Life-Span Development Chapter 3 Notes

B.
Sociobiology: relies on the principles of evolutionary biology to explain social behavior
1.
Compared tens of thousands of animal species that have evolved some form of social life
* developed laws of evolution and biology of social behavior
* clarify the relation between animal and human behavior
* focused attention on the costs and benefits of behavior
* directed inquiry toward individual and group differences
* highlighted the role of ecology in behavior
* broadened our understanding of the cause of behavior
2.
Criticisms:
* not adequately considering adaptability/experience
* portrays humans as being controlled primarily by genes
* explains behavior after the fact lacking predictive ability
* discriminative against women
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