Deck 11: Adulthood, and Reflections on Developmental Issues

Question 1

Evolutionary psychologists most clearly emphasize that environmentally adaptive behaviors are those that have promoted

A) reproductive success.
B) personal happiness.
C) cultural diversity.
D) social scripts.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

It has been suggested that older men in all cultures tend to marry women younger than themselves because men are genetically predisposed to seek female features associated with youthful fertility.This suggestion best illustrates

A) social learning theory.
B) behavior genetics.
C) Freudian psychology.
D) an evolutionary perspective.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The study of how our behavior and mind have changed in adaptive ways over time due to natural selection is called

A) social learning theory.
B) evolutionary psychology.
C) cross-cultural psychology.
D) genome research.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Ginger wants to marry someone who will provide financial security for her children to-be.Evolutionary psychologists would most likely attribute Ginger's motivation to

A) a sexual overperception bias.
B) a genetic predisposition.
C) social scripts.
D) fear of infertility.

Question 5

Charles Darwin advanced the principle of

A) universal moral grammar.
B) social scripts.
C) sexual overperception bias.
D) natural selection.

Question 6

Early women who were genetically predisposed to avoid bitter-tasting foods,especially when experiencing nausea during pregnancy,were most likely to survive and contribute their genetically based predispositions to later generations.This best illustrates

A) a social script.
B) natural selection.
C) male-female differences in mating preferences.
D) a sexual overperception bias.

Question 7

Evolutionary psychologists are most likely to suggest that "a universal moral grammar" arises from our shared human

A) genome.
B) social scripts.
C) food shortages.
D) taste preferences.

Question 8

Mutations result from random errors in

A) brain development.
B) gene replication.
C) natural selection.
D) neural transmission.

Question 9

Evolutionary psychologists are most directly concerned with the impact of ________ on behavior.

A) social scripts
B) a sexual overperception bias
C) genetic predispositions
D) domestication

Question 10

If a genetic predisposition to fear darkness contributes to reproductive success,that trait will likely be passed on to subsequent generations.This best illustrates

A) a sexual overperception bias.
B) a mutation.
C) social learning theory.
D) natural selection.

Question 11

Professor Archibald suggests that men are more likely than women to initiate casual sex because this has historically served to be a more successful reproductive strategy for men than for women.The professor's suggestion best illustrates

A) social learning theory.
B) an evolutionary perspective.
C) moral grammar.
D) Freudian theory.

Question 12

Evolutionary psychology would be most likely to suggest that human preferences for sweets and fats in fast-food outlets

A) illustrate a universal moral grammar.
B) are genetically predisposed.
C) vary widely between males and females.
D) are triggered by a sexual overperception bias.

Question 13

To produce sheepdogs that become very adept at sheepherding,dog breeders have been most likely to make use of

A) gene splicing.
B) a sexual overperception bias.
C) selective mating.
D) epigenetic marks.

Question 14

George and Sally,both in their 20s,have an exclusive sexual relationship.Research suggests that ________ is the one who is most likely to initiate more sexual activity and that ________ is the one who is most likely to think more about sex.

A) George;Sally
B) Sally;George
C) George;George
D) Sally;Sally

Question 15

Evolutionary psychology would be most helpful for understanding the ________ human aggression.

A) social causes of
B) reproductive advantages of
C) cross-cultural variations of
D) remedial treatments of

Question 16

Heterosexual women are most attracted to tall men with slim waists and broad shoulders.Evolutionary psychology most clearly attributes this preference to the fact that these physical characteristics are associated with

A) a universal moral grammar.
B) a sexual overperception bias.
C) reproductive success.
D) genetic mutations.

Question 17

Compared with women,men are more likely to

A) report low levels of marital satisfaction.
B) smile at members of the opposite sex.
C) misperceive simple friendliness as a sexual come-on.
D) attribute their first sexual intercourse to feelings of affection.

Question 18

Evolutionary psychologists would be most likely to predict that 40-year-old single men will seek to marry women who are ________ than they are.

A) less physically attractive
B) more sexually experienced
C) younger
D) more aggressive toward sexual rivals

Question 19

Suppose that men leave their wives to marry other women more frequently than wives leave their husbands to marry other men.Evolutionary psychologists would be most likely to explain this in terms of sex differences in

A) social scripts.
B) reproductive capacity.
C) income level.
D) body size.

Question 20

The principles of evolutionary psychology would suggest that parents are genetically predisposed to experience the strongest grief over the deaths of their

A) infant sons.
B) infant daughters.
C) adolescent sons.
D) adolescent daughters.

Question 21

Evolutionary psychology studies the evolution of behavior and the mind using principles of

A) social learning theory.
B) sexual overperception.
C) selective mating.
D) natural selection.

Question 22

An evolutionary psychologist would suggest that people are genetically predisposed to

A) fear dangerous animals.
B) love their own children.
C) seek healthy-looking mates.
D) do all of these things.

Question 23

Evolutionary psychologists would be most likely to attribute the human tendency to fear spiders and snakes to

A) a universal moral grammar.
B) domestication.
C) social scripts.
D) genetic predispositions.

Question 24

Evolutionary psychologists are most likely to be criticized for

A) working backward to provide after-the-fact explanations of human mating preferences.
B) overemphasizing humans' capacity to learn and adapt to a variety of environments.
C) underestimating gender differences in mate selection.
D) overestimating cultural differences in human sexual behaviors.

Question 25

According to evolutionary psychology,men's tendency to pair widely and women's tendency to pair wisely are best explained by the fact that these differing strategies have contributed to men's and women's

A) shared human genome.
B) reproductive success.
C) social scripts.
D) genetic mutations.

Question 26

Several organisms from a strain of bacteria infecting hospital patients inherited a mutation that increased their resistance to the hospital's antibacterial drugs.Over time,the drug-resistant bacteria increasingly outnumbered the bacteria without the mutation.This best illustrates

A) domestication.
B) sexual overperception.
C) natural selection.
D) a social script.

Question 27

Dmitry Belyaev and Lyudmila Trut successfully domesticated wild foxes by means of

A) gene splicing.
B) selective mating.
C) food deprivation.
D) hormone injections.

Question 28

Inherited trait variations that contribute to reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations.This best illustrates

A) adaptive flexibility.
B) a social script.
C) natural selection.
D) social learning theory.

Question 29

The principle of natural selection was first advanced by

A) Dmitry Belyaev.
B) Sigmund Freud.
C) Charles Darwin.
D) Steven Pinker.

Question 30

The sexual overperception bias is strongest among ________ who require ________ emotional closeness before intercourse.

A) women;lots of
B) women;little
C) men;lots of
D) men;little

Question 31

Heterosexual men feel most romantically attracted to women whose waists are roughly a third narrower than their hips.Evolutionary psychology most clearly attributes this preference to the fact that this physical characteristic is associated with

A) cosmetic surgery.
B) future fertility.
C) food shortages.
D) a fat-free diet.

Question 32

Most of the movies Jared watches involve uncommitted sex between acquaintances.He now tends to engage in "sex just for the fun of it-without commitment." His behavior would best be attributed to the fact that the movies provided him with a memorable

A) social script.
B) shared human genome.
C) universal moral grammar.
D) theory of behavior genetics.

Question 33

Evolutionary psychology most clearly suggests that human behavioral and biological similarities arise from our shared

A) protein molecules.
B) genome.
C) social scripts.
D) sexual overperception bias.

Question 34

Which approach is most likely to attribute gender differences in mating preferences to the impact of watching and imitating readily available social scripts?

A) evolutionary psychology
B) social learning theory
C) behavior genetics
D) Freudian psychology

Question 35

The study of molecular mechanisms by which environments can trigger or block genetic expression is called

A) behavior genetics.
B) molecular genetics.
C) epigenetics.
D) genomics.

Question 36

The researchers who domesticated foxes through selective mating were

A) Belyaev and Trut.
B) Dawkins and Darwin.
C) Pinker and Segall.
D) Eagly and Wood.

Question 37

Critics of evolutionary psychology would be most likely to suggest that it has difficulty accounting for

A) differences in the behavior patterns of males and females.
B) similarities in the behavior patterns of males and females.
C) differences in the behavior patterns of Asians and Americans.
D) similarities in the behavior patterns of Asians and Americans.

Question 38

Social learning theory is most likely to highlight the importance of ________ in accounting for the ways in which we sexually interact with others.

A) a universal moral grammar
B) a sexual overperception bias
C) our shared human genome
D) social scripts

Question 39

Who are most likely to be criticized for overestimating the impact of genes on male-female differences in sexual behavior?

A) behaviorists
B) cross-cultural psychologists
C) evolutionary psychologists
D) social learning theorists

Question 40

Which of the following is a major source of genetic diversity?

A) mutations
B) epigenetic marks
C) adaptive flexibility
D) free-floating stress hormones

Question 41

A random alteration in the DNA sequence within one of his genes has caused James to suffer a rare form of nearsightedness.His difficulty best illustrates the impact of

A) an epigenetic mark.
B) a mutation.
C) free-floating stress hormones.
D) an organic methyl molecule.

Question 42

"Some 95 percent of genetic variation exists within populations." This is best demonstrated by the

A) high level of genetic diversity across various populations worldwide.
B) minimal genetic variation among those from Asian countries.
C) minimal genetic variation across humans worldwide.
D) high level of genetic diversity among those from Africa.

Question 43

A random error in gene replication is known as a(n)

A) adaptation.
B) genome.
C) mutation.
D) selected trait.

Question 44

Evolutionary psychology is most likely to emphasize that human adaptiveness to a variety of different environments has contributed to human

A) sexual overperception.
B) genetic mutations.
C) social scripts.
D) reproductive success.

Question 45

Our shared human genome is the complete

A) collection of sexual characteristics common to both women and men.
B) range of biological and behavioral traits that contribute to reproductive success.
C) genetic profile common to all humanity.
D) set of interactions between our shared genes and our shared environments.

Question 46

Evolutionary psychologists would be most likely to predict that

A) more people are biologically predisposed to fear guns than to fear snakes.
B) children are more likely to be valued by their biological fathers than by their stepfathers.
C) people are the most romantically attracted to those who are the most genetically dissimilar to themselves.
D) genetic predispositions have little effect on our social relationships.

Question 47

According to evolutionary psychologists,our predisposition to overconsume fatty junk foods most clearly illustrates that we are biologically prepared to behave in ways that promoted the ________ of our ancestors.

A) hunting skills
B) social scripts
C) reproductive success
D) domestication

Question 48

In his interactions with different women,Tom frequently mistakes their cordial behavior and friendly smiles to be an expression of their romantic interest in him.His mistakes best illustrate

A) a social script.
B) adaptive flexibility.
C) a universal moral grammar.
D) a sexual overperception bias.

Question 49

Our adaptive flexibility in responding to different environments contributes to our fitness,which refers to

A) random errors in the replication of genes.
B) competition for survival.
C) our ability to survive and reproduce.
D) the interaction of our genes with the environment.

Question 50

Compared with women,men are ________ likely to feel comfortable about having casual sex with different partners and ________ likely to cite affection as a reason for their first sexual intercourse.

A) less;more
B) more;less
C) less;less
D) more;more

Question 51

According to evolutionary psychologists,behaviors that promote reproductive success are likely to be

A) socially prohibited.
B) genetically predisposed.
C) ecologically disruptive.
D) disease-producing.

Question 52

Compared with women,men are likely to

A) initiate more sex.
B) think more about sex.
C) view more pornography.
D) behave in all of these ways.

Question 53

Evolutionary psychologists have suggested that our typical negative reaction to the prospect of directly harming another person is indicative of

A) human genetic diversity.
B) sexual overperception bias.
C) ice-age food shortages.
D) a universal moral grammar.

Question 54

The evolutionary psychologist who noted that our shared human traits "have a common logic across cultures" was

A) Charles Darwin.
B) Steven Pinker.
C) Nancy Segal.
D) James Alan.

Question 55

Jacob and his friend Stacey have decided to try speed-dating.What can be expected?

A) Jacob will believe that his dating partners expressed more sexual interest than they did.
B) Stacey will believe that her dating partners expressed more sexual interest than they did.
C) Jacob and Stacey will believe that their dating partners expressed more sexual interest than they did.
D) The dating partners will express sexual interest more for Jacob than for Stacey.

Question 56

Compared with men,women are ________ likely to desire more frequent sex and ________ likely to misperceive simple friendliness as a sexual come-on.

A) more;less
B) more;more
C) less;more
D) less;less

Question 57

Women have a natural inclination to be more particular than men about who they select as a mate because they need partners who will support and protect their offspring.This statement best illustrates the logic of

A) evolutionary psychology.
B) social learning theory.
C) Freudian psychology.
D) cross-cultural psychology.

Question 58

If a genetically based attraction to beautiful people contributes to survival,that trait will likely be passed on to subsequent generations.This best illustrates

A) domestication.
B) natural selection.
C) a social script.
D) a sexual overperception bias.

Question 59

Of the following,who is likely to express the sexual overperception bias?

A) Brenda,who requires little emotional closeness before intercourse
B) Samantha,who requires commitment before intercourse
C) Teo,who requires little emotional closeness before intercourse
D) Raul,who requires commitment before intercourse

Question 60

Compared with lesbians,gay men report ________ responsiveness to visual sexual stimuli and ________ interest in their partner's physical attractiveness.

A) more;less
B) less;more
C) more;more
D) less;less

Question 61

Men in their ________ are most likely to be sexually attracted to women who are several years older rather than several years younger than themselves.

A) teens
B) twenties
C) thirties
D) forties

Question 62

Many crime shows on TV have taught Linda that remaining physically safe requires her to avoid being alone with complete strangers who ask blunt questions about her sexual availability.The televised material is most likely to help Linda remain safe because it has conveyed a memorable

A) theory of evolutionary development.
B) universal moral grammar.
C) social script.
D) shared human genome.

Question 63

Many would consider it ironic that men are more likely than women to feel comfortable about having casual sex with multiple partners and yet at the same time more likely to feel jealous and angry if a mate has sex with someone else.How might evolutionary psychology explain these gender differences? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this evolutionary explanation?

Question 64

Most psychologists agree that natural selection prepares us for survival and reproduction.However,critics say there is a weakness in evolutionary psychology's explanation of our mating preferences.Explain those criticisms,and discuss whether they are valid.Why or why not?

Question 65

Evolutionary psychologists would be most likely to attribute male-female differences in attitudes toward casual sex to the fact that men have ________ than women do.

A) more sexually liberal social scripts
B) greater awareness of their own sex
C) a more universal moral grammar
D) greater reproductive potential

Question 66

Biological fathers are so much less likely than unrelated boyfriends to abuse and murder the children with whom they share a home.Use the principles of evolutionary psychology and natural selection to explain why this is so.

Question 67

Jason spends a lot of money on luxury possessions in order to win the sexual affections of women he finds attractive.Evolutionary psychologists would be most likely to attribute his behavior to

A) social scripts.
B) a universal moral grammar.
C) a sexual overperception bias.
D) genetic predispositions.

Question 68

Critics of evolutionary psychology are most likely to suggest that it underestimates the

A) impact of genetic predispositions on human sexual behavior.
B) impact of cultural expectations on human sexual behavior.
C) variety of traits that contribute to reproductively successful behaviors.
D) extent to which certain gender differences in sexual behavior are common to all cultures.

Question 69

A culturally modeled guide for how to act in particular situations is called a

A) behavioral trait.
B) social script.
C) universal moral grammar.
D) genome.

Question 70

In a study of Welsh pedestrians,women rated a man as ________ if he was pictured at the wheel of an expensive rather than an inexpensive car.Men rated a woman as ________ if she was pictured at the wheel of an expensive rather than an inexpensive car.

A) less attractive;more attractive
B) more attractive;no more attractive
C) no more attractive;more attractive
D) less attractive;no more attractive

Question 71

Social learning theory is

A) the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind.
B) the study of how the structure and function of genes interact with our environment to influence behavior.
C) the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior.
D) the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished.

Question 72

Those who defend evolutionary psychology against criticism are most likely to suggest that evolutionary principles

A) generate testable predictions.
B) are intended to be descriptive but not explanatory.
C) are more applicable to men than to women.
D) are more applicable to humans than to nonhuman animal species.

Question 73

Heterosexual women are most likely to be sexually attracted to men who appear to be

A) shy.
B) emotionally reactive and intense.
C) interested in casual,uncommitted sex.
D) mature and affluent.

Question 74

Men and women working for an experimenter asked strangers of the opposite sex: "Would you go to bed with me tonight?" Their invitations were accepted by

A) more than half of men but no women.
B) almost half of the men but no women.
C) more than half of the men and almost half of the women.
D) almost half of the men and almost half of the women.