Huinan Ethology Bulletin
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HUInan Ethology Bulletin VOLUME 13, ISSUE 3 ISSN 0739-2036 SEPTEMBER 1998 © 1998 The International Society for Human Ethology SOCIETY NEWS reflects an extreme case of the discrepancy Report on ISHE between folk psychological and physical Convention intuition that exists for most males. Also on 20 August was an intriguing talk By Shan Guisinger by Lisa Goos which won the ISHE Young 210 N. Higgins Ave., Ste. 310 Investigator Prize. Goos and her advisor, Irwin Missoula, MT 59802, USA Silverman, showed photos depicting various [email protected]:.edu emotions, including anger and sadness, to college males and females. Goos was interested The Fourteenth Biennial ISHE in how well the sexes can identify emotions Conference at Vancouver, B. c., 19-23 August tachistoscopically presented and whether 1998 was hosted by Simon Fraser University. changes in testosterone levels affect males' Perched on a mountain top, with the competence. Goos' research affirmed what spectacular Fraser River valley and mountains many women know experientially: Men are not disappearing to the north, participants had a so good at correctly identifying a:nger in women, splendid setting in which to meet, renew old but they do easily recognize sadness and fear. acquaintances, share stores, debate, console, Goos also found that men do a better job of and update each other on research and ideas. It id.entifying emotions, in general, when their was a "human-sized" group of about 60, so testosterone levels are higher. participants had an opportunity to talk with almost everyone. Thursday was a full day culminating in a commemorative symposium on the The first day's keynote address was by contributions of Nobel Prize winning ethologists autism researcher Simon Bar-Cohen. Autism is Karl von Frisch, Konrad Lorenz, and Niko a disorder of social development. While most Tinbergen by people who had known them well people with autism also have other learning and had worked with them. Agnaldo Garcia difficulties, 25% are only impaired in what remembered von Frisch, William Baron-Cohen calls folk psychology, the ability Charlesworth talked about Tinbergen's legacy, to infer intentional states to others. Baron- and Eibl-Eibesfeld t described Lorenz's Cohen believes these "pure" cases of autism are contributions and added his thoughts about the also characterized by an intact or even superior present situation in the field. Finally, Karl folk physics. Although people with autism Grammer took us into the next generation. rarely marry and have children, their first degree relatives often show lesser variants of Friday commenced with a autistic traits. Testing of their parents should comprehensive review of work on sex show impaired folk psychology and superior differences in human cognition by a leading folk physics. In his research subjects in researcher, Doreen Kimura. In 90 minutes she Cambridge, England, Baron-Cohen found took us through her remarkable research support for this hypothesis. Among the fathers program. Kimura is interested in how abilities and grandfathers of his subjects, 12.5% were are influenced by prenatal and current exposure engineers, compared with· 5% for controls. to sex hormones. As we know from previous Baron-Cohen speculated that this aSJmmetry work, males are better at spatial abilities and 2 Human Ethology Bulletin, 13(3), 1998 math reasoning, while females e-xcel at verbal Buddhists' notions of egolessness. fluency, verbal memory, and fine motor skills, differences that are found across cultures. Jt was an extremely rich and full These sex differences are the result of exposure conference, and we participants had much to to androgens during prenatal developnlent, but think about on our trips home. also vary with seasonal and diurnal fluctuations of sex homlones. Interestingly, the optimal level of androgens for spatial ability appears to be in the lower half of the normal male range. High estrogen in women is Election of Officers associated with enhanced fine motor and articulatory efficiency, while low estrogen The ballot for election of the following (occurring at menstruation) is associated with two otficers appears below: Secretary and enhanced spatial ability. Membership Chair. Please complete it (or a photocopy) and send it to the ISHE President, Saturday'S invited talk was by Charles Crawford. Deadline is 15 December. Harvard geneticist David Haig. Entitled "The No nominations were received other than those Divided Self," this was arguably the most that appear on the ballot. However, members startling talk in a conference full of are free to write in the name of someone else. provocative, original, cutting-edge research Terms of office are three years, begirU1ing in and ideas. Haig suggeste.d that some of our 1999. subjective experience of conflict within ourselves may derive from genomic competition. Geneticists used to assume that a gene plays the same role in an offspring no matter which parent contributes it. But now Haigand others are finding that the sexes have ways to mark BALLOT FOR ISHE OFFICERS particular genes so that these genes get special treatment, biasing genetic inheritance. This is called genetic imprinting and represents a Membership Chair battle between the mother and father for control of the growth rate of the fetus. When it Astrid JUtte, Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for comes to the growth of the offspring, the Urban Ethology, Vienna, Austria parents have different interests. The male wants the female to invest as much as possible in his offspring, whereas she needs to spread investment among several young. In marnmals, Other (please include name and affiliation) females need to control fetal growth, because the fetus is a virtual parasite on the mother. Haig suggested tha t some of the in ternaJ conflict we experience may reflect real "disagreement over ultirnate ends between Secretary different agents that contribute to mental activity." Karl Grammer, Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for Urban Ethology, Vienna, Austria On Saturday we were also treated to a soulful talk by Daniel Freedman 011 East-West differences in philosophy and art. Freedman extended E. O. Wilson's call for consilience Other (please include name and affiliation) betwelOn biology and social sciences to the humanities and asked if Western spiritual seekers could give up their highly prized individuaJism to experience the Hindu- Human Ethology Bulletin, 13(3), 1998 3 Young Investigator Award Outstanding Paper Award The outstanding young investigator at The award for the best paper at the the 1998 ISHE convention was judged to be Lisa 1998 ISHE convention goes to Farhad Dastur Goos, a student of Irwin Silverman, and Richard Brown, both of the Department of Department of Psychology, York University, Psychology, Dalhousie University, Nova Toronto, Ontario, M3J IP3, Canada. Lisa will Scota, B3H 4Jl, Canada. The award consists of receive a certificate, an ISHE membership a certificate, an ISHE T-shirt, and a copy of renewal, free registration at the next ISHE the ISHE book New Aspects of Human meeting, and a book. Ethology. Lisa and Irwin's paper was entitled "An Their presentation was entitled Evolutionarily Based Study of Facial "Olfactory Perception and Pregnancy Sickness: Expression Recognition." The abstract follows. A Test of the Pregnancy Sickness as Maternal Adaptation Theory." The abstract: A series of pbotos depicting anger, disgust, fear and sadness were tachistoscopically presented Increased first trimester olfactory sensitivity to male and female university students at two is a key prediction of Profet's theory that intervals during the day, when testosterone pregnancy sickness--food/odor aversions, levels were expected to be high and low. An nausea, retching, and/or vomiting--evolved as original questionnaire designed to measure a maternal adaptation to prevent the ingestion monogamous vs. polygamous mating strategies of embryotoxins commonly found in foods. This was also administered to male subjects, and prospective, controlled, and longitudinal study information about menstrual cycle phase was assessed 19 pregnant and 18 nonpregnant women taken from female subjects as an indicant of on the following variables: estrogen levels. Findings, in part were that anger and sadness were more frequently • olfactory perception correctly identified overall by female than • food aversions and cravings male subjects. However, both sexes were better • food intake at identifying anger posed by males rather • nausea, retching, and vomiting than females, and sadness and fear posed by females rather than males. Males tended to Increased first trimester olfactory sensitivity better recognize female emotions, in general, was found, thus lending suppart ta Profet's when they were in the high testosterone phase theory. The study'S other findings are also of the diurnal cycle. These and other analyses generally consistent with an adaptive view of are discussed from perspective of sex specific PS. adaptive mechanisms. 4 Human Ethology Bulletin, 13(3), 1998 decision will be JIlade at the meeting in Salamanca. The problem of the expense for Report on ISHE Business students to attend our conventions was Meeting discussed; the problem stems mainly from the cost of international travel. It was decided that the Society should pay special attention By Karl Grammer, Secretary to the needs of potential student members. The ISHE officers met at the biennial ISHE members are asked to promote our convention in Burnaby, B.C., Canada in August Website, as by linking to us on your individual 1998. site. At the moment we have about 1500 hits per day. You can also send us links that you The report from the Treasurer and the think are suitable, bye-mail to Membership'Chair showed that rSHE is [email protected]. financially stable and growing. Nevertheless, it was decided that a promotional campaign It was noted that the Membership for the Society will be started. Directory needs updating. The next meeting is in Salamanca, Glenn Weisfeld will retire as Bulletin Spain at one of the world's oldest tmiversities, editor in 1999. the third week in August 2000.