Title: Evolutionary psychology - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Headings: Evolutionary psychology
Evolutionary psychology
Contents
Books
Related pages
References
Other websites

Content: Evolutionary psychology - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Evolutionary psychology
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Evolutionary psychology is a branch of psychology which investigates behaviour which has evolved. It is similar in this respect to ethology, which has always used ideas from evolutionary biology . It seeks to identify which human psychological traits are evolved adaptations, that is, functional products of natural selection or sexual selection. Evolutionary psychology usually focuses on behaviour most people share. Some of the more common areas evolutionary psychology is focused on are sex, and social behaviour. Events like violent behaviour need explanation in evolutionary terms. Evolutionary psychology is related to other fields of science like sociobiology, social psychology, and sociocultural anthropology. Evolutionary psychologists argue that much of human behaviour is the result of adaptations which evolved to solve recurrent problems in human ancestral environments. The adaptationist approach is steadily increasing as an influence in the general field of psychology. Evolutionary psychologists hold that behaviours or traits which occur universally in all cultures are good candidates for evolutionary adaptations.