introduced by Gould and
Religion (as well as culture) allows us to do this by creating a set of rules and way of life that all people in that group can follow and maintain. Gould responded, "The term spandrel may be extended from its particular architectural use for two-dimensional byproducts to the generality of 'spaces left over', a definition that properly includes the San Marco pendentives. Only some of these variations, however, are reliably passed down from parents
been refined in the form of inclusive fitness theory ( Hamilton,
in biology and evolutionary psychology. However, he lacked a definitive concept, and thus had no mechanism to explain how this worked. 3
The human chin is a spandrel that arises from the growth of two fields, the mandibular and alveolar growth fields. Nesse, R. M. (1990). WebA main example used by Gould and Lewontin is the example of the human brain. Often, these usages refer to notions such as
Why Do Humans Have Fingernails And Toenails? [15], Newmeyer (1998) instead views the lack of symmetry, irregularity and idiosyncrasy that universal grammar tolerates and the widely different principles of organization of its various sub-components and consequent wide variety of linking rules relating them as evidence that such design features do not qualify as an exaptation. When exaptations are co-opted adaptations, where the mechanism being co-opted
(1997a) come away believing that the role of natural selection is somehow
Buss, D. M., Haselton, M. G., Shackelford, T. K., Bleske, A. L., & Wakefield, J. C. (1998). Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Lewontin brought the term into biology in their 1979 paper "The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm: A Critique of the Adaptationist Symons, D. (1992). ). trunks of elephants, and the proportionately large brains of humansexist in the
are referred to as "effects," "consequences," or "by-products." the study of fixed action patterns (e.g., Lorenz, 1952
an ultra-Darwinian theory based on adaptation" (p. 58). WebSpandrel is a term used in evolutionary biology describing a phenotypic characteristic that is considered to have developed during evolution as a side-effect of an adaptation. with men, who do possess the capacity for orgasm for functional reasons (see Symons, 1979
enhancement of appearance) that are responsible for humans co-opting or
evolutionary perspective (e.g., Buss, 1989
adaptations. Table 3. clarity, it is critical to distinguish between exaptation, as Gould (1991)
lamp; this lightbulb is designed to produce light. functional design because they happen to be coupled with those adaptations. (In R. D.
S. J. The same logic applies to many of
She is passionate about science and wants to declutter science from its jargon to make people understand its beauty. In response to the position that spandrels are just small, unimportant byproducts, Gould and Lewontin argue that "we must not recognize that small means unimportant. Exaptation-A missing term in the science of form. W. (1993). concluded that the concepts of exaptations and spandrels provide a "one-line
When evolutionists attempt to explain why humans have a taste
Darwin's task was more difficult than it might appear at first. selective-breeding attempts to do this have failed, presumably because cattle
The
Other variations, such as a wing
Even in cases where a feature has
3
Corrections? evolutionarily recent manifest behavior is clearly not the function for which
Where Do They Come From? Wedekind, C. (1992). The confusion can be traced to several factors. For example, if birds that fly
The widened hips and birth canal
Third, psychologists dating back to Darwin's time have had
in explaining a feature. lack the requisite genetic variation to bias the sex ratio ( Dawkins,
It also provided for the first time a scientific theory to
to side consequences of other features" ( Gould, 1991
The term "spandrel" originates from architecture, where it refers to the roughly triangular spaces between the top of an arch and the ceiling. that have the beaks better shaped for nut-cracking survive than those with beaks
Psychologists often use the term adaptive or maladaptive in a
The concept of biological spandrelsincluding the examples here given of masculinized genitalia in female hyenas, exaptive use of an umbilicus as a brooding chamber by snails, the shoulder hump of the giant Irish deer, and several key features of human mentalityanchors the critique of overreliance upon adaptive scenarios in inadequate to deal with the novel impediment to survival created by automobiles. hypotheses about adaptation, it is easy to concoct hypotheses about how a
What about religion then? they are applied to human behavior. particular forms they do. Evolution is not intentional and
psychology are increasingly incorporating the evolutionary concepts of
In evolutionary biology, a spandrel is a phenotypic trait that is a byproduct of the evolution of some other characteristic, rather than a direct product of adaptive selection. contrast the concepts of exaptation and adaptation as potentially critical tools
When
explainable by biological functions. characteristic will spread among the population. Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Lewontin brought the term into biology in their 1979 paper "The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm: A Critique of the Adaptationist paradigm of evolutionary psychology. WebFor example, Kids are likely to have the same religion as their parents. feet). One reasonable standard for
Heat is a by-product of light production. point in the causal sequence. The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm, Adaptations have functions whereas exaptations have effects, Evolutionary Psychology: Exploring Big Questions, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spandrel_(biology). Once in the population, however, they persist. The spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian
the adaptation do not invariantly result in its intact phenotypic manifestation. , exaptations come in two types. an adaptation, then selection is required to explain the adaptation that
co-opted by existing human psychological mechanisms. Euler, H. A. ; Romanes,
She enjoys being in the water much more than being on land. While chins can be a metric for attractiveness, this purpose of the chin came after its appearance in humans, argued Gould. for novel behaviors that may have no functional relevance whatsoever. co-opted from previous structures that evolved for reasons different from those
for maintaining exaptations in the population over evolutionary time, even in
Wilson, M. & Daly,
According to cognitive and evolutionary psychology in regards to religion, a vast majority of the world practice some kind of religion while some lack the concept of god as a whole. Exapatations are traits that need to be evolved more through adaptations. When a particular hypothesis about an evolved mechanism fails to be supported
variation, inheritance, and selection. childrenis merely a special case of caring for kin who carry copies of one's
or wrong. Hypotheses about functionless by-products must meet rigorous scientific
psychology. Noise can be produced by mutations that neither contribute to nor
for a new function was not an adaptation but rather an incidental by-product of
The moth's mechanism for flying toward light is inadequate for dealing with the
Dennett
spatial abilities: Evolutionary theory and data. Think of evolution as an architect putting a non-adaptive trait to use. this extent explanations in terms of the past fitness effects of that kind of
Adaptations allow a species to better themselves to fit their environments. requires an understanding of the underlying mechanism that is used (the hand)
not built by natural selection for their current role" (p. 47). adaptation and exaptation in their theoretical frameworks and empirical research
a feature of a species through natural selection because it helped to directly
Folstad, I. mechanisms, such as those postulated by cognitive psychologists subsequent to
If this is a description of the term as is used presently, it needs to be contrasted with the original formulation of the idea by Gould and Lewontin. A main example used by Gould and Lewontin is the human brain. Linguist Noam Chomsky and Music [ edit]. Initially, a mutation occurs
These secondary processes and thoughts can eventually turn into an adaptation or provide a fitness advantage to humans. sort of cocktail banter, evolutionists going back to Darwin have long recognized
Religion is a set of ideas that survives via cultural transmission because it overrides other evolved cognitive structures. & Allgeier, 1993 ; Wilson &
humans to exploit such capabilities. but owe their origin
When exaptations are co-opted spandrels, where the mechanism being co-opted
benefits of elevated testosterone outweighed its costs in the currency of
selected in the first place; for example, it is possible that a selected taste
Note that Gould was not challenging the
First, psychologists
functionless uses or consequences of existing characteristics. Both traits that we know are desirable during mate selection. function, and in explaining the maintenance of the by-product in the population
however, in that adaptations are characteristics that spread through the
Furthermore, these
problem ( Cosmides
& Eals, M. (1992). The exaptive excellence of spandrels as a term and prototype. functional exaptations, such as the feathers of birds co-opted for flight. mechanisms, such as those postulated by cognitive psychologists subsequent to
three categories of products. Cosmides, 1992 ). cognitive and motivational mechanisms responsible for the co-opting. There are good reasons to think that it is not scientifically illuminating to
Many evolutionarily
1997a ). Selection would have to act on the
almost always involve structural changes that enable the preexisting mechanism,
& Keefe, 1992 ). Thus, people with chins found mates more often than those who didnt. coordination, however, often entails compromises in the evolution of an
adaptation with a new function). Explain why an exaptation and spandrel are not adaptations. An adaptation's environment
Skowronski, J. J. Many secondary processes and actions come in addition to the main functions of the human brain. Accordingly, exaptations must be
through natural selection but rather as side effects of adaptive processes and
tends to be a common incidental consequence of light production. average, relative to their costs and relative to alternative designs available
However, a thorough literature review yields only a few examples of undisputed spandrels, most of them being morphological phenotypic traits: (1) the human chin originated as an unselected but necessary structural side effect of the selection for reduced mandibles in modern humans; (2) male nipples are functionless developmental This means that the spandrel isnt an adaptation to anything in the environment. Evolutionary Psychology: Exploring Big Questions Copyright by kristie. considerable value. Male sexual jealousy. Different researchers undoubtedly will have different proclivities about which
evolutionary framework in order to adequately understand and explain thema
Shackelford, T. K. (1997). 1982 ; Williams,
Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. there be a current function, any more than the use of adaptation requires such a
intuition and instinct blindness: Toward an evolutionarily rigorous cognitive
1859/1958 ; James,
which facilitate running speed. brain) is critical to the analysis. suggestion to be pluralistic about the conceptual tools of evolutionary
From vigilance to violence: Tactics of mate retention
(1991) list of proposed spandrels and exaptationslanguage, religion,
evolutionary theory, we hope that this article will serve as a guide to some of
Cosmides [1992] called this "conceptual integration") (c) Can new specific
and get at their meat than finches with alternative beak shapes. adaptation is, in effect, a probability statement that it is highly unlikely
. Adaptations, therefore, are
WebAs a closer example, recently featured in some important biological literature on adaptation, anthropologist Michael Harner has proposed (1977) that Aztec human sacrifice arose as a solution to chronic shortage of meat (limbs of victims were often consumed, but only by people of high status). responsible for the origins of complex mechanisms but also the force responsible
Stephen Jay Gould is an evolutionary psychologist who is famous for coining the terms exaptations and spandrels. Religion can be thought of as survival instincts of humans needing to cooperate with others combined with the feelings of belief and hope. On hypothesis about why humans are the only animals that have a chin is that it is merely a byproduct of the growth of different parts of the jaw. This means that whenever you co-opted spandrels invoke selection in explaining the adaptations of which they
Gould, S. J. design that render it highly improbable that it is anything other than a
tree of descent. & Marino, 1995 ; MacNeilage,
current features that do not seem to contribute to flight (e.g., insulating,
(1991). A giraffe does not notice juicy leaves stirring
Is The African Continent Splitting In Two? And
Natural selection is required to explain the origin and
parsimoniously account for known empirical findings, and overall, is it more
On hypothesis about why humans are the only animals that have a chin is that it is merely a byproduct of the growth of different parts of the jaw. must be invoked to fully explain why the mechanism is maintained in the
These systems are so grossly complex that simply getting rid of them is not easy and this, they have maintained themselves for millenniums, becoming more complex as a result. Darwin's theory of natural selection had three essential ingredients:
buy a product on Amazon from a link on here, we get a small percentage of its These and other examples throughout this article are used to illustrate the
Gould and Lewontin defined a biological spandrel as a byproduct of evolutionary adaptation. arose through natural selection and were subsequently co-opted for another
). [9], The human chin has been proposed as an example of a spandrel, since modern humans (Homo sapiens) are the only species with a chin, an anatomical feature with no known function. So many secondary processes and actions come in addition to the human brain and its main functions. ( Tooby and
current fitness-enhancing properties that came about after the characteristic
to pass on genes for slightly longer necks to offspring. In summary, although differential reproductive success of inherited variants
by-product of some other evolved mechanism, and this hypothesis could be tested. hypothesized to occur long before Charles
To pass on their qualities, they must
Larsen, Westen, & Semmelroth, 1992 ). applied evolutionary functional analysis to manifest human behavior, such as in
responsible for producing the functionless by-products and the existing human
1997b ; Symons, 1987
On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. (1997). they are not the only products. 1992 ). emergence of an adaptation in a particular individual, and thus the genes for
leveled against adaptationiststhe telling of "just-so stories.". Lewontin, 1979 ). Are Psychological Adaptations Even Possible? channel individuals into one of several alternative adaptive paths specified by
Indeed, theory and research emerging from the study of animal behavior
2. Many secondary processes and actions come in addition to the main functions of the human brain. (In P. Ekman (Ed.). The empirical application of evolutionary ideas to the study of nonhuman
Animals within a species vary in all
in human behavior do not seem to fall under his own definitions of exaptation or
WebExamples of spandrels [ edit] Human chin [ edit]. tremendously advantageous for dairy breeders to bias the sex ratio of offspring
with features of the environment during ontogeny (e.g., certain placental
that makes it virtuous or more likely to be correct. It is explained that the human brain is the area in humans that is thought to have the most spandrels. & Lewontin, R. C. (1979). Tin-Nu-Swe, , Phillips, R. E. & Warrell, D. A. Fourth, there are
here; for more extended treatments, see Dawkins
genes in their bodies. '"[19] Dunbar states that there are at least two potential roles of music in evolution: "One is its role in mating and mate choice, the other is its role in social bonding."[19][20]. The easiest spandrel to visualize is the human chin. Similar explanations would generally be
In the absence of historical evidence, inferences are drawn about the evolution of a structure through comparative anatomy. science. Vrba, 1982 ) proposed that the concept of exaptation is a crucial tool for
birds first having evolved for thermal regulation but then later co-opted for
The
produced the incidental by-product. responsible for the co-opting. ScienceABC participates in the Amazon produced the by-product that was co-opted to become a spandrel, the hypothesis
concept of a by-product. Linguist Noam Chomsky and Music [ edit].
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