PSYCH 448:
EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY WINTER 2010 rev 11/06/2009
Prof. Michael Beecher (Guthrie 327, 543-6545, beecher@u.washington.edu)
MGH 288 Tues Thurs 12:30-2:20
Class website:
http://courses.washington.edu/evpsych/
The new field of evolutionary psychology explores whether and – if so, how – variation in human behavior can be explained as a result of biological evolution. This field is growing rapidly, and has attracted widespread interest from people in many fields, including psychology, sociology, anthropology, biology and law. The course will cover core issues that are addressed by evolutionary psychology, including cooperation, communication, aggression, mating, reproduction and parental and family interactions. The course will encourage a critical, skeptical examination of research and theory in evolutionary psychology. For background, a prior course in animal behavior (e.g., 200 or 300) is strongly recommended.
Format: The course will be partially in the ‘seminar’ format. About half the classes (a ‘class’ generally refers a 50-min segment of our 1:50-hour class period) will be led by the instructor and the other half by 2 students. Instructor-led classes will focus on a chapter of the text and/or one or two original papers on a particular topic (e.g., parental care and child abuse). The papers selected by the instructor or the student leader will be posted on the class website. The classes led by the instructor will focus on the basic concepts for that part of the course, and will parallel the corresponding chapter from the text and will use animal models on which those concepts are based, or to which they clearly apply. When possible, we will link these instructor-led sessions with a student-led session covering similar concepts or content (e.g., mate choice, reciprocity, concealed ovulation); for certain very specific topics, this won’t always be possible (e.g., homosexuality, menopause, eating disorders).
Student-led seminars: Student seminars will focus on particular research papers (many readings and topics are listed in the Potential Topics link). I would like these seminars to consist primarily of discussion, but two students will be in charge of picking the readings (consulting with me) and giving a summary of the work at the beginning of the class session. To provide balance, and to encourage a critical attitude, I ask one member of the team to focus on the positives of the paper, and the other on the negatives. We will not treat this as a debate – a conclusion drawn from a piece of science is either correct (on balance) or not (on balance), and though in this course we usually won’t really be sure which is the case, the truth is not an issue that can be settled by debate. In some cases – because many of these topics are quite controversial – you will be able to find a pro paper and a con paper on the same topic (you will find some pro vs. con examples in the Potential Topics list).
Lecture notes: Lecture will be minimized, and provided only where I feel the need to supply background. In those cases, I will post lecture notes on the website (follow the links in the Topics column).
Class Assignments and Grading: In addition to the student-led seminars, there will be a take-home exam and a paper. The paper will be due on Weds, March 18 and will be based on one the topics that the student presented in class. There will also be one short assignment: a 1-2 page review of one of the IPEM seminars (see link below); an alternative will be provided for those unable to attend an IPEM seminar. Grade weights: attendance 20%, paper 30%, IPEM talk review 10%, exam 40%. Attendance scale: 4.2 if you make every class, 4.0 if you miss just one, -0.3 for every miss beyond one.
Potential
Topics and Papers: In addition to
the papers listed here – a very arbitrary and non-exhaustive set – you can find
many more in the first 3 journals
listed below, and in the textbook reference list. The first two journals you
can reach through the
Here, as an example, is the 2009 schedule. Links to papers and lecture notes in underlined blue.
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Seminar sessions
in blue (‘mdb’ = ones I will lead). Seminar papers to be added > 1 week
ahead of time). |
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Day |
Topic |
Text |
Original Source |
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1 |
Tu 06 Jan |
1 |
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Th 08 Jan |
2 |
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2 |
Tu 13 Jan |
(continued) |
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Child abuse and infanticide (mdb) |
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Th 15 Jan |
Problems of survival Buller versus evolutionary psychology |
3 |
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Sex differences in spatial ability (mdb) |
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3 |
Tu 20 Jan |
No class – Inauguration Day (and/or work on choosing and researching your seminar papers!) |
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Th 22 Jan |
ADHD & Migration (Victoria &
Lorin) |
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4 |
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4 |
Tu 27 Jan |
(continued) |
5, 6 |
Optional: Kokko & Jennions 2008 |
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Th 29 Jan |
Jealousy (Raymond & Megan) |
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11 |
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5 |
Tu 03 Feb |
Homosexuality (Kelly, Bo & Max) |
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7 |
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Th 05 Feb |
Pair-bonding (Sarah,
Rachel, Lauren) |
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8, 9 |
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6 |
Tu 10 Feb |
10 |
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Coalitional
aggression (mdb) |
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Th 12 Feb |
Aggression (Vasilis & John) |
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The Hiwi (mdb) |
12 |
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7 |
Tu 17 Feb |
Reciprocity,
dominance & status (Max & Megan) |
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13 (pp 385-407) |
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Th 19 Feb |
Language (Kynlan
& Zach) |
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Language, mating
systems & cultural transmission (mdb) |
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8 |
Tu 24 Feb |
Risk-taking (John
& Raymond) |
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Early pregnancy:
risk-taking? |
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Th 26 Feb |
Fears & phobias
(Eric & Victoria) |
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Personality
& abnormal psychology |
13 (pp 407-416) |
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9 |
Tu 03 Mar |
Schizophrenia (Bo & Kelly) |
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Post-partum depression (Rachel & Eric) |
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Th 05 Mar |
Autism (Lauren &
Sarah) |
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Psychopathy (mdb) |
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10 |
Tu 10 Mar |
Culture &
Religion 1 (Zach & Kynlan) |
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Culture & Religion 2 (Lorin & Vasilis) |
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Th 12 Mar |
Psychopathy (concluded) |
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Critique of Evolutionary Psychology |
13 (pp 416-422) |
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Useful Links:
Evolution and Human Behavior (formerly Ethology and Sociobiology)
Evolutionary Psychology: An International Journal
Human Behavior and Evolution Society
Center for Evolutionary Psychology (Cosmides, Tooby et al)
IPEM Seminar Series (Thursdays at 3:30, Denny 401)