Evolutionary Media Psychology and Its Epistemological Foundation

Abstract

The chapter starts with the question why humans universally spend a considerable amount of their time on the use and production of media and entertainment. In order to find a possible answer, a framework from evolutionary psychology is applied to media psychology. After a general definition of media psychology is provided, the new term evolutionary media psychology is coined and defined, followed by an outline of the methods evolutionary psychologists employ to generate and test specific hypotheses and predictions. Subsequently, the scientific paradigm of evolutionary psychology is discussed within the framework of Popperian and Lakatosian epistemology. Afterwards, important theories of evolutionary media psychology, including the discussion of entertainment as an evolutionary adaptation or a by-product, are presented. To further illustrate the epistemological foundations of evolutionary media psychology, selected studies examining sex-typical preferences in media selection, gossip aspects of new social media, and the seductive qualities of musical skills are described. Finally, the chapter closes by summarizing the described results within the framework of Lakatosian epistemology.