Psychology Dictionary of Arguments

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Terminology: This section explains special features of the language used by the individual authors.
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Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments.

 
Author Concept Summary/Quotes Sources

Ernst Mayr on Terminology - Dictionary of Arguments

I 45
Def genotype: nucleic acids, (total number of genes)
Def phenotype: proteins, lipids, macromolecules, (total of characteristics, environmentally dependent).

I 43
Def Integron/Mayr: An integron is a system created by integration of subordinate units on a higher level. Integrons evolve by natural selection. They are adapted systems at each level because they contribute to the fitness (suitability) of an individual.

I 205
Def Parthenogenesis: Asexuality: in some organisms, individuals develop themselves from the eggs, fertilization is not necessary. E.g. Aphids, plankton crustaceans: here sexual and asexual generations alternate.

I 324
Def Altruism: (Trivers, 1985)(1): action that benefits another organism at the expense of the actor, with the costs and benefits being defined as reproductive success.

I 175
Def Class/Biology/Mayr: Grouping of entities that are similar and related to each other.
Classification: two important functions: a) recovery of information. b) comparative research. Information storage.

I 177
Def "Variety": (Linné, even Darwin): Deviations that are slightly smaller than those of a new species. ("typological" or "essential concept of species"). ("Common essence" ("Nature")).

I 178
Def Twin species: (discovered only recently: spatially separated, but equally developed, discovered in almost all animal species), forces a new criterion for the delineatation of species: reproductive isolation of populations.

I 179
Def Species/Mayr: device for protecting balanced, harmonic genotypes. "Biological concept of species" seeks biological reasons for the existence of species. Maybe there are other properties by chance.

I 183
Def Species Taxa: special populations or population groups corresponding to the species definition. They are entities.

I 373
Def Similarity: certain characteristics must occur together with other characteristics from which they are logically independent.

I 49
Def knowledge/Mayr: facts and their interpretation.

I 279
Def r-selection: strongly fluctuating, often catastrophically exposed population size, weak intraspecific competition, very fertile.
K-Selection: constant population size, strong competition, stable life expectancy.

I 41
Def Reductionism/Mayr: Reductionism considers the problem of explanation fundamentally as solved as soon as the reduction to the smallest components is completed.

I 186
Def Feature/Biology/Mayr: a distinguishing feature or attribute. Is arbitrarily chosen by the taxonomists. Often led to very strange "unnatural" groups. At the end of the 18th century, attempts were made to replace the Linné system with a more natural one.

I 211
Def Preformation: Eggs produce individuals of the same species. Therefore it was concluded that egg or sperm is already a miniature of the future organism.

I 212
Def Epigenesis: Development during the life history of the individual, in contrast to ontogeny and phylogeny.

I 219
Def Induction/Biology/Mayr: Influence of already existing tissues on the development of other tissues. By proteins. It is important for almost all organisms.

I 349
Def Life/Mayr: Activities of self-developed systems, controlled by a genetic program.

Def Life/Rensch(2): Living beings are hierarchically ordered, open systems, predominantly organic compounds, which normally appear as circumscribed, cell-structured individuals of temporally limited constancy.

Def Life/Sattler 1986(3): an open system that replicates and regulates itself, shows individuality, and subsists on energy from the environment.
MayrVs: all contain superfluous and do not go into the genetic program, which is perhaps the most important. More description than definition.


1. R. L. Trivers (1985). Social evolution. Menlo Park: Benjamin/Cummings.
2. B. Rensch (1968). Biophilosophie. Stuttgart: G. Fischer. S. 54.
3. R. Sattler (1986). Biophilosophy. Berlin: Springer. S. 228.


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Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments
The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition.

Mayr I
Ernst Mayr
This is Biology, Cambridge/MA 1997
German Edition:
Das ist Biologie Heidelberg 1998


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