Alternative Theoretical Paradigm: The Integrated Model
The authors of Adapted Mind have argued that the SSSM is now out of date and that a progressive model for the social sciences requires evolutionarily-informed models of nature-nurture interactionism, grounded in the computational theory of mind. Tooby and Cosmides refer to this new model as the Integrated Model (IM).
Tooby and Cosmides provide several comparisons between the SSSM and the IM, including the following:
| Standard Social Science Model | Integrated Model |
|---|---|
| Humans born a blank slate | Humans are born with a bundle of emotional,
motivational and cognitive adaptations |
| Brain a “general-purpose” computer | Brain is a collection of modular, domain
specific processors |
| Culture/socialization programs behavior | Behavior is the result of interactions between
evolved psychological mechanisms and cultural & environmental influences |
| Cultures free to vary any direction on any trait | Culture itself is based on a universal
human nature, and is constrained by it |
| Biology is relatively unimportant to understand behavior | An analysis of interactions between nature
and nurture is important to understand behavior |
Read more about this topic: Standard Social Science Model
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