PSYCH 1XX3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Altruistic Suicide, Inclusive Fitness, Kin Selection
Document Summary
Organisms evolved to maximize their fitness and reproductive success. Some individuals behave altruistically; helping others at a cost to themselves. Honey bees in colony don"t have functioning reproductive system, spend lives helping raise eggs laid by the queen and may die while defending their colony from predators. In ground squirrels one gives a sound letting others know there is a predator so they can hide but in doing so draws attention to himself and his location. Humans spend a lot of our time cooperating and helping family, friends. Natural selection will favour the genes that best serve their own interest and strangers (replication) Can sometimes contribute to actors success more than selfish. Example: on a hockey team with only 6 players. Billy isn"t quite as skilled as the rest of the team (makes a mistake and other team scores) Rather not have billy on your team nut you need 6 players on the ice.
