Biological bases of behaviour 2 WPS-PS-EUR2

The aim of the course is to present the biological foundations of human behavior in the light of current research in ethology, sociobiology, psychophysiology and evolutionary psychology, as well as behavioral genetics. The lecture focuses on explaining the biological sources of human nature and the functions of psychological mechanisms, understood as psychological adaptations, solving problems in the field of:
(1) survival (e.g. choice of food, preferences regarding a place of refuge, fighting predators and other threats);
(2) sexual life and reproduction (eg female and male strategies of choosing a partner for a lasting and fleeting relationship, attachment, jealousy of a sexual partner);
(3) parenting (eg, the importance of father and mother for the survival and development of offspring, the ability of children to transform parental care into reproductive success, conflict between parents and offspring);
(4) relationships (eg, Hamilton's law and its implications);
(5) group life (e.g. altruism and helpful behavior, aggression and war).

The exercises are aimed at deepening and detailing the knowledge discussed during the lecture through discussion and analysis of individual issues based on specialist literature on the subject, as well as familiarizing participants with the basic methods of formulating research hypotheses in the field of biological bases of behavior, and their verification in the light of appropriate data sources.