Category: Themes

Overview of Dominant Approaches to Human Behavioural Evolution

So, here’s an overview of current Schools of Thought tackling Human Behavioural Evolution:

School Neo-Darwinistic Sociobiology Human Behavioural Ecology Environmental Psychology Dual-Inverse Theory Memetics
Focus of selection Gene / individual / group Individual / behaviour Individual / behaviour / psychological
mechanism		 Individual / group / gene / culture variantPotential / predicted impact on genetic and cultural fitness Meme / gene
Measure of natural selection Reproductive success or proxy measure of
fitness		 Reproductive success of proxy measure of
fitness (enegetic balance)		 Potential / predicted impact on reproductive
success / fitness		 Potential / predicted impact on genetic and
cultural fitness		 Potential impact on genic and memic fitness
Methodology Genic functionalism- construct genic level
fitness enhancing / optimality models, test data against them		 Test data against optimality models,
ecological expectations / prediction models from behavioral ecology		 Construct selection scenarios and describe
predicted fitness increasing strategies, test with datasets		 Construct mathematical and conceptual models
and simulations, sometimes test with datasets		 Construct selection scenarios, controlled
thought experiments
Core causes of evolution of human behaviour Genetic evolution produces both human general
behavioural capacities and specific behavioural patterns / strategies		 Behaviour and behavioural strategies arise
from adaptation to ecological and other selective pressures		 Psychological mechanisms (and thus behaviour)
arose/arise through adaptation to pressures of the Environment or
Evolutionary Adaptiveness (Pleistocene) and Adaptivity Relevant Environments		 Gene-culture coevolution results in patterns
of complex, symbolic and linguistic human behaviour		 Selfish meme replication and meme-gene
coevolution result in most human behaviour
Basic premise(s) Humans are very complex and highly social
animals whose behaviour is best analyzed via Neo-Darwinian approaches		 Humans, while highly adaptable, can be modeled
using same premises as other animals, socioecological contexts drive most
selection pressures		 Human universals and human behavioural
strategies are reflections of adapted modules (psychological mechanisms) in
the mind		 Humans are under genic and group selection for
physical and cultural traits; culture and genetic co-evolve via natural
selection		 Memes/memeplexes are primarily responsible for
human behavioural variation and culture
Data Ethnographic datasets, observations,
comparisons with other animals especially primates, fossil record		 Behaviour observations, physiological and
ecological measurements, ethnographic datasets		 Questionnaires, surveys, interviews,
demographic and behavioural datasets, public records		 Ethnographic datasets, mathematical models Popular ethnography, survey and interviews,
general cultural information

Adapted from Fuentes, A. (2009), Evolution of Human Behavior, Oxford University Press, Oxford/New York, p. 60-61.