Psych Post

11) Natural selection and evolutionary psychology tie in together to explain why humans, or animals, look and behave the way they do today. Organisms need to adapt to their environment both physically and mentally in order to survive and reproduce, passing along their genes. Charles Darwin, the scientist who first studied natural selection, explained that those who survived were better adapted to their environment than were the nonsurvivors (Santrock, 2012). For example, giraffes have evolved to have extremely long necks. This is because those who were able to reach their food source, leaves and buds in trees, survived and reproduced, while the giraffes with shorter necks died from hunger.

Evolutionary psychology is the more related to behavior and mental characteristics, rather than physical. For example, most humans have a natural phobia of snakes and spiders. This stems from our ancestors learning to avoid these types of dangerous creatures in order to survive. If someone is not naturally afraid of snakes or spiders, he or she is at an evolutionary disadvantage; those without this natural phobia may decide to pick up a poisonous creature, only to be bitten and killed.

2) Heredity and environment, or nature versus nurture, is how your DNA along with your experiences shape who you become as a person. My mother and father are two very different people. My father has lived in Korea my entire life, so I was raised by my mother. It is interested to see the traits and qualities I share with him, as they are almost purely the result of our shared genes. One example of this is the fact that my mother is very quiet and reserved, but I am outspoken and natural leader. My father, who is a Major in the Marines, shares these qualities with me.

Heredity and environment correlate in a few ways, one being the active (niche-picking) genotype-environment. The term, "Niche-picking" is described as finding an environment in which one's natural abilities are utilized (Santrock, 2012.) A naturally caring child may catch a bug during recess and then keep and care for this bug as a pet. He would then find that he is happiest when caring for this small creature, and go on to care for a variety of pets as he grows up. This child would find his passion in caring for animals and become a veterinarian or zoo-keeper. If he had a difference environmental experience that also utilized his naturally caring instinct, for example, helping another child bandage a scraped knee, he could have become a doctor or nurse. In short, you will always have your genetic traits, but the world around you has an impact on your development as well.