Animals and Humans: Biology and Psychology in the 19th Century
Pdf 1: evolution & ethology
The theory of evolution was not a new theory when Charles Darwin was studying it,
one example being his grandfather who looked into the theory of evolution (possibly
inherited his grandfathers interest for this subject)
The idea that if you acquire characteristics and skills, that will carry on into the next
generation (into your children and grandchildren etc) – old evolutionary idea
(Lamarck, 1809) -inheritance of acquired characteristics. It wasn’t just Charles
Darwin that came up with the theory of evolution, there was many studies and
people that came before him.
Lamarck – complexifying force and adapting force
Spent a lot of time studying Kent in England – studied worms, doves, peas and
barnacles – spend this time at home due to being sick. Spent 2 or 3 decades studying
this sort of stuff
Darwin didn’t need a job due to being well off and so dedicated his time to his
studying peas and worms etc at home
Its not the ‘theory of evolution’ it’s the fact of evolution – the theory side of it is the
‘by natural selection’
We’re all equally evolved we’ve just taken a different path through our evolutionary
history
“nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution” (Dobzhansky, 1973)
Supernormal stimulus being the red stick instead of the mothers beak – acting as a
strange stimulus
Chick will often go for the biggest stimulus there even if mother was there, they
would go for the big cardboard cu-tout of gull
By wiggling around bees can communicate to other members of the hive – studied
pheromones, social interaction and sexual attraction.
Pdf 2: Biological and evolutionary psychology
“man still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin” – which
essentially means we come from animals
How are humans so good at language? – is it innate? = the idea of nativism e.g.
Chomsky) stating if capacity to acquire language is innate, specific languages aren’t
innate and most languages are not deliberately designed
Synaesthesia – Galton discovered the first synaesthetic people
James took evolutionary principles and tested their functionalism (how did they get
on in the world)
The mismeasure of Man
Pdf 3: Eugenics, Social Darwinism & Intelligence testing
Evolutionary methods could be used to improve/understand society – Galton
Pdf 1: evolution & ethology
The theory of evolution was not a new theory when Charles Darwin was studying it,
one example being his grandfather who looked into the theory of evolution (possibly
inherited his grandfathers interest for this subject)
The idea that if you acquire characteristics and skills, that will carry on into the next
generation (into your children and grandchildren etc) – old evolutionary idea
(Lamarck, 1809) -inheritance of acquired characteristics. It wasn’t just Charles
Darwin that came up with the theory of evolution, there was many studies and
people that came before him.
Lamarck – complexifying force and adapting force
Spent a lot of time studying Kent in England – studied worms, doves, peas and
barnacles – spend this time at home due to being sick. Spent 2 or 3 decades studying
this sort of stuff
Darwin didn’t need a job due to being well off and so dedicated his time to his
studying peas and worms etc at home
Its not the ‘theory of evolution’ it’s the fact of evolution – the theory side of it is the
‘by natural selection’
We’re all equally evolved we’ve just taken a different path through our evolutionary
history
“nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution” (Dobzhansky, 1973)
Supernormal stimulus being the red stick instead of the mothers beak – acting as a
strange stimulus
Chick will often go for the biggest stimulus there even if mother was there, they
would go for the big cardboard cu-tout of gull
By wiggling around bees can communicate to other members of the hive – studied
pheromones, social interaction and sexual attraction.
Pdf 2: Biological and evolutionary psychology
“man still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin” – which
essentially means we come from animals
How are humans so good at language? – is it innate? = the idea of nativism e.g.
Chomsky) stating if capacity to acquire language is innate, specific languages aren’t
innate and most languages are not deliberately designed
Synaesthesia – Galton discovered the first synaesthetic people
James took evolutionary principles and tested their functionalism (how did they get
on in the world)
The mismeasure of Man
Pdf 3: Eugenics, Social Darwinism & Intelligence testing
Evolutionary methods could be used to improve/understand society – Galton
