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Related Concept Videos

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective01:23

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective

In a study where individuals posing as strangers offered compliments and proposed casual sex to students, the responses differed significantly based on gender. Not a single woman accepted the proposal, while 70% of the men agreed. This outcome provides a useful scenario to explore through the lens of evolutionary psychology and social learning theory, highlighting the diverse perspectives on human sexual behaviors.
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...
Evolutionary Psychology01:20

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the human psyche...
Humanistic Psychology01:24

Humanistic Psychology

Humanistic psychology emerged in the mid-20th century as a response to the deterministic and pessimistic nature of behaviorism and psychoanalysis. While behaviorism focused on observable behaviors influenced by the environment and psychoanalysis delved into unconscious motivations, both theories suggested that human actions lacked free will. In contrast, humanistic psychology offers a perspective that emphasizes the innate potential for goodness and growth within every individual.
This approach...
The Role of Culture01:23

The Role of Culture

Culture plays a crucial role in shaping self-identity and influencing thought and behavior, a foundational interest within social psychology. The multicultural perspective recognizes that individuals do not exist in a vacuum; instead, their experiences, perceptions, and actions are deeply influenced by the intersecting dimensions of their cultural, ethnic, and social group affiliations.Cultural Influence on Self-Identity and Social PerceptionCultural frameworks inform how individuals define...
Biodiversity and Human Values01:24

Biodiversity and Human Values

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Self Within Cultural Contexts01:30

Self Within Cultural Contexts

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
06:42

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Published on: September 28, 2018

Cultural evolution and the human predicament.

Paul R Ehrlich1

  • 1Center for Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-5020, USA. pre@stanford.edu

Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|July 7, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Environmental degradation continues despite scientific warnings. Urgent research is needed to accelerate cultural responses and prevent global civilization collapse from human impacts.

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Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning
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Last Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
06:42

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Published on: September 28, 2018

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning
14:38

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Published on: November 2, 2012

Area of Science:

  • Ecological and evolutionary research
  • Environmental science
  • Conservation biology

Background:

  • Decades of scientific calls for action to halt environmental degradation have yielded variable responses.
  • Despite these efforts, environmental degradation accelerates across biophysical measures.
  • Human impacts pose a significant threat to global civilization's stability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize the current state of environmental degradation.
  • To frame the ongoing ecological and evolutionary crisis.
  • To propose critical research directions for the scientific community.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing scientific literature and data on environmental degradation.
  • Analysis of the response from ecological and evolutionary research communities.
  • Identification of key areas for future research thrusts.

Main Results:

  • Environmental degradation is progressing rapidly, exceeding the response from relevant scientific communities.
  • Existing biophysical measures indicate an accelerating crisis.
  • Human impacts are approaching critical thresholds.

Conclusions:

  • The ecological and evolutionary research community must intensify efforts to drive cultural change.
  • Targeted research is essential to accelerate societal responses to environmental threats.
  • Failure to act decisively could imperil global civilization.