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A process by which individuals with favorable inherited traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing those traits to the next generation.

A mode of natural selection where typically members of one biological sex choose mates with certain traits or where members of the opposite sex compete for mates.

A measure of an organism's success in the population based on the number of offspring, the success of the offspring, and the ability of the organism to support kin.

A trait that is well designed for survival and reproduction in a particular environment, which has been shaped by natural selection.

The theory that explains the different reproductive strategies and sexual behaviors by the relative amount of time, energy, and resources that an individual invests in raising their offspring.

The phenomenon of interaction between genetic evolution and cultural changes, where each drives the other over time.

The aggregate of social and environmental conditions under which the human mind evolved and to which it is thus best adapted.

A situation in which an organism's traits no longer provide the adaptive benefits they once did because of changes in the environment.

A theory that explains an individual's allocation of resources to growth, reproduction, and survival, and how these allocations affect life stages and life span.

The ability of an organism to pass on its genetic material to its offspring relative to the ability of other organisms to do the same.

The process by which one individual chooses another individual of the opposite sex with whom to mate, often based on specific desirable traits.

A type of natural selection in which individuals are more likely to help relatives, increasing the likelihood that shared genes are passed on to future generations.

Challenges faced by organisms that affect survival and reproduction, which can drive the development of adaptive traits and behaviors through natural selection.

A hypothesis suggesting that some seemingly disadvantageous traits may actually be advantageous because they are costly signals that demonstrate an individual's fitness.

A framework that assumes human behavior is primarily learned and influenced by culture, underestimating the role of biological and evolutionary factors.

The influence of closely associated species on each other in their evolution.

A strategy which, if adopted by a population of players, cannot be invaded by any alternative strategy that is initially rare.

The theory that the mind is composed of innate, specialized modules that have evolved to handle specific survival and reproduction tasks.

A form of altruism based upon a desire to help others with no expectation of reciprocation; the action is motivated purely by the welfare of the other individual.

The study of the ecological and evolutionary basis for animal behavior, and the roles of behavior in enabling an animal to adapt to its environment.

A theoretical framework positing that human behavior is influenced by two different and interacting evolutionary processes: genetic evolution and cultural evolution.

A behavior whereby an organism acts in a manner that temporarily reduces its fitness while increasing another organism's fitness, with the expectation that the other organism will act in a similar manner at a later time.

The theory that individuals with high-quality traits can afford to produce signals that cost them something, which less fit individuals cannot afford, thus validly advertising their quality.

A conflict arising from the differing evolutionary interests of parents and their offspring, where the optimal investment strategies of each party are not the same.

A psychological, evolutionary, and ethological theory concerning relationships between humans, specifically the bond between a child and their caregiver.

An equation stating that a gene for altruistic behavior will spread if the cost to the altruist is less than the benefit to the recipient discounted by the coefficient of relatedness (rB > c).

A proposed mechanism of evolution in which natural selection acts at the level of the group, rather than at the more conventional level of the individual.

A hypothesis that explains why certain traits in a potential mate are preferred by suggesting these preferences arise because they exploit the mate chooser's pre-existing sensory biases.

A theory that suggests that there are multiple successful mating strategies that individuals can employ depending on environmental and personal conditions, and which strategy is employed is context-dependent.