PSYCH 1XX3 Study Guide - Final Guide: Inclusive Fitness, Mate Choice, Assistive Technology
Document Summary
Adaptations are biological traits that help an individual to survive and reproduce in its habitat. Adaptations perform a specific function to help an organism better suited to its environment. Cognitive processes also a form of adaptation, evolved through natural selection. Emerge in development as a result of the activation of relevant genes in relevant aspects of the environment. One of the 4 mechanisms of evolution. Differential survival and reproduction of organisms as a result of heritable differences between them. 3 essential components: significant individual differences, differences affect individuals" chances of surviving and reproducing -> causing differential reproduction, some individuals having more offspring than others, genetic basis- traits are inheritable. Selection against any sort of departure from the species-typical adaptive design. Fittest = abstract property that natural selection tends to maximize. Natural selection is about differences in reproductive success. How good a particular genotype is at leaving copies of its genes in the next generation relative to other genotypes.
