Question

Regardless of whether it’s business or dating, first impressions make a big difference. Given what you know about evolution and adaptive traits, what is the advantage of having a memory system that is biased by first impressions?

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate on the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.

(Answer) Throughout the evolutionary history of man, he has been a part of the natural ecosystem. This means that he has been a hunter, hunted, lived in nature and thrived in it too. Dangerous weather, predators, environmental dangers and other elements needed to be perceived and even avoided in order to survive.

The common patterns, first impressions and past experiences helped man estimate a situation and decide whether or not it was safe for him and the herd. Furthermore, before communication amongst men evolved, man picked up on obvious and sometimes even on the subtle cue that indicated safety or danger.

From an evolutionary perspective, it was judgements, estimations, calculations and first impressions that helped man decipher whether something or someone was fit for his survival or not. This trait has been effectively carried forth to the present times when we use first impressions to help us analyse situations, issues and people.

First impressions are not limited to judging by the clothes people wear or the temperament they have, but it also helps us analyse relationships and situational danger. Judging whether or not a person might be kind to us, judging a poor business prospect, dangerous roads, bad weather and other such situations help us make decisions almost every day. Such are the advantages of judging based on first impressions.