Is Evolutionary Psychology Possible?

Smith, Subrena E.

doi:10.1007/s13752-019-00336-4

Cited by 46 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Our study provides evidence that adaptive memory can operate through a flexible and adaptive cognitive mechanism, as argued by some other scientists as well [ 14 , 15 , 22 , 24 , 62 – 64 ]. However, the absence of a control scenario in our study limits the interpretation of our results, making it important to analyze the mnemonic performance in other survival scenarios compared to a control scenario.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Memory for medicinal plants remains in ancient and modern environments suggesting an evolved adaptedness

et al. 2021

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Adaptive memory is the propensity of human memory to easily store and retrieve important information to deal with challenges related to the Pleistocene. Recent evidence shows that humans have had a multiregional evolution across the African continent, including the rainforests and deciduous forests; however, there is little evidence regarding the implications of these origins and the relevant and recurring challenges of these environments on survival processing advantage in memory. In this study, we conducted an experiment with volunteers to analyze whether adaptive memory operates in the retrieval of important information to solve challenges of using medicinal plants to treat diseases in the ancestral environments of the savanna, rainforests, and deciduous forests compared to the modern environments of desert, tundra, coniferous forest, and urban areas. We used simulated survival environments and asked volunteers (30 per simulated scenario) to imagine themselves sick in one of these environments, and needing to find medicinal plants to treat their disease. The volunteers rated the relevance of 32 words to solve this challenge, followed by a surprise memory test. Our results showed no ancestral priority in recalling relevant information, as both ancestral and modern environments showed a similar recall of relevant information. This suggests that the evolved cognitive apparatus allows human beings to survive and can create survival strategies to face challenges imposed in various environments. We believe that this is only possible if the human mind operates through a flexible cognitive mechanism. This flexibility can reflect, for example, the different environments that the first hominids inhabited and the different dangerous situations that they faced.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Memory for medicinal plants remains in ancient and modern environments suggesting an evolved adaptedness

et al. 2021

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“…EP methods are reductionist and ahistorical in nature, which may account for some of the opposition from qualitative researchers, feminists and people of non-normative sexuality. According to Smith ( 2020 ), the claim that psychological causes of contemporary behaviours are “Strong vertical homologs of the corresponding adaptations” in the EEA are claims that are simply unjustifiable (p. 48). There are no methods available that could provide evidence to explain these claims.…”

Section: Fragmented Structures Fragile Branches and Decontextualizedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Musings about Metaphors and Models: the Need to Put Psychology Together Again

Chaudhary

Sriram

2020

Integr. psych. behav.

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Zagaria, Andò & Zennaro (2020) raise several issues for the study of the human condition, highlighting the precarious status of psychology on account of a core weakness: The absence of consensus about fundamental concepts. Using the metaphor of a giant, albeit one with feet of clay, the authors develop an argument about how evolutionary psychology is the best possible candidate to advance a unified paradigm on account of theoretical consistency. In this commentary we examine the metaphors and models invoked in the article and suggest alternative perspectives on the grounds that a grand singular solution and consistency in definitions are not urgent requirements for understanding the complexity, diversity, and nuances of the human condition. We argue that plurality and low consensus can be taken as productive and functional; precisely because psychological and cultural phenomena are always characterized by uncertainty in irreversible time. Cultural psychology is a valuable paradigm, inclusive of universal and individual processes in ways that provide more appropriate resolution for cultural pluralism. Every definition of psychological phenomena, however obscure and contested, has arisen from theoretical speculation arising from a specific perspective.

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“…Modularita mysli je problematická věc. Vede se debata, jak máme modularitu chápat (Paleček 2017a;Mercier -Sperber 2017;Prinz 2006;Smith 2020).…”

Section: Martin Palečekunclassified

Antropológia a archeológia – dve strany jednej mince alebo dobrý sluha vie byť zlým pánom?

Macháček¹,

Hladík²,

Kuna³

et al. 2020

Mus. Arch.

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Is Evolutionary Psychology Possible?

Cited by 46 publications

References 42 publications

Memory for medicinal plants remains in ancient and modern environments suggesting an evolved adaptedness

Memory for medicinal plants remains in ancient and modern environments suggesting an evolved adaptedness

Musings about Metaphors and Models: the Need to Put Psychology Together Again

Antropológia a archeológia – dve strany jednej mince alebo dobrý sluha vie byť zlým pánom?

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