PSY 3122 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Social Exchange Theory, Sexual Script Theory, Classical Conditioning
21 Apr 2016
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A set of concepts or principles we use to make sense of our world. Theories help us to attain and understand information, and potentially explain it (prove it wrong) 2 broad types of theories: deterministic (no room for movement/change) Biological theories (genetic theory, evolutionary theory, dual-control theory) Psychological theories (psychoanalytic theory, learning theory: constructivist (everything is believed to be socially/personally constructed) Examines the role of genes in sexual behavior. Genetics play a large part in regulating prenatal hormones and brain structure. Explains why certain patterns of social behavior and psychological mechanisms have evolved in both animals and humans. The idea that some behaviors are the result of evolution is called sociobiology (sexual behavior is a form of social behavior) Sexual strategies (courtship rituals, competition among members) and indicators of health and reproductive potential are considered attractive. Some social behaviors increase the chances that the offspring will survive, and the chances of passing on genes.
