A critique of evolutionary explanations of behaviour is that they tend to ignore what?

• A. Cultural and societal factors
• B. Genetic factors
• C. Biological mechanisms
• D. Random variation

Answer: (A)

Evolutionary explanations are built on how traits may have been shaped by past selection and genetic predispositions, but they can overlook how culture, social norms, and institutions shape how those predispositions are expressed. This leads to the critique that cultural and societal factors are ignored or undervalued when explaining behavior, because the same biological tendencies can look very different across societies due to learning, norms, and culture-specific practices. It’s not that genetics or biology are dismissed; they’re central to the theory. Nor is random variation the main point of contention, since those factors are part of how evolution operates. The emphasis, then, is on cultural and societal influences being neglected.