# Evolutionary hypothesis

> ## Data sources (Evolutionary psychology (book))

## Data sources ([Evolutionary psychology (book)](https://wiki.g15e.com/pages/Evolutionary%20psychology%20(book.txt)))

- [Archeological records](https://wiki.g15e.com/pages/Archeological%20record.txt)
- Data from hunter-gatherer societies
- Observations
- Self-reports
- Human products

## Generating and testing

> [The hierarchy of levels](https://wiki.g15e.com/pages/Hierarchy%20of%20evolutionary%20analysis.txt) shows one scientific strategy for generating evolutionary hypotheses and predictions. This strategy is called the top-down or theory-driven approach to hypothesis generation. … The top-down strategy illustrates one of the ways in which theoryies can be extraordinarily useful. Theories provide both a set of working premises from which specific hypotheses can be generated and a framework for guiding researchers to important domains of inquiry such as investing in kin or children.
>
> There is a second strategy for generating evolutionary psychological hypotheses. Instead of starting with a theory, we can start with an observation. Once the observation is made about the existence of a phenomenon, we can then proceed in a bottom-up fashion and generate a hypothesis about its function. Because humans are keen perceivers of other people, they generally notice things even without a formal theory to direct attention to them. …
>
> Two general conclusions about this "bottom-up" strategy of generating and testing hypotheses can be drawn. First, it is perfectly legitimate for scientists to observe phenomena and subsequently formulate hypotheses about their origins and functions. … Second, the value of an evolutionary hypothesis depends in part on its precision. The more precise the hypothesis, the easier it is to generate specific predictions that follow from it. … Step by step, prediction by prediction, hypotheses that fail to yield empirically verified predictions are discarded; those that consistently yield empirically verified predictions are retained. So the entire enterprise shows a cumulative quality as the sicence moves closer and closer to discovering the existence, complexity, and functionality of evolved psychological mechanisms. --p46-49

## Methods for testing

> - Comparing Different Species: …
> - Comparing Males and Females: …
> - Comparing Individuals within a Species: …
> - Comparing the Same Individuals in Different Contexts: …
> - Experimental Methods: …