Which of the following is involved in proximate explanations of behavior?

Proximate explanations of behavior focus on the mechanisms and immediate causes that underlie specific behaviors. This includes physiological processes, genetic influences, and environmental factors that contribute to how an organism behaves in a particular context. When exploring behaviors, proximate explanations delve into aspects such as hormonal changes, neural circuitry, and genetic predispositions that directly affect behavior.

In this context, physiology refers to the biological functions and processes that influence behavior, such as the neural pathways involved in motivation or the hormonal changes that can affect aggression or mating behaviors. Genetics plays a key role in determining behaviors that are inherited or influenced by genetic variation, especially in how certain traits or predispositions manifest in an individual’s behavior.

The other options relate to ultimate explanations of behavior, which seek to understand the evolutionary reasons behind behaviors. Selection pressures, evolutionary history, and adaptive significance pertain to the long-term processes that shape behaviors through natural selection and adaptiveness in an ecological context. Thus, while they provide valuable insights into why behaviors might have developed, they do not address the immediate biological mechanisms at play, which is the focus of proximate explanations.