cognitive psychologist or even neurologist focus on [[proximate cause | proximate]] or [[ontogenetic cause | ontogenetic]] causes.
==See also==
==See also==
* [[Psychology]]
* [[Psychology]]