evolutionary theory essay plan

• Evolutionary theory AO1

  suggests certain behaviour eg aggression has developed due to evolutionary factors

  .evolutionary psychologists look at fossils to understand the EEA to find out what type of behaviours may have been adaptive to match them to current behaviours

  . in the EEA aggression may have been usedul for hmans to have as it increased survival and reproductive sucess

  . natural selection = the process whre organisms better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully due to better genes so these good genes are passed on (survival of the fittest)

  . sexual selection = a form of natural selection where individuals that are successful in attracting mates out-reproduce others in population

  . evolution = the changes in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations

  . aggression may have been used for gaining territory and resource so the more aggressive would survuve, or in mate selection where females chose good, strong, aggressive mates = competition for mates has driven masculine attraction

  . explains higher aggression n men as they needed to protect family and fight, lower in woman as would have been an evolutionary disadvantage and needed to stay home look after offspring
• Evolutionary theory AO3 strength

  takes into account individual differences eg gender so theory of aggression can be applied to more people in wider population

  CA: doesn't explain why some women are more physically aggressive and some men aren't

  SW but does account for both so offers wider application and represents a wider population so aggression can be explained in more individuals = strength
• Evolutionary theory AO3 weakness

  evidence - Brendgen found gender differences between males and females - males more physically aggressive and females more socially aggressive

  CA: difficult to measure evolutionary mechanisms behind aggression as data would be needed to be gathered over generations which has practical implications = explanation less credible, difficult to establish cause and effect when determining impact of evolution on development of aggression

  SW: evidence does support however does not show change over time so could just be showing how gender affect aggression and not evolution directly = weakness