The Role of Evolutionary Hypotheses in Psychological Research: Instincts, Affordances, and Relic Sex Differences

Coss, Richard G.; Charles, Eric P.

doi:10.1207/s15326969eco1603_3

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…In areas that would be too dry to be favorable for humans, trees would be shrubby and dense, while in very wet areas, trees would be tall and narrow, thus the spreading form would be a cue to suitable habitat (Orians 1986). Other researchers also theorize that our responses to savanna-type environments are a result of our evolutionary origins and suitability of these habitats for human survival (Coss and Charles, 2004;Falk and Balling, 2010).…”

Section: Behavioral Ecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Greening the Human Environment: The Untold Benefits

Lohr¹

2011

Acta Hortic.

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A myriad of benefits of plants that have been documented by research are presented in this paper, along with a discussion of possible mechanisms. Plants, which are essential for our survival, provide food, fiber, building material, fuel, and pharmaceuticals. Plants also produce intangible benefits for people, such as improving our health. These benefits occur with scenes of nature, individual plants indoors, gardens outdoors, parks, and forests. The understanding of the role of trees, in particular, in promoting both human and ecological health is increasing. Plants make our surroundings more pleasant, and they help us feel calmer. They contribute to cleaner, healthier air, thus improving our well-being and comfort. Plants have been associated with reduced stress, increased pain tolerance, and improved mental functioning in people. Human responses to plants appear to be both learned and innate. Some studies suggest genetic components to the responses. Some primates are known to detect subtle differences in leaf color, selecting to eat those leaves with the highest nutritive value; people also respond more positively to plants of some colors than to others. Most people in the world now live in urban areas. These areas are typically devoid of plants, resulting in concerns over children being raised in such unnatural areas. These impacts will also be examined.

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Section: Behavioral Ecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Greening the Human Environment: The Untold Benefits

Lohr¹

2011

Acta Hortic.

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“…Since the 1960s, research concerning people’s preferences for natural environments has resulted in evolutionary based hypotheses, claiming that people need natural environments with certain characteristics, eg, wildness, species richness and spaciousness, to enjoy and get on in their neighbourhood 14 24 – 26. Interview studies conducted in 1995–2005 in landscape architecture/environmental psychology have revealed eight characteristics, recreational values, of urban open spaces (serene, wild, lush, spacious, culture, the common, the pleasure garden and festive/centre) that humans appreciate,27 28 but no previous study has investigated the health effects related to such recreational values in large population settings.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Recreational values of the natural environment in relation to neighbourhood satisfaction, physical activity, obesity and wellbeing

Björk

Albin

Grahn³

et al. 2008

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health

263

193

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“…The core hypothesis of relic sexual dinichism (Coss & Charles, 2004) was used to develop an ancillary hypothesis of sex difference in refuge-seeking behavior after viewing a model leopard. The absence of trees with low-hanging branches on the playground precluded testing a sex difference in tree climbing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…afarensis (Plavcan et al, 2005), adaptations for routine tree climbing had already waned considerably. Nevertheless, modern humans still exhibit some morphological and behavioral relicts of historical sexual dinichism in arboreality that have persisted for a period of relaxed selection spanning at least 2 million years (Coss & Goldthwaite, 1995;Coss & Charles, 2004). For example, Qvindesland and Jónsson (1999) report that, as Icelandic girls approach puberty and experience hormonal effects on growth, 41% exhibit hypermobility of their peripheral joints and spine compared with only 13% of boys.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex difference in choice of concealed or exposed refuge sites by preschool children viewing a model leopard in a playground simulation of antipredator behavior

Coss

2016

Int. j. psychol. res.

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The current study of preschool children characterizes a semi-natural extension of experimental questions on how human ancestors evaded predation when encountering dangerous felids. In a pretend game on a playground, we presented full-size leopard and deer models to children (N = 39) in a repeatedmeasures experimental design. Prior to viewing the model presented 15-m away, each child was instructed by the experimenter to go where she or he would feel safe. The rationale for this study was based on the anthropological construct of "sexual dinichism," positing that, during the Pliocene, smaller-bodied hominin females engaged in more arboreal behavior than larger-bodied males. Consistent with this construct, our previous simulation research using images of an African rock outcrop showed that, after viewing a lion, girls preferred a tree as refuge rather than a crevice or large boulder whereas boys did not differentiate these refuge sites. In this follow-up study, we predicted that, after viewing the model leopard, the preschool girls would differ from the boys by not choosing enclosed refuge sites analogous to the crevice. Analyses of a contingency table for the leopard model supported this hypothesis by yielding a significant interaction of sex and refuge location (p = .031, d = .76), the source of which was a reliably larger percentage of girls not choosing concealed refuge (p = .005, d = 2.3). The interaction of sex and refuge location for the model deer was not significant (p > .5). Our findings suggest that, in contrast to the deer, the girls selected exposed playground refuge sites rather than concealing ones to maintain visual contact with the leopard as a contingency for future action.

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The Role of Evolutionary Hypotheses in Psychological Research: Instincts, Affordances, and Relic Sex Differences

Cited by 15 publications

References 21 publications

Greening the Human Environment: The Untold Benefits

Greening the Human Environment: The Untold Benefits

Recreational values of the natural environment in relation to neighbourhood satisfaction, physical activity, obesity and wellbeing

Sex difference in choice of concealed or exposed refuge sites by preschool children viewing a model leopard in a playground simulation of antipredator behavior

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