Evolutionary psychology WF-PS-EVOP
What is Evolutionary Psychology? All research in biology relies on the theory of evolution. If we reject mind-body dualism, then much of psychology research should be based on evolutionary principles as well. Evolutionary psychology is a theoretical paradigm that draws assumptions from evolutionary biology to understand how the mind works, why it is designed one way and not another, and what are the causes and consequents of those ancestral design features. It is not a genetically deterministic model of psychology, but instead, an active interactionist paradigm that can synthesize work from various disciplines to understand people in a more holistic fashion and to do so within the context of the larger animal kingdom. In this course, you will begin to develop your understanding of evolutionary theory within and without of psychology, learn how recurrent conflicts have lead to different design features in the species, in the sexes, and more, and learn how to apply evolutionary thinking to evaluate your work and others’ work. The course is designed around scientific psychology more than counseling psychology, with an emphasis on asking sometimes uncomfortable questions in a dispassionate way. Given our busy schedules and individual differences in English skills, this is a self-directed unit. You have been provided with access to PowerPoint files with voiceover lecture content. You are free to go at your own pace, but I suggest you try to at least keep up with the workload per week.
(in Polish) E-Learning
Subject level
Learning outcome code/codes
Course coordinators
Assessment criteria
Assessments
While you might be taking this course, you might not be (1) interested in a research career, (2) your schedule is too full, or (3) not all that interested in taking an evolutionary perspective in your research. Therefore, there are two assessment options that you can choose from.
Option 1: A 75-question multiple test option on Mar-16th at 11am-1pm. These questions will be drawn from all of the unit and potentially from the auxiliary readings as well.
Option 2: A 2000-word proposal for a research study testing one or more hypotheses based in evolutionary psychology. This document must be in APA format and contain a literature review, proposed methods (including issues of power and measurement), expected results, and references. It will be evaluated on a scale of 1-5 for (1) feasibility, (2) clarity of statistical plan, (3) clarity of methods, (4) contemporary nature of the question, and (5) quality of hypotheses in relation to evolutionary psychology. This is due March 16th by 11am in a provided dropbox folder. Uploads are timestamped and you will lose 10 point for every 30 minutes it is late.
Bibliography
Textbook
Buss, D.M. Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind. ISBN-13: 978-0205015627
(get the most up-to-date version you can afford)
Suggested readings
Al-Shawaf, L., Zreik, K. A., & Buss, D.M. (2018). Thirteen misunderstandings about natural selection. In T.K. Shackelford and V.A. Weekes-Shackelford (Eds.). Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. New York: Springer.
Bleske, A.L., & Buss, D.M. (2001). Opposite sex friendship: Sex differences and similarities in initiation, selection, and dissolution. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 1310-1323.
Cheng, J. T., Tracy, J. L., Foulsham, T., Kingstone, A., & Henrich, J. (2013). Two ways to the top: Evidence that dominance and prestige are distinct yet viable avenues to social rank and influence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104, 103–125.
Duntley, J.D. & Buss, D.M. (2011). Homicide adaptations. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 16, 399-410.
Jonason, P.K., Li, N.P., & Madson, L. (2012). It’s not all about the Benjamins: Understanding preferences for mates with resources. Personality and Individual Differences, 52, 306-310.
Miner, E.J., Shackelford, T.K., Block, C.R., Starratt, V.G., & Weekes-Shackelford, V.A. (2012). Risk of Death or Life-Threatening Injury for Women with Children Not Sired by the Abuser. Human Nature, 23, 89-97.
Tybur, J.M., Lieberman, D.L., & Griskevicius, V. (2009). Microbes, mating, and morality: Individual differences in three functional domains of disgust. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 29, 103-122.
Webster, G.D. (2004). Human kin investment as a function of genetic relatedness and lineage. Evolutionary Psychology, 2, 129-141.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: