NorthEastern Evolutionary Psychology Society

Eighth Annual Conference

State University of New York at New Paltz

April 10-13, 2014

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

President’s Welcome 3. Host’s Welcome 4. NEEPS Professional Conduct Policy 5. Program of Events 6. Keynote Speaker: David Buss 8. Past Presidential Address: Rosemarie I. Sokol-Chang 9. Affiliated talk: Philip Kitcher 10. Symposia Topics 11. Oral Session Topics 13. Poster Abstracts 27. Author Index 44. Help shape the future of evolution’s place in higher education? 46. About The Feminist Evolutionary Psychology Society 47. About The Applied Evolutionary Psychology Society 48. NEEPS Sponsors 49. Bacchus – the official pub of the NEEPS conference! 50. New Paltz Campus Map 51. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, NEEPS' Official Journal 52.

NEEPS 2 President’s Welcome

It is a great honor to welcome you to the 2014 NorthEastern Evolutionary Psychology Society conference in my first year as your President. Although NEEPS is undoubtedly still the “best little evolutionary psychology society in the world,” we have grown and matured in several important ways. Our journal, Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, is now the first and only journal published by the American Psychological Association focusing on psychology and behavior from an evolutionary perspective. This affiliation with APA will bring NEEPS much greater visibility in the academic world at large. NEEPS has been an incubator for research collaboration among its members, generating dozens of peer-reviewed journal articles and even edited book projects. Many individuals who participated in NEEPS as undergraduates have matriculated into graduate programs. Many of those who presented as graduate students are now in faculty positions. Many of the academic members of NEEPS have earned tenure and even promotion to full professor. This synergistic growth will continue and NEEPS members will become increasingly prominent in the evolutionary and larger academic communities. NEEPS began at New Paltz on April 13, 2007 as the first regional evolutionary psychology society. After attending his first HBES conference, Glenn Geher wanted to replicate his amazing experience locally and share the excitement of human evolutionary research with those nearby. Even at the first conference, presenters travelled from far outside the Northeast to participate. This year NEEPS presenters hail from literally all around the world. Evidently, NEEPS tapped a considerable niche that has fostered a flourishing society and vibrant conference. Although many NEEPS members study Psychology, we have many other members in trained in Anthropology, Biology, Ecology, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychiatry, Public Health, Sociology who help create an interdisciplinary dialogue. Scientific progress aided by this convergence of theory and evidence across methodologies. It is fitting that NEEPS returns to New Paltz with a homecoming event in which its founder and entire membership can take great pride. We continue the NEEPS tradition of prominent and impressive keynote speakers. This year we host the one researcher most often associated with Evolutionary Psychology, David Buss. Previous NEEPS keynote speakers Gordon Gallup and David Sloan Wilson return to share their latest endeavors. Rosemarie Sokol-Chang, who led NEEPS during the past three years, gives us a victory lap of sorts in giving her Past-Presidential Address. Chris Reiber and I join the symposium on Evolution and Modern Human Health with Gordon Gallup. The auspicious coincidence of Philip Kitcher's talk sponsored by the New Paltz Department of Philosophy adds yet another gem in our keynote crown. We appreciate all of the organizational work of Glenn Geher and his team of conference hosts who have continued the NEEPS tradition of a strong social program. We are also grateful for the careful consideration of Program Chairs David Widman and Edward Sturman, who reviewed a near record number of submissions. Always remember that together, we are all NEEPS. We appreciate the contribution of those who responded to the 2013 NEEPS Participant Survey and have implemented actions and changes addressing the feedback of our membership. Please participate in the on-line survey regarding this year's conference, we will send e-mail invitations to all participants and will further enhance the quality of future conferences with your input. I strongly encourage you to participate in the NEEPS Business Meeting on Friday morning. You will be thrilled to hear our plans for NEEPS 2015; we are also seeking conference hosts and sites for future years. On behalf of the NEEPS, welcome to New Paltz and to the Eighth Annual Meeting of the NorthEastern Evolutionary Psychology Society!

Daniel J. Kruger, PhD NEEPS President University of Michigan

NEEPS 3 Host’s Welcome

Glenn Geher, Past-Past President of NEEPS and Professor of Psychology at SUNY New Paltz

Welcome back to New Paltz. Or welcome to New Paltz—whichever the case may be! I can’t overstate how happy our New Paltz team is to host the eighth annual meeting of the NorthEastern Evolutionary Psychology Society—which held its first-ever meeting on our campus in 2007. NEEPS was borne of a combination of factors—including (a) the enormous interest that is sparked among scholars by the ideas of evolutionary psychology, (b) the community spirit that the evolutionary perspective somehow naturally fosters, (c) an enormously supportive campus community found here at the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains, and (d) the blood, sweat, and tears of many.

Our eighth annual conference, as our wise and formidable leader, NEEPS President Dan Kruger, tells us, provides extraordinary reason for optimism and pride in the society. NEEPS registrants this year come from five continents. That’s almost all of them, if you're counting! And the caliber of our invited and special speakers, affiliate-event speaker, and symposium leaders/discussants, includes the likes of David Buss, Rosemarie Sokol Chang, Gordon Gallup, Dan Kruger, Philip Kitcher, Chris Reiber, and David Sloan Wilson. Pick up any good book in the field of evolutionary studies—on any continent—and you’re likely to see these names show up. With no question, NEEPS 2014 includes some of the world’s most significant scholars who study and teach about the interface of evolution and the human animal.

The people and sponsors to thank for their efforts regarding NEEPS 2014 are many—and I’ll take the liberty here to do my best to acknowledge the above-and-beyond volunteer efforts of the individuals and agencies who stand behind the conference. Our local sponsors are many, speaking to the enormous support that our campus and local community provide as a backdrop. These sponsors include the Athletics Department, Evolutionary Studies Club, Honors Program, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Psychology Department, Sojourner Truth Library, Student Association, and the Undergraduate Psychology Association. And the official pub of NEEPS remains Bacchus Restaurant (bring your nametag to Bacchus any time during the conference for $1 off drinks!). And esteemed New Paltz President (who happens to be a distinguished biologist) Don Christian deserves special thanks and recognition for his willingness to welcome NEEPSters to this special place we call New Paltz.

And our affiliate (or offspring?) societies, the Feminist Evolutionary Psychology Society (FEPS) and the Applied Evolutionary Psychology Society (AEPS) , both of which have shown enormous strength and success, serve as perennial members of the NEEPS family.

The folks with their boots on the ground here at New Paltz who helped make this happen include Alice Andrews, Ana Canas, Andrew Shimkus, Bernadine Gangemi, Chris Farrington, Chris Tripoli, Christine Waldo-Klinger, Crystal Vaccaro, Dave Chapleau, Gokce Sancak Aydin, Jane Lehman, Jay Landolfi, Jarem Bagnato Jessica Fell, John Montgomery, Kayla Juvet, Keron Lewis, Liz Levy, Megan Geher, Morgan Gleason, Rachael Carmen, Rachael Cea, Raina Hafftka, and Sarah Roberson. And special thanks to New Paltz Juggernaut Briana Tauber (and formal NEEPS 2014 co-host), whose dedication, skill, smarts, and fully unflappable and positive nature, touched pretty much every facet of this event. I can’t thank these folks enough for their support of the mission, progress, and future of that animal we call NEEPS.

From a distance, NEEPS President Dan Kruger, Vice President Becky Burch, Past-President Rosemarie Sokol Chang, and Program Chairs Eddy Sturman and David Widman, have made sure that NEEPS 2014 will be as important, productive, and positive an intellectual experience as can be had.

Marked by intellectual curiosity and a truly innovative spirit—and surrounded by apple farms and ancient mountains filled with Devonian fossils—I can’t think of any place I’d rather call home. I hope and trust that NEEPS 2014 is the enriching, stimulating, and fun experience that we have worked hard to cultivate.

Welcome to New Paltz.

Genuinely, Glenn Geher, co-host of NEEPS 2014

NEEPS 4 NEEPS Professional Conduct Policy

NEEPS is a society that defines itself in terms of positive and supportive interactions among members. NEEPS is a highly collegial society and maintaining professional conduct is essential to maintaining this part of our identity. In fact, maintaining a safe, comfortable, and supportive environment is so basic to our mission, that we are implementing the policies delineated herein to ensure that a safe and supportive context continues to underlie NEEPS activities. Here, we define NEEPS activities broadly.

Definitions of “NEEPS Activities”

- Interactions during oral and poster presentations at the NEEPS annual conference; - Interactions during the annual business meeting along with other meetings that take place during the conference; - Interactions on the host campus during the duration of the NEEPS annual conference; - Interactions during the annual conference that take place off campus but that primarily or exclusively include NEEPS members. This context may correspond to gatherings at restaurants, off-campus parties, bars, etc. ; - Email and other electronic communication at any time that directly bear on the business of NEEPS; - Other interactions via any media that clearly bear on the business of NEEPS

In the context of such NEEPS-related interactions, activities and behaviors that fall under the following categories are considered inappropriate and against the spirit of NEEPS:

Inappropriate Activities and Behaviors

- sexual harassment of any kind; - personal harassment of a non-sexual variety; - hate behaviors, such as derogatory comments regarding the ethnicity or sexual orientation of others, especially directed in a disrespectful manner; - menacing behaviors that lead to high levels of discomfort in others; - threatening behaviors that lead to high levels of discomfort in others; - physically aggressive behaviors – particularly in instances in which unwanted physical contact is initiated in an aggressive manner; - disorderly conduct that leads to high levels of discomfort in others; - theft of personal and other possessions; - vandalism; - actions that are illegal in light of applicable state or local laws – particularly felony offenses

Consequences

Consequences associated with documented breaches of this policy will be determined by the President of the Society along with at least two other members of the Board deemed relevant to a particular situation. Such other members could include the program chair for a relevant conference as well.

The most likely consequence of an agreed-upon breach of this policy would be membership termination, as per NEEPS By- laws ARTICLE III.8. Depending on the gravity of the situation, other consequences will be considered in light of the specific circumstances. Severe instances will result in the full-scale investigation of the matter by the local police force.

NEEPS 5 Program of Events April 10th-13th

Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday AEPS Meeting Business Meeting Session 4 Session 7 College Terrace 9:15 a.m. – 10:30 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m. a.m. a.m. p.m. JFT1010 LC102 LC 102 4 talks 4 talks

Session 8 11:15-12:15 LC 102 4 talks

NEEPS First Lady’s Lunch at Gilded Otter 1:00

Lunch INTRODUCTION / College Terrace Welcome: Session 5 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 Dan Kruger, NEEPS 10:40 a.m. – 11:40 p.m. President a.m. & 10:45-11:00 LC102 Student-only 4 talks Welcome Lunch Session 1 11:00 a.m. - 12:15 Cities Symposium p.m. 11:50-1:00 LC100 4 talks

FEPS Meeting 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Lunch (in town, etc.) Lunch (in town, College 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 pm. etc.) / poster setup Terrace 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

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Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Philip Kitcher 4:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Gordon Gallup leads Poster Session LC 100 Health Symposium South and North 1:40 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. LC Lobby LC100 2:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Session 2 Session 6 2:55 p.m. – 4:10 p.m. 4:15 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. LC100 LC102 5 talks 4 talks

Session 3 Rosemarie Sokol- Welcome Reception 4:20 p.m. – 5:35 p.m. Chang leads 7:30 p.m. LC 100 Feminist College 4 talks Evolutionary Terrace Psychology Appetizers soiree Symposium 5:35-6:20 5:25-6:25 LC102

Welcome to New Past-Presidential Paltz! Address: Rosemarie Sokol Co-host Glenn Geher Chang and SUNY New Paltz 6:30-7:15 President, Don LC102 Christian Keynote address: David Buss 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. LC 100

Night-out in town - Banquet Bacchus Restaurant 7:30 p.m. Terrace

NEEPS 7 Keynote Speaker:

David Buss

Human Mating Strategies: Past, Present, and Future

Prior to the work of evolutionary psychologists, the science of human mating strategies was bleak. It consisted of a handful of ‘theories’ that were little more than ungrounded single-factor generalizations, such as similarity theory, equity theory, and propinquity theory. Empirical findings were similarly slim and theoretically unanchored. Evolutionary scientists over the past 25 years have amassed an impressive body of hundreds of sound scientific findings that support increasingly sophisticated theories of mating. These scientific advances include mapping out previously entirely uncharted domains such as sexual conflict in mating, tactics of ‘mate poaching’ and ‘mate expulsion,’ and the strategies people use to manipulate the mating of others in mating pool. They also include context-dependent shifts based on theoretically cogent principles such as parasite prevalence, ovulation cycle, resource scarcity, mate value, sex ratio, cultural norms, and temporal frame. The study of human mating strategies is one of the most impressive ‘success stories’ in the field in terms of theoretical sophistication and cumulative empirical harvest. Nonetheless, the known complexity of our mating psychology and the extant flow of fresh findings suggests that much about mating remain unknown and exciting new discoveries await intrepid scientists. The talk points to key directions for future research on human mating strategies.

David M. Buss received his B.A. from the University of Texas, and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He served in professorial positions at Harvard University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Texas. Awards include the American Psychological Association (APA) Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology; the APA G. Stanley Hall Award; and the APA Distinguished Scientist Lecturer Award. He served as President of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society (HBES), and is currently Head of the Individual Differences and Evolutionary Psychology Area.

Buss’s books include: The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating ; Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind; and The Dangerous Passion: Why Jealousy is as Necessary as Love and Sex; The Murderer Next Door: Why the Mind is Designed to Kill ; The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology (editor); Why Women Have Sex (with Cindy Meston); The Evolution of Personality and Individual Differences (co- edited with Patricia Hawley); and Personality Psychology: Domains of Knowledge about Human Nature (with Randy Larsen). Buss has roughly 300 scientific publications, and is one of the most highly cited psychologists in the world.

Buss collaborates cross-culturally and lectures widely within the USA and internationally. His research interests include the psychology of sex differences, human sexuality, mating strategies, conflict between the sexes, why people kill, warfare, terrorism, stalking, and the psychology of prestige, status, and reputation.

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Past Presidential Address

Rosemarie I. Sokol-Chang

Free EP: Engaging Everyone in Evolutionary Psychology

The science that we do in evolutionary psychology has implications for the general public and politics. Yet, popular science is rampant with misunderstandings about EP, which often leaves the field sounding as if it has as many enemies as friends. As a field, we have an obligation to communicate simply and accurately, particularly with an awareness of the common misconceptions. In this address, I consider challenges to the field, and ways we’ve collaboratively tried to address some of them through NEEPS, FEPS, and AEPS. By focusing on clear communication and the potential implications of our work, we stand to benefit as a field in engaging the public and other historically resistant disciplines.

Rose Sokol-Chang is an adjunct professor of psychology and evolutionary studies at SUNY New Paltz and is Managing Director at American Psychological Association Journals. Trained as a social psychologist, Rose has interests in the intersection of feminism and evolutionary psychology; vocalizations in intimate relationships; and the science of psychology. She is a co-founder and former Editor of the Journal of Social, Evolutionary, and Cultural Psychology (now Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences) and EvoS Journal: The Journal of the Evolutionary Studies Consortium, and is co-Editor of the recent volume Evolution’s Empress: Darwinian Perspectives on the Nature of Women. Rose served as the second president of NEEPS. She enjoys spending time with her husband, son, and extended family, running, hiking, gardening, visiting museums, reading, and catching up with NEEPSters.

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Affiliated Philosophy Talk

Philip Kitcher

Ethics as a Human Project

What makes ways of living good or bad, actions right or wrong? Can we make objective judgments about what is valuable? Western philosophy has struggled with these questions. This lecture will suggest that we can liberate ourselves from familiar difficulties in answering them if we treat ethical practice as an evolving project, with deep roots in our human (and pre-human) past.

Dr. Kitcher’s autobiographical statement:

I was born in London in 1947, and spent my early life in Eastbourne, Sussex, on the South Coast of England. From 1958 to 1966, I attended Christ’s Hospital, and then went to Christ’s College Cambridge to study mathematics. After leaving Cambridge, I went to Princeton University, where I obtained a Ph.D. in philosophy/history and philosophy of science.

Since then, I have taught at Vassar College, the University of Vermont, the University of Minnesota, the University of California at San Diego, and, most recently at Columbia. My principal interests have been in the philosophy of science. After working on the philosophy of mathematics early in my career, I began to write on issues in the philosophy of biology and in general philosophy of science. I am currently interested in the ethical and political constraints on scientific research, the evolution of altruism and morality, and the apparent conflict between science and religion. I continue, however, to write on some of the topics treated in my earlier publications.

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Symposia Topics

Evolutionary Psychology and Health Friday, 4/11; 1:40-2:45; LC 100

Special Symposium on the Interface between Evolutionary Psychology and Health, led by Gordon Gallup, SUNY Albany. Formal discussants to include Chris Reiber, SUNY Binghamton and Daniel Kruger, University of Michigan.

Evolutionary Psychology and the Urban Experience Saturday, 4/12; 11:50-1:00; LC 102

Using Cities to Study Evolved Human Behavior: Illustrations and Insights from Four Study Sites Dan O’Brien, Harvard University ([email protected]), Daniel J. Kruger, University of Michigan ([email protected]), Kari B. Schroeder, Boston University ([email protected]), Ian F. MacDonald, Binghamton University ([email protected])

Evolutionists often study human behavior and society in its everyday context, but rarely has such work focused on cities. This is in some sense surprising. Not only are cities home to over half of the global population, they are distinctive in that they are not a single, monolithic society, but a conglomeration of neighborhoods and institutions. This diversity in ecologies and the individuals that inhabit them provides a natural opportunity for research on how behavior varies across contexts, a common theme in evolutionary theory. In this symposium representatives from four urban research programs--based in Flint, Michigan, Newcastle-on-Tyne (England), Boston, and Binghamton, New York--will discuss how they have leveraged this opportunity to advance the study of human behavior from an evolutionary perspective.

Feminist Evolutionary Psychology Saturday, 4/12; 5:25-6:25; LC 102

Are Women Given Voice at Psychology Conferences? John Hinshaw, New Lebanon Valley College ([email protected]), Tyler Reinbold, Lebanon Valley College, Megan E. Geher, New Paltz Middle School, ([email protected]), Glenn Geher, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected])

Is there gender bias in Evolutionary Psychology in terms of who creates knowledge? We examined how men versus women present their research in General Psychology (Association for Psychological Science and Western Psychological Association) and Evolution-Specific Psychology conferences (Human Behavior and Evolution Society and the NorthEastern Evolutionary Psychology Society). Data allowed for an examination of the effects of content differences (general versus evolution-specific) and audience differences (national versus regional). Evolution-specific conferences appear to conform to the wider scholarly pattern whereby women “hide their light under a bushel,” presenting their work more often as

NEEPS 11 posters (which are geared for smaller audiences) while men are more likely to be first authors on talks; this pattern seems more pronounced at relatively prestigious conferences.

The Presentation of Men and Women in Popular Science Writing Rosemarie I. Sokol-Chang, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Laura Robertson, St. Mary’s University ([email protected]), Maryanne L. Fisher St. Mary’s University ([email protected])

We examined how men and women are presented in the top circulating popular science magazines in the United States, Smithsonian and National Geographic. We found far more stories authored by men and focused on male subjects. Female subjects were more likely presented on the basis of their relationships with male subjects (e.g., mothers, daughters). Focal female subjects were more likely described in terms of their relationships (e.g., a widow, a wife) or as notable for being a woman who excelled in the field. Male subjects were more likely characterized based on their professional roles and achievements. We consider whether the topics that receive the most attention within evolutionary psychology are reflective of a greater societal focus that can distract from performing objective science.

Facebook “Frenemies” and Social Media as an Extended Phenotype: How do Women Engage in Intrasexual Competition in the Digital Age? Amanda E. Guitar, Binghamton University ([email protected]), Rachael A. Carmen, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected])

The Internet has had a profound impact on human society and social interactions over the last two decades. Given the particular importance of social relationships in the lives of women (throughout our ancestral past and into the modern-day), this novel platform for social encounters is revolutionizing the way in which women engage in intrasexual competition. Recent research supports the idea that traditional modes of female intrasexual competition (e.g., rival derogation, self-promotion) are taking place i novel forms on social networking sites—particularly Facebook. Additionally, we argue that behaviors (i.e., postings) on Facebook are a novel way to indicate fitness—making social media a form of extended phenotype. A literature review of current research that supports these theories will be presented.

Untangling the complexities of female sexuality: A mixed approach Rachael A. Carmen, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Glenn Geher, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Justin R. Garcia, Indiana University ([email protected])

Human sexuality is fascinating. Despite being such an integral part of our everyday lives, our understanding is lacking (to say the least)—especially when it comes to female sexuality. Because of this imbalance, this research attempts to answer question solely surrounding female sexuality. In order to truly piece apart female sexuality, one hundred and forty five females at a small college in the Northeast were given three scales to measure sexuality, in addition to scales to measure emotional intelligence, life history, mating intelligence, and stress. Statistical analyses show that Emotional Intelligence and Life History Strategy are strongly positively correlated with higher levels of sexuality, while stress was strongly negatively correlated with nearly every aspect of female sexuality.

NEEPS 12 Oral Session Topics Session 1 - Fertility and Mating I Friday, 4/11; 11:00-12:15; LC 100

Adaptive fertility-related physiological responses: Handgrip strength in response to risk of sexual assault Hannah L Ryder, The University of Leicester ([email protected]), Heather D Flowe, The University of Leicester ([email protected])

Fertile women may possess inherent rape-avoidance mechanisms. However, it is unclear whether ovulating women specifically avoid sexual assault or are generally more risk-averse. Naturally cycling (NC) and hormonal contraceptive (HC) using females participated at two specific points of their menstrual cycle. Participants listened to 5 scenarios, including rape, male- and female-perpetrated physical assaults and a control. Baseline and post-scenario handgrip strengths (HG) were recorded. Across testing sessions and scenarios, HG did not differ for HC participants. For fertile NC participants, HG increased from baseline to post-scenario, except following the female-perpetrated assault. There was a significant interaction between fertility status and scenario-type: HG increased most after the rape scenario. Results suggest increased fertility-related vigilance to situations with increased possibility of rape.

Prioritization of Potential Mates' History of Sexual Fidelity during a Conjoint Ranking Task Justin K Mogilski, Oakland University ([email protected]), Joel T Wade, Bucknell University ([email protected]), Lisa L.M. Welling, Oakland University ([email protected])

This study used conjoint analysis to examine whether individuals prioritize a partner's history of sexual fidelity when forced to make trade-offs during mate selection. Participants ranked profiles of 19 potential mates for a long- and short-term relationship, with each profile varying across five attributes: financial stability, physical attractiveness, sexual fidelity, emotional investment, and similarity to the participant. Conjoint analysis was then used to calculate the relative importance of each attribute. Group comparisons showed that participants prioritized a long-term partner's sexual fidelity over other relevant mate attributes (e.g., financial stability) and equally prioritized sexual fidelity, physical attractiveness, and financial stability in a short-term partner. These results are interpreted within the context of previous literature examining how trade-offs affect mate selection.

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SOI interacts with sex, but differently, in predicting interracial romantic/sexual partnership in undergraduate versus mTurk samples Melanie MacEacheron, University of Western Ontario ([email protected]), Curtis Phills, University of Western Ontario ([email protected]), Lorne Campbell, University of Western Ontario ([email protected])

US mTurk sample (N=138; males=46) females’ SOI Attitude Facet scores positively predicted number of not-own race romantic/sexual partners (sex X SOI Attitude Facet significant). Canadian undergraduate sample (N=304; males=76) males’ SOI Attitude Facet Scores positively predicted proportion of not-own to own race sexual partners (sex X SOI Attitude Facet significant). Racial Attitudes Questionnaire score uncorrelated with number/proportion of not-own race romantic/sexual partners. In Canadian study, proportion of not-own race romantic partners and proportion of not-own race partners the subject asked out on a date were similarly predicted under regression by SOI Attitude Facet score and its interaction with sex. Posited reasons for reversal of sex difference: greater male relative to female future income among student sample only, and average age.

Wicked and Wild: Men and Women’s Perception of Personality Traits in Harlequin Blaze Romance Novels Laura L Johnsen, Binghamton University ([email protected]), Maryanne L Fisher, Saint Mary's University ([email protected]), Rebecca L Newmark, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Glenn Geher, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected])

Romance novels, as published by Harlequin Enterprises, have been studied to provide insight into female- specific mating strategies from an evolutionary perspective (Cox & Fisher, 2009; Fisher & Cox, 2010). In a similar vein, Kruger, Fisher, and Jobling (203), examined male mating strategies in Byronic literature. Here we explore how these mating strategies (e.g., whether a male is a “cad” or a “dad”, and analogous strategies in women) in Harlequin novels interact with readers’ perspectives. We propose that a “cad” strategy versus a “dad” (or “mom”) strategy is seen in both female and male characters. Using text from Harlequin’s sexually-focused Blaze series to obtain combinations of traits and relationship preferences, we investigated which is most likely to lead men and women to consider a character a potential rival, and which combination is most appealing for dating. Our results align with predictions from evolutionary psychology.

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Session 2 - Life History and Religion Friday, 4/11; 2:55-4:10; LC 100

Life History Strategy and Perceptions of Sexual Harassment Haley M Dillon, Kansas State University ([email protected]), Lora E Adair, Kansas State University ([email protected]), Gary L Brase, Kansas State University ([email protected])

The current work focused on differences in selecting whether or not a possibly harassing situation was a threat or a social exchange. An interesting finding emerged for Life History Strategy (the tradeoff between somatic and reproductive efforts), such that those with higher life history strategy (those who put off reproduction and put more emphasis on their own growth) were more likely to find the situations to be threatening than were those with lower life history strategy. Further, in accordance with Brse and Miller’s findings, those who found the harassment to be a threat performed more poorly on the Wason selection task than those who found the harassment to be a social exchange.

From Childhood Environment to Dimensions of Middle Adult Life History Strategy to Substance Use/Abuse George B Richardson, University of Cincinnati ([email protected]), Patrick H Hardesty, University of Louisville ([email protected]), Joe L Nedelec, University of Cincinnati ([email protected]), Daniel J Kruger, University of Michigan ([email protected]), Michael D Brubaker, University of Cincinnati ([email protected])

We tested for two dimensions of life history strategy (LHS) in middle adulthood using bifactor structural equations modeling and nationally representative, longitudinal data from the Midlife in the United States core sample. We also tested whether childhood environmental conditions, including unpredictability, neighborhood safety and SES, and the extent to which home environments were characterized by abuse, predicted dimensions of LHS as predicted by life history theory. Finally, we examined whether substance use/abuse reflected low levels on slow LHS and high levels on fast LHS. Findings suggested that independent fast and slow dimensions of LHS existed, most of the environmental conditions predicted these dimensions as predicted by life history theory, and substance use/abuse reflected fast and slow LHS as predicted.

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A Theoretical Framework towards Understanding the Role of Third-Person Cognition in the Evolution of Cooperation and Religious Systems Jordan Kiper, University of Connecticut ([email protected]), Richard Sosis, University of Connecticut ([email protected])

In this paper we evaluate the concept of supernatural punishment, particularly the adaptationist account that is commonly invoked in discussions regarding the evolution of human cooperation and moralizing gods. This concept is shown to be problematic with regard to longstanding questions about the moral concern supernatural agents show toward social transgressions, the fitness-relevant features to which supernatural punishment is adapted, and the functions of human cognition on which supernatural punishment emerges from through enculturation or evolved from as an exaptation. To answer these questions we draw from the cognitive science and neuroscience of third-party cognition, the moral psychology of conscience and judgment, and the evolutionary study of moralizing gods. We propose that third-person moral cognition first evolved to arrive at impartial perspectives of social conflicts to build coalitions of third-parties against transgressors, but was then supervened upon by the cultural idea of moralizing supernatural agents. Consequentially, it is third-person moral cognition, and the accompanying thought of a potential observer, sometimes in the form of a supernatural agent, that is driving moral censorship and cooperation.

Hard-to-Fake Signaling of Religious Commitment Reduces Biological Stress where Just Trying to Manage Impressions Does Not Christopher Lynn, University of Alabama ([email protected])

Religious-commitment signaling theory suggests costly religious behaviors follow an evolutionary pattern by indicating willingness to cooperate with a supportive group. It follows that a desire to signal affiliation and reap concomitant benefits would lend itself to acting in socially desirable ways. Success in such areas, especially where there is conscious intent, should correspond to proximal indicators of wellbeing. To test this, I assessed religious-commitment signaling and socially desirable responding among a sample of Pentecostals with respect to salivary biomarkers of well-being. I found that only cortisol levels were significantly influenced and by an inverse interaction between religious-commitment signaling and impression management, a conscious form of socially desirable responding. The specificity of these findings is important for understanding how religious-commitment signaling mechanisms may influence the role of communal orientation to psychosocial health.

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Reproductive Religiosity Model, Religious Commitment and Paternal Uncertainty David R Widman, Juniata College ([email protected]), Melvin M Philip, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Emily S Krause, Juniata College ([email protected]), Shannon M Manley, Juniata College ([email protected])

The Reproductive Religiosity Model claims religion serves to support a low-promiscuity, high fertility reproductive strategy. Consistent with this, some studies have shown that high religiosity correlates with low rates of sexual behavior, both desired and actual, and high rates of reproduction. In two studies, we test an expected outcome of decreased promiscuity in women, decreased paternal uncertainty. The first study examined maternal religiosity effect on grandparent investment and the second examined women’s religiosity on boyfriend mate-guarding. In both cases, we failed to observe significant changes in measures that would indicate a decrease in paternal uncertainty due to increased religiosity of the woman. However, low religious commitment and signaling within both samples may have limited the effect on paternal uncertainty.

Session 3 - Applied Evolutionary Psychology Friday, 4/11; 4:20-5:35; LC 100

A unifying model for how evolutionary mismatch effects may lead to psychological disorders John M Montgomery, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected])

While much work has focused on how evolutionary mismatch effects adversely affect physical health, far less attention has been given to the effects of evolutionary mismatch on psychological health. I will present a unifying model that proposes a specific mechanism by which mismatch effects may generate the great majority of psychological disorders found in modern life. Mismatch effects appear to overly bias people towards experiencing out-of-balance, non-homeostatic emotional states that activate ‘reward areas in the brain and release high levels of potentially rewarding neurochemicals, including beta-endorphin. Under conditions of mismatch, many people may consequently develop literal biochemical addictions to various painful, distressing, non-homeostatic emotional states. I will also outline a powerful new therapeutic method based on this theoretical framework.

Creating a true evolutionary medicine: Aligning theory, research, education, and practice Chris Reiber, Binghamton University ([email protected])

The basic science underlying medicine is evolution, yet most physicians have not been educated in evolutionary sciences. Medical curricula have not traditionally included evolutionary theory or its applications, and most U.S. medical schools do not have een a single evolutionary biologist on faculty. The NESCent-funded “Infusing Evolutionary Thinking into Medical Education” working group is attempting to create a world in which physicians not only understand “how” but also “why” and its implications for the health of their patients. This talk will describe the group, its goals, its strategies, and the role you play in defining the nature of medical education and the physicians of the future.

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Relationship counseling for evolutionary psychology and philosophy David C Lahti, City University of New York ([email protected])

Evolutionary thinkers have often attempted to explain morality, sometimes with impressive plausibility. Still, progress is ambiguous for a number of reasons, such as a tendency to avoid focused analysis or deep understanding of what morality actually is. On the other hand, moral philosophers have largely remained content in their neglect of evolutionary biology, with a depauperate anthropology and idiosyncratic conceptions of the human mind. Thus, thinkers in two disciplines can travel over the same intellectual territory without speaking to each other. This situation should be rectified: the strengths of the two fields are complementary, and the insights of each can reinvigorate research in the other. For this we need a philosophically savvy evolutionary psychology, and an evolutionary sensible moral philosophy.

The Role of Victory and Defeat on Cognitions, Life Satisfaction, Stress, and Anxiety Edward D Sturman, SUNY Plattsburgh ([email protected]), Kylie M McKeighan, SUNY Albany ([email protected]), Ahren Von Snell ([email protected]), Kerri Driscoll, SUNY Plattsburgh ([email protected]), John Durden ([email protected])

Two studies were conducted to examine the effects of victory and defeat on various mood and cognitive states, in line with evolutionary hypotheses. According to evolutionary theorists, defeat should lead to a pessimistic cognitive style that should promote a “laying low” strategy, in which losers signal that they are not competitors for status or resources. In study 1 we found that participants who had been given bogus negative feedback on GRE-type verbal questions showed pessimistic cognitions regarding future challenges compared to those given positive feedback. Further, personality interacted with each condition to predict cognitions pertaining to the readiness for competition. In study 2, real-world victory, relative to defeat, predicted lower generalized anxiety, perceived stress, and greater satisfaction with life.

Investigating the Psychological Effects of Growth Barrett W Montgomery, University of Massachusetts ([email protected]), Daniel T O’Brien, Radcliffe Institute Harvard University ([email protected])

Community perception is the cognitive ability to infer the social characteristics of a neighborhood using visual cues (e.g., conditions of houses). The most established example is that people use physical deterioration as an indicator of a community with high crime and weak social bonds. These inferences are largely accurate, providing the basis for locally adaptive behavior. This study explores whether the opposite of deterioration, physical indicators of building and growth, might be interpreted as signs of a strong community. We use administrative records of building permits to measure growth across the neighborhoods of Boston, MA. Using a neighborhood survey, analyses found that growth did have a positive impact on perceptions of the local social ecology, including fear of crime.

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Session 4 - Fertility and Mating II Saturday, 4/12; 9:30-10:30; LC 102

I can dance: Further investigations of the effect of dancing ability on mate value T Joel Wade, Bucknell University ([email protected]), Erin Weinstein, Bucknell University ([email protected]), Nina Dalal, Bucknell University ([email protected])

The present research sought to determine whether being described as a dancer affects ratings of men and women’s mate value characteristics and personality in 2 studies. Study 1 focused on women’s ratings of men and Study 2 focused on men’s ratings of women. Based on prior evolutionary theory based research on dancing, men and women described as dancers were expected to receive higher attractiveness, personality, and evolutionary relevant mate characteristics ratings. The results were partially consistent with the hypotheses. Men described as dancers were rated higher than men not described as dancers. However, ratings of women dancers and non-dancers did not differ. These findings are discussed in terms of prior research on dancing ability and mate value.

The Role of Arts in Male Courtship Display: Billy Collins’s “Serenade” Judith Saunders, Marist College ([email protected])

Research in the fields of evolutionary anthropology and sociology indicates the importance of masculine display in the mate-selection process. Men seek out opportunities to exhibit qualities women find desirable (employing means ranging from sports cars and athletic competition to gang fights). Men also advertise specialized skills or knowledge, including artistic talent and achievement. A man seeking to impress potential mates may hope to benefit not only from displaying survival-oriented skills as a tool-maker or hunter but also from displaying less obviously pragmatic adeptness as a story-teller, drummer, or woodcarver. This behavioral tendency is relevant to current inquiries into the adaptive value of art. The poem “Serenade” by recent Poet Laureate Billy Collins offers indirect reinforcement of the hypothesis that female preference encompasses achievement in the arts. The poem introduces a male speaker who bases his courtship—and his hope of besting rivals—on his mastery of unusual musica instruments. The poem presents readers with the mental operations of an ardent male relying on novel aesthetic talent and performance.

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Differences between the ‘choosy sex’ and non-choosy sex on sexual experience and future behavioral preferences. Stéphanie Gauvin, Saint Mary’s University ([email protected]), Maryanne Fisher, Saint Mary’s University ([email protected]), Ana María Fernández, Universidad de Santiago de Chile ([email protected]), José Henrique Benedetti Piccoli Ferreira, University of São Paulo ([email protected]), Marco Antonio Correa Varella, University of São Paulo ([email protected])

There are robust sex differences resulting from parental investment theory. In humans, men typically invest less than women at all stages of reproduction, and thus women are considered the choosier sex. To date there has seemingly been no research on sex differences between individuals who have and who have not had sexual experience, with respect to the desired number of sexual partners or taking into consideration the likelihood of having sex at times of low versus high investment. Using a community sample of N = 1061 from Canada, Chile and Brazil, our findings suggest women are consciously deciding to remain inexperienced as the choosier sex, while men’s sexual inexperience is likely the result of lack of mating opportunities.

Women-Younger Partners In Age-Gap Relationships Sara G Skentelbery, Saint Mary's University ([email protected]), Darren F Fowler, Saint Mary's University ([email protected])

Evolutionary theory suggests that it may be adaptive for women to seek older mates who tend to have more resources (Kenrick, 2011). However, people judge age-gapped relationships (AGR) unfavorably and often believe that women who date significantly older men have an unhealthy relationship with their father (Banks & Arnold, 2001). Given that it may be adaptive for women to seek older men, we predicted that women in AGRs will be predominantly securely attached, that they will show no significant difference in attachment style, relationship satisfaction, or alexithymia, when compared to women in similar-age relationships (SAR). Results support all five hypotheses.

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Session 5 - Sex Differences Saturday, 4/12; 10:40-11:40; LC 102

The Sex Difference in Competitiveness Occurs Even Among NCAA Distance Runners Robert O Deaner, Grand Valley State University ([email protected]), Eric Saksa, Grand Valley State University ([email protected]), William M Rogers, Grand Valley State University([email protected]), Aaron Lowen, Grand Valley State University ([email protected]), Michael J Joyner, Mayo Clinic ([email protected])

Much evidence indicates that men possess a substantially stronger motivation than women to compete for status in order to “show off.” Women, by contrast, appear to have a stronger orientation towards work and family. However, it is unclear if these se differences will occur within selective populations, such as business leaders or elite athletes. We surveyed 1,100 NCAA varsity intercollegiate distance runners. Men reported greater competitiveness, greater training volumes, and motivation to train, whereas women reported studying more. Therefore, policies aiming to provide men and women with genuinely equal opportunities to flourish must take seriously the likely pervasiveness of sex differences in motivation.

Evolved Sex Differences, Blame, and Fertility in Relation to Infidelity Laura L Robertson, Saint Mary's University ([email protected]), Maryanne L Fisher, Saint Mary's University ([email protected])

Sex differences through evolution have produced distinct behaviors for men and women. One well-studied topic is sex differences with respect to sexual and emotional infidelities. Blaming one’s romantic partner after an infidelity has been researched, with sex differences noted in regard to the allocation of blame. However there is no research on blame after infidelities involving a fertile or infertile third-party. We hypothesized the existence of significant sex differences, such that individuals would hypothetically allocate blame to themselves, their partner, rival, and rival’s imaginary romantic partner in different amounts. We used an online survey to examine participant’s responses to scenarios involving emotional versus sexual infidelity. Results are pending, and will provide insight into the influence of fertility on sex differences.

Catching the fever: Sex differences (and similarities) in fertility desires and plans Lora E Adair, Kansas State University ([email protected]), Haley M Dillon, Kansas State University ([email protected]), Gary L Brase, Kansas State University ([email protected])

Feminist perspectives suggest that sex differences in desires to have children and interest in babies are culturally constructed. However, the existence of inherent sex differences in nurturing capacity and interest in children represents a long-debated topic in the literature. We predict that men and women experience similar cultural pressures to parent; therefore biological forces may likely create differences in the strength of fertility desires. Across three independent samples, we found that females displayed stronger and more frequent desires to have a baby, while males and females reported similar levels of cultural pressure to become parents and exposure to children in their everyday lives. Taken together, this

NEEPS 21 work suggests that sex differences in fertility desires might not reflect differential cultural expectations.

An Evolutionary Investigation of Sex Differences in Sexual Fluidity Sarah Radtke, Ryerson University ([email protected])

Non-heterosexual women and men have historically been thought to develop their orientation in a similar manner. Recent findings indicate that women and men are divergent in sexual orientation development. Male same-sex behavior has been investigated through an evolutionary lens, however the same is not true of female same-sex behavior. This study investigates differences between self-identified exclusively or primarily heterosexual women and men in terms of same-sex behavior. The hypothesis is women who self- identify as exclusively or primarily as heterosexual engage in same-sex behavior more than men who self- identify as exclusively or primarily as heterosexual. The hypothesis was supported. I will present my theory on why it’s evolutionarily adaptive for women to be sexually fluid, namely the allomothering hypothesis.

Session 6 - Disgust and Morality Saturday, 4/12; 4:15-5:45; LC 102

Germs and the outgroup: Chronic and situational disease concerns affect intergroup categorization Anastasia Makhanova, Florida State University ([email protected]), Saul L Miller, University of Kentucky ([email protected]), Jon K Maner, Florida State University ([email protected])

Throughout human history, members of unfamiliar outgroups have posed significant disease threats. The current studies assessed whether concerns about disease would bias people toward categorizing social targets as members of an unfamiliar outgroup. Using minimal group paradigm, two experiments assessed the extent to which perceivers categorized neutral targets and those displaying heuristic disease cues as members of the ingroup versus the outgroup. A bias toward categorizing targets with heuristic disease cues (but not neutral targets) as members of the novel outgroup was observed among people high in chronic germ aversion and among those for whom disease threat had been experimentally primed. Findings suggest a fundamental link between disease avoidance processes and biases in intergroup cognition.

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COULD A VISUAL FORM OF DISGUST SCALE REVEAL CORRELATIONS BETWEEN DISGUST, POLITICAL CONSERVATISM AND XENOPHOBIA? Ceyhun Sunsay, Indiana University Northwest ([email protected]), Katie Niemiec, Indiana University Northwest ([email protected])

The emotion of disgust has been argued to underlie political conservatism. However, findings are inconclusive to warrant a confident relationship between these two variables. We set out to detect disgust sensitivity with higher precision by developing a visual form of disgust. We chose photographs that would correspond to the items in the disgust scales-revised. Three groups of subjects were administered with either the verbal, visual or verbal+visual forms of the disgust scales. The visual form of the disgust scale along with verbal descriptions produced the highest level of disgust sensitivity, confirming our hypothesis that disgust sensitivity is detected better with visual items. In the second study, which is in progress, we are investigating whether the visual form of disgust scale will correlate with political conservatism and xenophobia better than the conventional verbal scale of disgust. The results at this point are inconclusive however in the direction that we hypothesized.

The Immorality of our morality Barty A Thompson, Albright College ([email protected]), Maggie Morgan, Albright College

This research examines the issue of bias in morality. The hypothesis is that humans will tend to bias their moral appraisals to support their own worldviews and affiliated groups. Pro-choice and pro-life respondents were asked to assess the appropriateness of three different scenarios, which were randomly assigned to pro-life, pro-choice, or mathematics (neutral) groups. The sample included 151 individuals from both pro-life and pro-choice organizations and was carried out through a web-based survey. The results indicated that a statistically significant bias existed in the manner that was expected. The results support the hypothesis and indicate that humans may have evolved to purposely bias their moral assessments to favor themselves and their affiliated groups.

Pathogen Prevalence, Moral Foundations, and Family Pets on the Train Tracks Kilian Garvey, University of Louisiana ([email protected]), John Hinshaw, Lebanon Valley College ([email protected]), Brandon Jablonski, Sinclair Community College ([email protected])

This study is a replication and extension of Topolski, Weaver, Martin, and McCoy’s (2013) analysis of inclination to save a family pet rather than people of various levels of relation. 282 subjects from three geographical regions completed a survey madeup of moral, disgust, religious, and political measures as well as 8 trolley dilemma type questions in two parts: would you sacrifice one person to save 5, 10, 15, or 20 other people and would you sacrifice your family pet to save 5, 10, 15, or 20 people.No geographical differences were found in the first set of trolley questions but the family pet condition found differences in responses based on geographical region, as well as binding and individualizing moral foundations, and to a lesser degree, disgus sensitivity.

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Session 7 - Teaching Evolution Sunday, 4/13; 10:00-11:00; LC 102

PROSOCIAL: A Practical Framework for Improving the Efficacy of Groups David Sloan Wilson, Binghamton University ([email protected])

Human groups require certain design principles to coordinate action and prevent exploitation from within. Some groups adopt the design principles on their own but other groups don’t and therefore can be improved with coaching. PROSOCIAL is a practical framework for improving the efficacy of groups that is being developed by the Evolution Institute, which will also result in the creation of a scientific database. A training manual has been prepared that is currently being used by a cohort of facilitators working with a diversity of groups. Almost any kind of group can benefit from the design principle approach and we are looking for groups to join the project.

PsychTable: A New Tool for the Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences Daniel J Glass, Suffolk University ([email protected]), Niruban Balachandran, The World Bank, Amy Jacobson, Rutgers University ([email protected])

This paper discusses recent developments of PsychTable.org, the Web-based classification system of human evolved psychological adaptations (EPAs). Evolutionary behavioral scientists can use the site to classify and explore hundreds of evolved psychological adaptations (EPAs), gain rapid insight into which areas of evolutionary behavioral research are open to further empirical inquiry, provide a Web-based study tool for students, and compile dossiers that profile individual EPAs' neuro-localizations, neuro-chemical substrates, cross-cultural presence, elicitors, outputs, and so on. Upcoming developments of this taxonomy for 2014 are also discussed.

Quantifying Impacts of Peer-Reviewed Rap Baba Brinkman, ([email protected])

The Rap Guide to Evolution is a multimedia hip-hop play, incorporating elements of a rap concert, a stand- up comedy show, and a TED Talk. The goal of the performance is to communicate the essential themes of contemporary evolutionary biology and psychology in a manner that is accessible and entertaining to the general public. Although the show’s impact has been assessed anecdotally via audience comments and critical reviews, no quantitative investigation of the show’s impact on an audience’s evolutionary attitudes and literacy has yet been attempted. In this study we administered questionnaires in three iterations before and after the performance to assess changes in attitudes and literacy, as well as religious beliefs and an assessment of the psychological dimension of openness.

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Play, Policy, and Pedagogy across the Hemispheres: An EvoS-COIL Collaboration on Global Human Development Dustin W Eirdosh, University of Toliara ([email protected]), Rebecca Burch, SUNY-Oswego ([email protected]), Courtney Wigner ([email protected])

What is the role of play and sport in healthy human development and educational design? This is the common question that students at SUNY-Oswego in New York, and University of Toliara in Madagascar have been exploring since early 2014. The basic sciences f play and sport span the evolutionary, neurobiological, developmental, and social sciences. Increasingly, this work is translating to an applied field within educational design. This presentation outlines the collaborative online international leadership(COIL) model of course design used at both institutions. An in-progress report on the Service- Learning work on educational policy in Madagascar is reviewed. Student and Professor perspectives are offered. Finally, conclusions regarding challenges and future opportunities are reflected upon.

Session 8 - Ancestral Environments and Modern Mismatch Sunday, 4/13; 11:15-12:15; LC 102

Human Evolution at the Hearth: The Influence of Fire on Relaxation and Psychophysiology Christopher Lynn, University of Alabama ([email protected]), Lauren V Pratt, University of Alabama ([email protected])

Many theorists suggest that fire played a role in developing human cognitive and psychological function; the Fireside Relaxation Study investigated the influence of its disaggregated sensory properties on psychophysiological measurements to estimate the presence of a relaxation response, the evolutionary opposite of a stress response. Blood pressure, galvanic skin response and neurological electrical activity of participants were measured during control, visual fire stimulus, and auditory/visual fire stimulus conditions; data indicated a meaningfully greater decrease in systolic blood pressure in response to the latter than either other condition. Analyses of galvanic skin response and neurological electrical activity across all phases are ongoing.

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The Evolutionary Psychology of Small-Scale versus Large-Scale Politics: Ancestral Conditions did not Include Large-Scale Politics Glenn Geher, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Rachael Carmen, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Amanda Guitar, Binghamton University ([email protected]), Bernadine Gangemi, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected])

We sought to examine political psychology in terms of evolutionary mismatch. The basic hypothesis is that people are more prepared to think about political situations that are relatively small in scale. We also studied the effects of whether the political situation is highly relevant to oneself. 49 young adults were asked to write paragraphs describing large and small-scale political situations (that varied in self- relevance). Paragraphs generated by the participants were analyzed using Tyler’s (2013) Writing Sample Readability Analyzer which produces indices of writing ease, level, and complexity. Paragraphs designed for large-scale situations were less readable than paragraphs designed for small-scale situations, suggesting that participants found it easier to process and organize information related to small-scale political situations.

Super Set Lifting Training as a Paleolithic Model for Collegiate Athletic Performance in Baseball Sophia N Fazal, University of Alabama ([email protected])

Superset Lifting is one technique that exercises one muscle back to back without rest. It is a type of technique that includes movement repertories resembling those of humans in the Paleolithic era. This includes movement repertories, low-intensity aerobic-based activities, as well as high-intensity bursts of activity. I predict that through the utilization of less conventional training programs, super-set weight training and nutritional monitoring, collegiate athletes will gain greater results of a higher BMI, muscle density, and elite athletic performance on an NCAA Division I level. To test this model, I am comparing the BMI, nutrition, and injury statistics of the Alabama Crimson Tide Baseball team, which has recently adopted the superset lifting regimen, to their data from preceding semester.

Intelligence and overspecialization: Are we moving toward extinction? Marc E Pratarelli ([email protected]), Sarah M Johnson (sarah.johnson@colostate- pueblo.edu)

The focus of this talk is human innovation and we ask the question whether our intelligence and creativity- based skills may be creating a situation in which our species is backing itself into the proverbial corner in view of climate-change and other environmental impacts on global ecological integrity. This is referred to as overspecialization as demonstrated in many other species. There is no argument that intelligence is highly adaptive in the short term, but what about long term consequences? The ability to innovate is viewed by many as a domain-general trait, which begs the question of this talk whether such a trait has long-term consequences that functionally make the species overspecialized and its continued evolutionary success questionable.

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Poster Abstracts Poster Session Saturday, 4/12; 2:15-4:00; South and North LC lobby

1: Musical Aptitude and Emotional Intelligence Morgan Gleason, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Glenn Geher, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected])

This study seeks to explore the link between musical ability and emotional processing. Musical expertise has been shown to be predictive of certain facets of Emotional Intelligence (e.g. speech prosody). If skilled musicians are more proficient at auditory tests of EI, this ability could extend to other realms; such as reading facial expressions. In addition, We have little information on how variability in the skill level of novice musicians may translate into enhanced emotional processing. If music has its roots in transmission of emotion; then individuals who are more skilled at producing it will display higher overall emotional intelligence.

2: Team Territoriality: Assessing Displays of School Loyalty during College Football Season Jessica L. Sloan, The University of Toledo ([email protected]), Daniel J. Kruger, University of Michigan ([email protected])

Patterns of in-group loyalty and inter-group competition are expressed in the modern context of College Football. The Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry was ranked the greatest North American sports rivalry by ESPN. Although in Ohio, Toledo is actually closer to Ann Arbor, MI than to Columbus, OH. Conventional wisdom holds that the local residents have divided team loyalties, sometimes even within the same household. We used an ethological approach to assess the level of fan loyalty for each school during the college football season. Although there is a considerable base of Michigan fans in the Toledo area, there are approximately 50% more Ohio State fans than Michigan fans. Despite the geographic proximity to the University of Michigan, there is a greater degree of loyalty to the in-state university.

3: The intrauterine testosterone effect in humans: enhanced masculinization in males, but not females Andrew C. Gallup, SUNY College at Oneonta ([email protected]), Ian MacDonald, Binghamton University ([email protected]), Rick Kauffman, Binghamton University ([email protected])

Similar to litter-bearing mammals, whereby testosterone can be transferred from male fetuses to adjacent fetuses and result in masculinized anatomical, physiological and behavioral traits as adults, early male pregnancies can increase the masculinization f later born children due to a varied fetal environment (i.e., an intrauterine testosterone effect). While previous research in humans and non-human animals has suggested roughly equal effects regarding the hormonal influence in the intrauterine environment for males and females, our results show that having more maternal older brothers was associated with greater masculinization for males only. Males reporting more maternal older brothers were physically stronger, as measured by handgrip strength, and had more masculine-specific finger digit ratios (2D:4D). These

NEEPS 27 relationships were not present in females.

4: Psychology of Personal Ads Briana R. Tauber, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Glenn Geher, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Raina Hafftka, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Ana Canas, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Andrew Shimkus, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected])

According to modern evolutionary psychology, humans have evolved adaptive mating-related traits (based on the ideas of parental investment theory (Trivers, 1972) and life history strategy (Figueredo et al., 2006), to name a few) for reproductive success. It’s been proposed that performance in mating intelligence (MI), which is comprised of the cognitive processes that underlie successful mating-relevant interactions and outcomes (Geher & Kaufman, 2011), can predict one’s likelihood of attracting a viale mate, thus predicting reproductive success (Geher, Miller, & Murphy, 2008). Geher and Kaufman (2008) devised a scale to measure MI. While it has proved to be a useful tool towards measuring MI, there are many downfalls to self-report measures. This study aims to develop an ability-based measurement of MI.

5: Poverty cues elicit disgust Ceyhun Sunsay, Indiana University Northwest ([email protected]), Kaity Blandford, University of Cincinnati ([email protected]), Katie Niemiec, Indiana University Northwest ([email protected]), Amanda Brooks Kontor, Indiana University Northwest ([email protected]), LeAnne Matthews, Indiana University Northwest ([email protected]), Kathryn Wiley, Indiana University Northwest ([email protected])

We tested whether disgust reactions might be activated by the markers of poverty rather than racial markers since minority groups are often economically disadvantaged, by contrasting race and poverty. The study showed that participants avoided interpersonal and physical contact with hypothetical individuals from low socioeconomic class (LSC) regardless of race and showed preference for closer physical contact with hypothetical individuals from high socioeconomic class (HSC) regardless of race. The second experiment tested whether disease threats but not fear threats amplify disgust reactions. Preliminary results have so far confirmed that disease threats seem to intensify disgust reactions which leads to non- endorsement of immigrants.

6: Emotional and Academic Variance as a Product of Education Type Raina Hafftka, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Glenn Geher, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected])

This study was conducted with the intention to illuminate differences between participants based on childhood education type. Participants who went to public school were compared to those who were homeschooled or unschooled. This was based on the idea that these types of alternative education may be more similar to an evolutionarily normal type of education. Participants were presented with a survey to assess a variety of emotional and academic traits, including their academic attitudes and success, self- esteem, and social ease. Results showed few statistically significant differences between these groups. However, participants who were homeschooled and unschooled reported a significantly higher level of academic success in college. These findings may present a variety of implications, in terms of support for

NEEPS 28 and stigma towards, alternative types of education.

7: Building an EvoS Program in Madagascar: What NEEPS can do to help Colleen Henry, SUNY Oswego ([email protected]), Rebecca Burch, SUNY Oswego ([email protected])

The University of Toliara, Madagascar, is described as a low resource school; in a low resource region; in a low resource nation. This particular situation could prove fatal to any institution, but Toliara is not only surviving, it is building an evolutionary studies program, improving student resources, and reaching out to other institutions around the world. This poster examines the several factors limiting the academic success of the Malagasy students, the material and educational needs of the University, and model programs of giving and academic teamwork for NEEPS institutions to implement to greatly improve the education of Toliara students.

8: Flexibility in paternal assurance tactics in college males. Kathryn Costello, SUNY Oswego ([email protected]), Suzanne Campbell, SUNY Oswego ([email protected])

In a sample of undergraduate men and women we examined the flexibility of paternal assurance tactics in college males. A review of the paternal assurance tactics will be provided to illustrate the shifting of tactics as contexts change. For males, just having suspicions of infidelity increased mate guarding behaviors. The percentage of arguments stemming from jealousy or suspicions correlated with mate guarding, physical abuse, and emotional abuse, but not sexual coercion. When males found enough evidence to accuse their partners of infidelity, mate guarding increased dramatically along with physical and emotional abuse and sexual coercion. This illustrates the shifting from insemination prevention strategies to counter insemination strategies when men become more convinced of their partner’s infidelity. Females did not show these patterns.

9: Sex differences in the connection between religiosity and sexual behavior David R. Widman, Juniata College ([email protected]), Melvin M. Philip, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Rebecca L. Newmark, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Glenn Geher, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Briana Tauber, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Morgan E. Gleason, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected])

The Reproductive Religiosity Model suggests religion serves to support a low-promiscuity, high-fertility reproductive strategy. Consistent with this, studies have shown that high religiosity correlates with low rates of sexual behavior, both desired and actual, and high rates of reproduction. The current study attempts to replicate these findings and extend to desired reproduction. We asked participants about their sexual history, desired numbers sexual partners and desired numbers of male and female offspring. Participants also completed the Religious Commitment Inventory-10. Results showed that the RCI-10 correlated negatively with both actual and desired sexual behavior for females, but not males. We also observed a significant correlation between the RCI-10 and the total desired number of offspring, specifically male offspring, but only in men.

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10: Disgust reactions toward children, adult and elderly and the effect of compassion on disgust Ceyhun Sunsay, Indiana University Northwest ([email protected]), Toni Calhoun, Indiana University Northwest ([email protected]), Brandi Kafantaris, Indiana University Northwest ([email protected]), Andrew Kurtis Koch, Indiana University Northwest ([email protected]), Taylor Thom, Indiana University Northwest ([email protected])

Disgust sensitivity of an individual might affect his/her willingness to provide care to others. The age of the person who is to be cared is also an important factor. Children are expected to be given care more easily since they are the carriers of our genes. On the other hand providing care to elderly should be costly without providing reproductive benefit to the individual. Therefore, willingness to help should be regulated by the age of person who needs care. We showed that adults are less willing to provide care when the person who needs care is not in a disgusting situation, regardless age. The effect of disgust however is regulated by the age of the person in need. Participants are more willing to provide care to children than to adults. Preliminary results also suggest that there is even less willingness to provide care to elderly individuals when they are depicted in a disgusted scenario consisted with an evolutionary perspective. The results overall suggest that evolutionary perspective should be considered when gerontology studies and patient care.

11: Are there sex differences in forgiveness of a 3rd party interloper? T. Joel Wade, Bucknell University ([email protected]), Andrea Feldman, Bucknell University ([email protected])

The present research sought to determine if there are also sex differences in the likelihood of forgiving an interloper for committing an infidelity with one’s partner. Participants responded to two scenarios where they were asked to indicate how likely they would be to forgive an interloper for committing: an emotional infidelity, and a sexual infidelity with their partner. Based on research documenting sex differences in response to sexual and emotional infidelity, similar sex differences were hypothesized. However, the results were not consistent with the hypotheses. Results showed that participants were more likely to forgive an interloper for committing emotional infidelity with their partner. These findings are discussed in terms of prior research on jealousy induction, and infidelity.

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12: Women’s consideration and acceptance of cosmetic surgery across the menstrual cycle Sylis C. A. Nicolas, Oakland University ([email protected]), Lisa L. M. Welling, Oakland University ([email protected])

Women compete with other women for high-quality mates via intrasexual competition, especially at ovulation. One way in which intrasexual competition commonly manifests itself is by self-promotion of one’s physical characteristics to attract mates, because attractive cues may signal underlying fertility. Undergoing cosmetic surgery procedures is considered to be an intrasexual competitive strategy of women to deceptively increase their perceived mate value. Women report more appearance-enhancing behaviors at ovulations when they are most fertile. Thus, the current study examines whether women’s menstrual cycle phase predicts their responses on a scale designed to assess acceptance and consideration of cosmetic surgery procedures, and whether this is moderated by previously documented factors, such as body dysmorphic disorder.

13: Implication of BMI in the Brazilian self-perception as romantic partner Anthonieta L. Mafra, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte ([email protected]), Felipe N. Castro, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte ([email protected]), Flora S. Nüssle, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte ([email protected]), Amanda T. Carvalho, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte ([email protected]), Leonardo F. Ataliba, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte ([email protected]), Fívia A. Lopes, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte ([email protected])

When looking for a partner, we evaluate our market value according to the characteristics valued for the opposite sex. Aiming to verify if body mass index (BMI) influences the female self-perception, we verified if exist difference of the self-perception and the desirability between BMI. We expected to find difference in the evaluation of characteristics related to physical appearance for women and none difference for men. As predicted, women showed a difference in the assessment of beautiful body in which Healthy weight women evaluated themselves better than Overweight women. Overweight men evaluated themselves better to the characteristic agreeableness than Healthy weight men. Therefore, BMI should influence self-perception for doing individuals to assess themselves body and possibly modify their strategies and preferences.

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14: Assessment of Violent Religious Videos, Secular Violent Videos, and Secular Non-Violent Videos by Christians and Non-Christians David R. Widman, Juniata College ([email protected]), Adam L. Caraballo, Juniata College ([email protected]), Brittni P. Devlin, Juniata College ([email protected]), Emily S. Krause, Juniata College ([email protected]), Shannon M. Manley, Juniata College ([email protected]), Alexa R. Laudenslager, Juniata College ([email protected]), Forest D. Miller, Juniata College ([email protected]), D. Sloan Kaas, Juniata College ([email protected]), Sara C. Cooper, Juniata College ([email protected])

Evolutionary psychologists have suggested that religion evolved because it enhanced in-group formation. By extension, due to enhanced out-group aggression usually seen with strong in-groups, religious individuals may find religious violence more tolerable. The present study tests this hypothesis. Christian and non-Christian participants assessed video clips, three of which contained religious violence, three contained secular violence and three contained secular non-violent content, on ten emotional dimensions. We would expect that if religious violence is more tolerated, then it may be perceived as less disgusting and distressing and more exciting and inspiring. Results did not support this hypothesis; Christians did not perceive the religious violent clips differently from the non-Christians on any dimension. Possible reasons for this result are discussed.

15: Humor Style as a Predictor of Mating Intelligence Gökçe Sancak Aydın, Middle East Technical University ([email protected]) and Glenn Geher, State University of New York at New Paltz ([email protected])

The purpose of the study is to investigate whether and how well the amount of different kinds of humor style (affiliative humor, self-enhancing humor, aggressive humor, and self-defeating humor) predict Mating Intelligence for women and men across two very different cultures (Turkey and the US). Mating Intelligence will be measured by Mating Intelligence Scale, and humor style will be measured by Humor Style Questionnaire. Additionally, a large sample of 500 university students from a state university in Turkey and a similar sample collected from New York will participate the study. To analyze the data, multiple linear regression will be used. The general hypothesis of the study is that humor style predicts significantly mating intelligence for women and men. More fine-tuned results predict that the use of affiliating humor will be relatively high for individuals with high mating intelligence, while the use of less prosocial forms of humor will be less predictive of mating intelligence -particularly for men. Findings of the study will be discussed in the light of evolutionary psychology and suggestions for further studies will be offered.

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16: The Role of Affect Priming on Attention Emily R. Beasley, Saint Mary's University ([email protected]), Darren M. Fowler, Saint Mary’s University ([email protected])

Simons and Chabris (1999) found that only 27% of participants saw the gorilla during an attentional task that involved counting basketball passes by players in white shirts. Simons and Chabris’ study has been repeated many times. Multiple and diverse samples have shown similar results. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of fear on inattentional blindness in a selective attention test. We hypothesize that, given that it would be adaptive for humans to have a heightened sense of attention while fearful, priming for fear will increase attention and result in more participants seeing the gorilla.

17: Sex Differences in Breakup Response Craig Eric Morris, Binghamton University ([email protected]), Chris Reiber, Binghamton University ([email protected]), Emily Roman, University College London ([email protected])

Breakups happen to most individuals at some point in their life, usually more than once, and have the potential to be one of the most traumatic experiences an individual may ever face. While virtually all components of human pair bonding have been represented in the literature, one group of events and their concurrent behaviors have been underrepresented in evolutionary studies: why do contemporary romantic relationships fail? What are the effects on the individuals involved in the relationship’s dissolution? How do affected individuals mediate the experience and eventually pursue future romantic attachments? These questions were addressed via two online convenience samples totaling 5707 individuals in 89 countries. This presentation will address quantitative sex differences in breakup response within both samples.

18: Authenticity, Negative Emotional States, and Attractiveness John M. Montgomery, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Ana M. Canas, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Briana Tauber, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Jessica Fell, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Glenn Geher, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected])

We will describe a study designed to test whether higher levels of perceived authenticity in a person correlate with higher levels of attractiveness when that person is assessed as a potential romantic partner or platonic friend. The study also tests the idea that inauthenticity, or the ‘false’ self, results largely from evolutionary mismatch effects that trigger unnecessary or exaggerated ‘survival-mode’ emotional states, such as the fear of being abandoned, socially excluded, or socially ‘judge’ unfavorably.

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19: How Women Evaluate Potential Rivals Nakita L. Archibald, Saint Mary's University ([email protected]), Maryanne L. Fisher, Saint Mary’s University ([email protected])

Women compete with other women for “good” mates via physical attractiveness (Fisher 2013). The purpose of this study is to examine women’s intrasexual competition for mates with respect to potential threats to their romantic relationship. We asked female participants to rate the attractiveness of nude photographs of women. Participants were then primed with a scenario to elicit feelings that there are potential threats to their romantic relationship. Subsequently, they were asked to rate the same photographs of the women for a second time. We hypothesized that women would decrease their evaluation due to their perception of these women as potential threats. Thus, using a pre-post set of evaluations, we investigated the influence of potential rivals on romantic relationships Results are pending.

20: The construct validity of the evolutionary domain-specific risk scale Julie Welsch, Clarkson University ([email protected]), Amanda Sherman, Clarkson University ([email protected]), Andreas Wilke, Clarkson University ([email protected])

The evolutionary risk scale (ERS) assesses risk-propensity in ten evolutionary content domains: Between- group competition, within-group competition, status-power, environmental exploration, food selection, food acquisition, parent-offspring conflict, kinship, mate attraction, and mate retention. The present study further develops the construct validity of this novel risk scale by comparing an individual’s responses on these items to their responses on other scales measuring psychological constructs that should systematically co-vary with subjects’ ERS domain responses.

21: Behavioral correlates of the evolutionary domain-specific risk scale Jeremy Liss, Clarkson University ([email protected]), Jasmin Plaza, Clarkson University ([email protected]), Andreas Wilke, Clarkson University ([email protected])

The evolutionary risk scale (ERS) assesses risk-propensity in ten evolutionary content domains: Between- group competition, within-group competition, status-power, environmental exploration, food selection, food acquisition, parent-offspring conflict, kinship, mate attraction, and mate retention. The present study further develops our understanding of the behavioral correlates of this novel risk scale by ERS domain responses to two widely used computerized risky decision-making tasks.

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22: What they don’t know won’t hurt me: When leaders conceal their subordinates' aptitude Charleen R. Case, Florida State University ([email protected]), Jon K. Maner, Florida State University ([email protected])

Leaders sometimes wield their power to maintain authority instead of helping their group achieve vital goals. Historically, one strategy leaders have employed to preserve power is to conceal information that threatens their power. To address when and why some leaders selfishly exert their power to obscure information from their group, we examined how participants responded to a talented group member when in leadership (standard or tenuous) versus control (egalitarian authority). When a talented subordinate was present, dominance motivated leaders with tenuous power preferred group arrangements that obscured that skilled subordinate’s abilities. However, those leaders did not hide subordinates’ abilities when a talented subordinate was not present. Additionally, effects of leader dominance motivation were not observed among leaders in standard power.

23: Dominance or Submission: The Role of Consent in Fantasy Preference Christopher Farrington, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Alexandra VanBerge, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected])

The primary interest of this research was to show that explicit consent would be a moderating variable in the preference for a dominant role in a fantasy vignette. The presentation will include exploratory analyses of how the tendency to prefer dominance versus submissiveness tends to correlate with these variables. The study used a Big Five Inventory (OCEAN), a series evolutionary scales including a Mating Intelligence Scale, Socio-Sexuality Scale (SOI-Revised), Resource Control Theory Scale, Fast Life Strategy Scale.

24: Talking About My Generation: Generational selective breeding based on auditory conditioning with 3rd instar Drosophila melanogaster Jessyka Venchkoski, Montclair State University ([email protected]), Alexa Gammo, Montclair State University, Adrianna Krul, Montclair State University, Julian P. Keenan, Montclair State University ([email protected])

Research indicates that Drosophila melanogaster 3rd instar larvae have the capacity to learn association through classical conditioning with visual and olfactory cues. To extend on this research we conducted a generational experiment to test whether auditory associative learning capacities could spread to successive offspring. We wanted to see if it was possible to selectively breed drosophila based on auditory conditioning. To test our hypothesis we employed a classical conditioning experimental design. B the fifth generation the larvae tended to drift toward the mean; however, the larvae responded in a more homogenous manner. The results suggest that classical conditioning with the use of auditory stimuli is possible and that it is equally possible to selectively breed drosophila based on auditory responding.

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25: Sex Differences in Tattoo Content: An Examination of Evolutionary Influences Laura L. Robertson, Saint Mary's University ([email protected]), Sarah Radtke, Ryerson University ([email protected]), Maryanne L. Fisher, Saint Mary’s University ([email protected])

Evolutionary pressures are thought to be notably distinct for men and women, causing sex-specific motivations and behaviours. Body modifications, such as tattoos have been examined with an evolutionary lens, with researchers proposing that tattoos signal genetic quality because they can result in infections or cause bodily harm (Koziel et al., 2010). However, sex differences in the graphical themes of tattoos have not been researched. We predict there will be significant sex differences in the content of men's and women’s tattoos, with themes being congruent with evolutionarily salient interests and motivations. We collected photographs of tattoos from a variety of venues and performed a thematic analysis. Results are pending.

26: To Cuckold or Not to Cuckold? The Evolution of Cuckoldry Radar in Short-Term Mating Men James B. Moran, The University of Scranton ([email protected]), Leah M. Davidovich, The University of Scranton ([email protected]), Walter J. Cantwell, The University of Scranton ([email protected]), William E. Krieger, The University of Scranton ([email protected]), Jessica L. Lyman, The University of Scranton ([email protected]), Jamie L. Mizerak, The University of Scranton ([email protected]), Marc A. Seid, The University of Scranton ([email protected]), Barry X. Kuhle, The University of Scranton ([email protected])

Are men more willing to make a cuckold of men whose romantic partners are relatively more attractive than the would-be cuckold? The proposed study will assess whether men’s perceived interest in making a man a cuckold is influenced by relative attractiveness discrepancies between the would-be-cuckold and his mate. A pilot study will generate photographs of nine heterosexual young adult mock-couples whose relative physical attractiveness levels vary. Young adult male participants will then rate (1) the attractiveness of the man and woman in each couple, (2) the woman’s perceived likelihood of sexually cheating on her mate, (3) their own likelihood of infiltrating each relationship, and (4) the likelihood that a hypothetical male looking to infiltrate a relationship would pursue the woman.

27: Women Perform Fellatio as Mate Retention Behavior Yael Sela, Oakland University ([email protected]), Michael N. Pham, Oakland University ([email protected]), Todd K. Shackelford, Oakland University ([email protected])

Previous research documents that men who perform more mate retention behaviors (and particularly benefit-provisioning) also report greater interest in and spend more time performing oral sex on their partner. The current research extends these findings to a female sample and highlights sex differences in oral sex and mate retention behaviors.

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28: Partner Attractiveness Moderates the Relationship between Number of Sexual Rivals and In- Pair Copulation Frequency Michael N. Pham, Oakland University ([email protected]), Todd K. Shackelford, Oakland University ([email protected]), Christopher J. Holden, Oakland University ([email protected]), Virgil Zeigler- Hill, Oakland University ([email protected]), Anna Hummel, Oakland University ([email protected]), Stacy L. Memering, Oakland University ([email protected])

Non-human males attend to the number of potential sexual rivals in the local environment to assess sperm competition risk. Males of these species often perform frequent in-pair copulations to increase the likelihood of success in sperm competition. Here we extend this research to humans. We secured self- report data from 393 men in a committed, sexual, heterosexual relationship. The results indicate that men whose romantic partner has more male coworkers and friends (i.e., potential sexual rivals) also perform more frequent in-pair copulations, but only among men who perceive their partner to be more attractive. This research is the first to empirically investigate the number of potential male rivals in the local environment as a cue to sperm competition ris in humans.

29: Perception of Voice Attractiveness: The Impact of Facial Information and Pitch Susan M. Hughes, Albright College ([email protected]), Noelle E. Miller, Albright College ([email protected]), Marissa A. Harrison, Penn State Harrisburg ([email protected])

This study experimentally tested how perceptions of voice attractiveness are influenced by a speaker’s vocal pitch and facial information. Participants heard audio recordings and saw videos of individuals reciting a number count and were asked to rate their voice attractiveness. Regardless of condition, participants judged voice attractiveness of the speakers similarly whether they saw the speaker or not. Further, males’ manipulated lower-pitch and natural voices were rated as sounding significantly more attractive than their manipulated higher-pitched voices, whereas for females, their natural voices were rated as sounding more attractive than either of their manipulated samples. These findings lend support to the fact that the voice can convey very salient features to listeners that are independent of any visual information.

30: Lady in Red: The Role of Women’s Clothing in Intrasexual Competition Laura L. Johnsen, Binghamton University ([email protected])

Fashion is a tool which women employ to enhance their overall attractiveness to increase mating opportunities and repel competition from other females. The current project explores the literature concerning how clothing is a signal of fertility, clothing references change across the ovulatory cycle, the importance of being fashionable, and perception of clothing’s sexiness. It also discusses how specific items of clothing, such as the corset and high heeled shoes, have been designed enhance female attractiveness. The last segment of the project applies the literature to the “real-life” example, Millionaire Matchmaker.

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31: Geographic ancestry and preferences for fire and wood smoke: An extension of the fireside hypothesis Andrew C. Gallup, SUNY College at Oneonta ([email protected])

The advent of fire undoubtedly gave our hominid ancestors tremendous advantages, such as offering protection from predators, providing a method to break down foods via cooking, and delivering warmth in the cold. While the utility of fire for protection and cooking would have been similar across the globe, the daily reliance on fire for warmth would have varied tremendously based on local climatic conditions and distance from the equator. The fireside hypothesis predicts that ancestral populations inhabiting colder geographic locations would have endured greater selective pressure on the ability to withstand continued inhalation of wood smoke combustion. This study extends this hypothesis by investigating the association between geographic ancestry and preferences for fire and wood smoke.

32: Experiential vs. Rational Processing: Resorting to Subjective Evidence in an Empirically based Psychology Department Bill Thornton, University of Southern Maine ([email protected])

Epstein (1994) posits two parallel information-processing systems which influence thought and behavior. Experiential thinking (evolutionarily old) relies on generalization and intuitive reaction to reach an “acceptable” decision/behavior, and intimately linked to emotion. Rational thinking (evolutionary new) involves systematic, logical analysis by which to reach an “accurate” decision or behavior, and not/less emotionally-based. Experiential may be adaptive, but may provide for less than optimal decision-making when rational processing is necessary; and the greater the emotional involvement, the greater the reliance on experiential over rational processes. In a case study of decision-making within a psychology department, implications of experiential and rational thought processes are considered when otherwise objective, empirically-based individuals resort to subjective, anecdotal justification.

33: Revengeful Feelings Towards Past Romantic Partners Nakita Archibald, Saint Mary's University ([email protected]), Melanie Duffy, Saint Mary's University ([email protected]), Stephanie Gauvin, Saint Mary's University, Shannon Neville, Saint Mary's University ([email protected]), Nungfan Puttummavong, Saint Mary's University ([email protected]), Laura Robertson, Saint Mary's University ([email protected]), Maryanne Fisher, Saint Mary's University ([email protected])

Although numerous facets of romantic relationships have been well studied by evolutionary psychologists, revenge is a seemingly overlooked topic. Therefore, we performed a study to examine how people seek revenge, as well as their motivation for doing so.Using a community sample, participants were asked to report how they have experienced revenge on an open-ended measure. Based on the data, we then created a quantitative survey. We examine sex differences between thinking about revengeful actions versus performing actual behaviours, as well as the motivating factors, and how negative and positive individuals felt after their revengeful actions. In general, the qualitative data are aligned with findings from evolutionary psychology. We will present the results from the quantitative study but note that the project is

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34: A comparison of modern and evolutionarily informed physical fitness Jessica M. Fell, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Glenn Geher, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected]), Ana Canas, SUNY New Paltz ([email protected])

Although we utilize our bodies for work, play and basic tasks, our movement patterns typically vary from those of our ancestors. Oftentimes, modern physical fitness regimens are comprised cardiovascular work, combined with muscle strengthening work with a variety of machines. In contrast, the activity of our ancestors would have likely included a varied combination of high-intensity bursts of cardiovascular work. Greater attention to diet and physical activity has resulted from a response to increased awareness of the mismatch between ancestral health and physical activity. This study aims to explore the health and fitness activities, perceptions, expectations, motivations, and outcomes of Gold’s Gym members (representative of a modern gym) and CrossFit members (representative of an evolutionarily informed program).

35: When did sound become music? Drosophila melanogaster’s Associative Learning Abilities Adrianna Krul, Department of Biology, Montclair State University ([email protected]), Jessyka Venchkoski, Department of Biology, Montclair State University, Julian P. Keenan, Department of Biology, Montclair State University ([email protected])

Our previous research has indicated that associative learning is possible in Drosophila melanogaster utilizing an auditory stimulus paired with a positive gustatory stimulus. The basic hypothesis of the current experiment was that Drosophila melanogaster would have the ability to be classically conditioned, creating an association between certain sounds and a negative gustatory stimulus. It was found that Drosophila were easily conditioned using 100 and 250Hz tones. These data indicate a potential predisposition to tonal learning in a relatively simplified nervous system.

36: Tiny Tone preferences: Drosophila's Egg laying behavior in response to Tone Alexa Decker, ([email protected]), Nathan Kemper, Jessyka Venchkoski, Julian P. Keenan ([email protected])

Egg site selection is an interesting and effective way to demonstrate preferences in the species Drosophila Melanogaster. Flies were tested in both 30mm petri dishes and 90 mm petri dishes. Testing scores were split into on, near, and off sections. The man independent variables include; tone on the substrate, tone opposite side of the substrate, and the control was no tone. It was predicted that the most amount of eggs would be laid during tone on the same side condition with sucrose as the substrate. Significantly more eggs were laid near for agar and caffeine and on for sucrose. For all conditions drosophila laid the most eggs near the substrate. Results are indicative of Drosophila preferring tone.

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37: Human Nature and the Origins of Environmental Attitudes Sarah M. Johnson, Colorado State University-Pueblo ([email protected]), Marc E. Pratarelli, Colorado State University-Pueblo ([email protected])

One popular theme among environmentalist writers (cf., Bender, 2003; Capra, 1996; Leopold, 1966; Naess, 1973; Orr, 1992) is to argue that reframing our value judgments about nature in eco-centric and nondualist terms is what will be needed to achieve environmental sustainability. Among environmental psychologists and ethicists there is similar agreement that the most important factor in reducing human overconsumption is to change decision-making, values and attitudes. In this poster we argue that changing people’s long-term values about nature will be difficult because those values are predominantly biological. We conclude that if we are to preserve the integrity of the global ecosystem, and humanity, then the only hope lies in our admitting to our biological constraints, i.e.,human nature.

38: Mating Orientations and Risk-Taking Propensities Leslie Migliaccio, Ramapo College ([email protected]), Gordon Bear, Ramapo College ([email protected])

Through questionnaires assessing mating orientation (Simpson & Gangestad, 1991), we discovered that the short-term strategy (Jackson & Kirkpatrick, 2007) correlates with the propensity for taking risks across certain domains (Weber, Blais, & Betz, 2002). or 63 young men r = .21, and for 54 young women r = .45. Between long-term mating orientation and riskiness the correlation was negative for the men (-.29) and nil for the women. The data constitute evidence for the construct validity of the measures of mating orientations.

39: Attachment and its Relation to Sexual Attitudes and Desire in Female College Students Kerri Driscoll, SUNY Plattsburgh ([email protected]), Anna Brand, SUNY Plattsburgh ([email protected]), Edward D. Sturman, SUNY Plattsburgh ([email protected])

We sought to investigate the link between attachment styles and sexual behavior, attitudes, and desire in college students. A total of 77 female participants (mean age = 22.7) from a state college completed various measures on attachment style and sexualiy. Our research demonstrated that the preoccupied attachment style predicted a greater desire for casual sex and multiple partners. When the preoccupied attachment style is paired with living on a college campus, environmental factors seem to enhance the impulsive niche of this attachment style. The fearful attachment style was significantly related to more permissive attitudes towards casual sex. A dismissing attachment style was negatively correlated with desire, confirming the avoidant aspects of this construct.

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40: Articulatory clarity, vocal pitch, and dominance evaluations of men’s speech: preliminary findings Sethu Karthikeyan, Pace University ([email protected]), John L. Locke, Lehman College, City University of New York ([email protected])

Several studies have reported an inverse relationship between vocal pitch and men’s dominance. More recently, Kempe et al. (2013) found that males with relatively high testosterone levels spoke less clearly as reflected by the absence of the “released or “aspirated” word final stop consonant on waveforms of monosyllabic words. The current study explored the potential association between a related articulatory and temporal parameter, voice onset time, which has been found to influence speech clarity, and men’s dominance as perceived by women. The results demonstrated that voice onset time and fundamental frequency are both inversely related to physical dominance evaluations. This finding has important implications for the understanding of the evolution of articulatory gestures.

41: An evolutionary exploration of depression: The relationship between different adverse life events and patterns of depressive symptoms Alissa A. Maitino, California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, San Diego ([email protected]), Irwin S. Rosenfarb, California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, San Diego ([email protected])

Keller and Nesse’s situation-symptom congruence (SSC) hypothesis is grounded in evolutionary theory, and argues that different adverse life events should give rise to different depressive symptom patterns that increase the individual’s ability to cope with the adaptive challenges present in the situation. Recent research supports the SSC hypothesis but has significant limitations (i.e., retrospective design). The present study tested the SSC hypothesis using an alternative methodology (i.e., prospective design) that addressed these limitations. The results will provide insight into the variability in depressive symptom patterns between and within individuals, increase understanding of the relationship between adverse life events and depressive symptom patterns, provide evidence for or against the SSC hypothesis, and have implications for how we subtype and treat depression.

42: Serial killers: Evolved evil? Marissa A. Harrison, Penn State Harrisburg ([email protected]), Erin A. Murphy, Penn State Harrisburg ([email protected]), Susan M. Hughes, Albright College ([email protected])

Murderous motives, especially those of serial killers, may reflect unconscious biological imperatives. In most cases, male serial killers stalk and murder young adult female strangers with sex as a motive (Hickey, 2010). Studies examining female serial killers’ motives are more limited. In this study, we examined media reports for 92 U.S. female serial killers and found that 52% murdered for financial gain, 60% killed family members, and they had more male total victims. Many held caretaker roles (mother, nurse) and murdered those in their care. Hence, serial murder follows evolutionary prediction of sex-specific fitness- maximization tactics, with men killing for sexual access and women killing for resource procurement, and serial killing may be a psychopathological aberration of courtship tactics for males and caretaking roles for

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43: Mating Orientations and Risk-Taking: Short-Term and Long-Term Orientations are Not Opposites, and How They Correlate with Riskiness Depends on Gender and Domain Leslie Migliaccio, Ramapo College ([email protected]), Gordon Bear, Ramapo College ([email protected])

In self-report measures administered to young women, the propensity for taking risks correlated positively with short-term mating orientation (r = .45, p = .001, n = 53). With long-term orientation the correlation was nil (.09). For young men, risk-taking propensity correlated only weakly with short-term orientation (r = .21, p = .10, n = 53) but negatively with long-term (r = -.29, p = .02). The two sexes also differed in which specific domains of risk-taking were associated with the mating orientations. he data constitute evidence for the construct validity of the measures of mating orientations and grounds for distinguishing domains of risk-taking.

44: Pathogen Prevalence and Twitter: The geography of emotion. Renee Eastabrooks, Marist College ([email protected]), & Kilian Garvey, University of Louisiana ([email protected])

In this study we examined state by state demographic differences of pathogen prevalence, religious faith (how confident someone is in the existence of God), socioeconomic status, and a number of measures of physical health (overall well-being, percentage f diabetes and obesity, and frequency of physical exercise) as predictors of emotions in twitter messages. While all measures were strongly correlated with expressions of emotions, a multiple regression analysis found that only pathogen prevalence (predicting negative emotions) and frequent exercise (predicting positive emotions) explained the variance.

45: Perceived vulnerability to disease driven by sexual disgust over pathogen threat. Renee Eastabrooks, Marist College ([email protected]), & Kilian Garvey, University of Louisiana ([email protected])

The pathogen prevalence theory of human values is based on the idea that sensitivity to regional pathogen load explains psychological and behavioral phenomena, including, but not limited to cognitive abilities, religiosity, political preferences, and morality. Disgust sensitivity is the most common emotion related to avoiding potential illness due to exposure to pathogens, however, disgust may be a reaction to a wide range of threats to individual and group health. Duncan, Schaller, and Park designed a questionnaire to assess perceived vulnerability to disease (PVD: 2009), but, in this study, the PVD was more strongly correlated with sexual disgust than with pathogen sensitivity, as measured by the three domain disgust scale (Tybur, Lieberman, & Griskeviciu, 2009).

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46: The Cognitive Reflection Test and Regional Pathogen Load. Kilian Garvey, University of Louisiana ([email protected]), Cory Williams, University of Louisiana ([email protected])

The behavioral immune system theory suggests that populations exposed to elevated environmental threats produce psychological and emotional traits designed to increase survival by preventing unnecessary exposure to novel stimuli. By extension, intuitive and quick judgment and decision making should be more adaptive than deliberate and time consuming styles as many threats don’t provide the luxury of time for philosophical reflection. To test this hypothesis subjects from high and from low pathogen prevalence regions completed the Cognitive Reflection Test as well as measures of disgust sensitivity and rational – experiential thinking styles. It was predicted that subjects from the high pathogen region would score higher in disgust sensitivity, lower in rational cognitive style, and display less accuracy when answering the CRT items. Statistical analyses supported this prediction and, in addition, found that disgust did not predict CRT accuracy in the high pathogen region, presumably because of an adaptive ceiling effect.

47: The moral foundations of animal abuse: A state by state analysis. Kilian Garvey, University of Louisiana ([email protected]), Cory Williams, University of Louisiana ([email protected])

In this study we examined state by state demographic differences of political orientation, religious faith (how confident someone is in the existence of God) and church attendance, estimates of the five factor model (FFM) of personality, and socioeconomic status as predictors of animal abuse. If the conservative (both political and religious) moral foundations are broader than the liberal foundations as Haidt claims (Haidt and Graham, 2007; Haidt, 2012) one would expect to see less animal cruelty in conservative states. However, we found the opposite; state measures of belief in god, church attendance, and conservative voting were positively correlated with reported animal abuse. Further, the extraversion subscale of the FFM was positively correlated with reported animal abuse, while the openness subscale of the FFM was negatively correlated.

48: Pathogen Prevalence and IQ in the United States Brandon Jablonski, Sinclair Community College ([email protected]), Kilian Garvey, University of Louisiana ([email protected])

While IQ has been steadily increasing in many parts of the world that is not the case in all regions (Flynn, 1987). The effect has largely been attributed to better technology, more comprehensive education, and higher educational expectations. This might explain the differences between developed and developing nations but it shouldn't be the case within one country which shares all of these resources, presumably in equal amounts. This study will explore regional differences in intelligence within the United States in the same way as regional differences are explored between the United States and other countries not so economically fortunate.

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Author Index

Adair, Lora E...…………………………….15, 21 Flowe, Heather D...... 13 Antonio Correa Varella, Marco...... 20 Fowler, Darren M...... 20, 33 Archibald, Nakita L……………………..34, 38 Gallup, Andrew C...... 27, 38 Ataliba, Leonardo F…….…………………….31 Gallup, Gordon...... 11 Balachandran, Niruban……...……………..24 Gammo, Alexa...... 35 Bear, Gordon…………..…………………..40,42 Gangemi, Bernadine...... 26 Beasley, Emily R………………………………33 Garcia, Justin R...... 12 Blandford, Kaity……...……………………….28 Garvey, Kilian ...... 23, 42, 43 Brand, Anna……...……………………………..40 Gauvin, Stephanie...... 20, 38 Brase, Gary L……….……………………...15, 21 Geher, Glenn...... Brinkman, Baba………………………………..24 ...... 11, 12, 14, 26, 27, 28, 29, 32, 33, 39 Brooks Kontor, Amanda...... 28 Geher, Megan E...... 11 Brubaker, Michael D…….…………………...15 Glass, Daniel J...... 24 Burch, Rebecca………...…………………25, 29 Gleason, Morgan E...... 27, 29 Buss, David...... 8 Guitar, Amanda E...... 12, 26 Calhoun, Toni………………...……………...... 30 Hafftka, Raina...... 28 Campbell, Lorne...... 14 Hardesty, Patrick H...... 15 Campbell, Suzanne...... 29 Harrison, Marissa A...... 37, 41 Canas, Ana...... 28, 33, 39 Henrique Benedetti Piccoli Ferreira, Jose Cantwell, Walter J...... 36 ...... 20 Caraballo, Adam L...... 32 Henry, Colleen...... 29 Carmen, Rachael A...... 12, 26 Hinshaw, John...... 11, 23 Carvalho, Amanda T...... 31 Holden, Christopher J...... 37 Case, Charleen R...... 35 Hughes, Susan M...... 37, 41 Castro, Felipe N...... 31 Hummel, Anna...... 37 Cooper, Sarah C...... 32 Jablonski, Brandon...... 23, 43 Costello, Kathryn...... 29 Jacobson, Amy...... 24 Curry, Crystal...... 42 Johnsen, Laura L...... 14, 37 Dalal, Nina...... 19 Johnson, Sarah M...... 26, 40 Davidovich, Leah M...... 36 Joyner, Michael J...... 21 Deaner, Robert O...... 21 Kaas, D. Sloan...... 32 Decker, Alexa...... 39 Kafantaris, Brandi...... 30 Devlin, Brittni P...... 32 Karthikeyan, Sethu...... 41 Dillon, Haley M...... 15, 21 Kauffman, Rick...... 27 Driscoll, Kerri...... 18, 40 Keenan, Julian P...... 35, 39 Duffy, Melanie...... 38 Kemper, Nathan...... 39 Durden, John...... 18 Kiper, Jordan...... 16 Eirdosh, Dustin W...... 25 Kitcher, Philip...... 10 Eric Morris, Craig...... 33 Krause, Emily S...... 17, 32 Farrington, Christopher...... 35 Krieger, William E...... 36 Fazal, Sophia N...... 26 Kruger, Daniel J...... 11, 15, 27 Feldman, Andrea...... 30 Krul, Adrianna...... 35, 39 Fell, Jessica M...... 33, 39 Kuhle, Barry X...... 36 Fernandez, Ana Maria...... 20 Kurtis Koch, Andrew...... 30 Fisher, Maryanne L...... Lahti, David C...... 18 ...... 12, 14, 20, 21, 34, 36, 38 Laudenslager, Alexa R...... 32

NEEPS 44 Liss, Jeremy...... 34 Reiber, Chris...... 11, 17, 33 Locke, John L...... 41 Reinbold, Tyler...... 11 Lopes, Fivia A...... 31 Richardson, George B...... 15 Lowen, Aaron...... 21 Robertson, Laura L...... 12, 21, 36, 38 Lyman, Jessica L...... 36 Rogers, William M...... 21 Lynn, Christopher...... 16, 25 Roman, Emily...... 33 MacDonald, Ian F...... 11, 27 Rosenfarb, Irwin S...... 41 MacEacheron, Melanie...... 14 Ryder, Hannah L...... 13 Mafra, Anthonieta L...... 31 Saksa, Eric...... 21 Maitino, Alissa A...... 41 Sancak Aydin, Gokce……...... …………………32 Makhanova, Anastasia...... 22 Saunders, Judith...... 19 Maner, Jon K...... 22, 35 Schroeder, Kari B...... 11 Manley, Shannon M...... 17, 32 Seid, Marc A...... 36 Matthews, LeAnne...... 28 Sela, Yael...... 36 McKeighan, Kylie M...... 18 Shackelford, Todd K...... 36, 37 Memering, Stacy L...... 37 Sherman, Amanda...... 34 Migliaccio, Leslie...... 40, 42 Shimkus, Andrew...... 28 Miller, Forest D...... 32 Skentelbery, Sarah G...... 20 Miller, Noelle E...... 37 Sloan, Jessica L...... 27 Miller, Saul L...... 22 Sloan Wilson, David...... 24 Mizerak, Jamie L...... 36 Sokol-Chang, Rosemarie I...... 9, 12 Mogilski, Justin K...... 13 Sosis, RIchard...... 16 Montgomery, Barrett W...... 18 Sturman, Edward D...... 18, 40 Montgomery, John M...... 17, 33 Sunsay, Ceyhun...... 23, 28, 30 Moran, James B...... 36 Tauber, Briana R...... 28, 29, 33 Morgan, Maggie...... 23 Thom, Taylor...... 30 Murphy, Erin A...... 41 Thompson, Barty A...... 23 Nedelec, Joe L...... 15 Thornton, Bill...... 38 Neville, Shannon...... 38 VanBerge, Alexandra...... 35 Newmark, Rebecca L...... 14, 29 Venchkoski, Jessyka...... 35, 39 Nicolas, Sylis C.A...... 31 Von Snell, Ahren...... 18 Niemiec, Katie...... 23, 28 Wade, T. Joel...... 13, 19, 30 Nussle, Flora S...... 31 Weinstein, Erin...... 19 O’Brien, Daniel T...... 11, 18 Welling, Lisa L.M...... 13, 31 Pham, Michael N...... 36, 37 Welsch, Julie...... 34 Philip, Melvin M...... 17, 29 Widman, David R...... 17, 29, 32 Phills, Curtis...... 14 Wigner, Courtney...... 25 Plaza, Jasmin...... 34 Wiley, Kathryn...... 28 Pratarelli, Marc E...... 26, 40 Wilke, Andreas...... 34 Pratt, Lauren V...... 25 Williams, Cory...... 42, 43 Puttummavong, Nungfan...... 38 Zeigler-Hill, Virgil...... 37 Radtke, Sarah...... 22, 36

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Want an opportunity to help shape the future of evolution’s place in higher education?

Open Position: Editor in Chief, EvoS Journal: The Journal of the Evolutionary Studies Consortium

This interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal was started with a grant from the National Science Foundation as part of an initiative to expand evolution in higher education. This journal publishes three basic kinds of articles: (a) scholarly articles that address important aspects of the place of evolution in higher education, (b) undergraduate papers that summarize significant work with a focus on evolution (in any area), and (c) reviews of books and other sources that relate to the goals of the EvoS Consortium. This journal has published dozens of peer-reviewed articles – by several top evolutionary scholars – as well as up-and-coming students – since its inception in 2009.

The Editor is responsible for: (a) Overseeing the solicitation of manuscripts (b) Overseeing the review process of manuscripts (across all manuscript stages) (c) Working with associate editors (who may be appointed by the Editor) who oversee the process of having undergraduate students review undergraduate submissions in specified fields (e.g., working with a biology faculty member who is tasked with working with undergraduate biology students who review incoming manuscripts from other undergraduate biology students) (d) Working with other associate editors (as appointed), such as an editor for book reviews (e) Working with experts in the field to create special issues of the journal that highlight topical issues related to EvoS

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: PhD in field related to evolution; track record of publishing articles with some explicit connections to evolutionary principles; track record of supporting undergraduate research and scholarship

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS: track record of working well with individuals from diverse backgrounds and in completing tasks in a timely and effective manner; explicit connection with the existing EvoS Consortium.

For more information, see www.evostudies.org. Email inquiries and letters of interest to co-founder of the EvoS Consortium, Glenn Geher ([email protected]). There is a possibility of appointing an editorial assistant and/or working with the SUNY New Paltz EvoS assistant, who may help in this capacity. More than one editorial assistant may be on staff.

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The Feminist Evolutionary Psychology Society (FEPS) Invites You to Join our Meeting, and Get Involved!

About FEPS: The society exists to bridge two scientific viewpoints that are often in opposition: evolutionary psychology and feminism. We believe that each can be unified into a productive study of the evolution of humans. Each approach has historically adopted some biases that impede a full understanding of the complexities of human psychology, particularly a perspective of psychology that includes aspects of our shared evolution as well as cultural and environmental influences. FEPS supports research that: a) is informed by a female perspective, b) directly investigates the active role that females have had in human evolution, and/or c) studies gender in the evolutionary context with scientific theory and methodology (including a close examination into the way research questions are formulated and research subjects selected). We welcome any members, of any gender or sex, who are sensitive to the combination of feminism and evolutionary psychology.

A recent project: Following the FEPS 2013 meeting, we collaborated on a special section of Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences titled The Intersection of Feminism and Evolutionary Psychology.

For more information, visit http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/ebs/7/4/.

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The mission of the Applied Evolutionary Psychology Society (AEPS) is to promote the use of evolutionary theory in applied fields such as policy-making, business, law, education, medicine, and mental health. To achieve this goal, AEPS holds academic workshops and conferences to provide resources for, and connections between, researchers on the one hand, and practitioners, policy-makers, executives, and the general public on the other.

The theoretical and empirical findings that have emerged from Evolutionary Psychology (EP) over the past several decades have laid the foundation for a novel approach to solving the vast array of social, political, and ecological challenges we now face. Indeed, the insights that the human evolutionary sciences have provided have important consequences for establishing and generating evolutionarily informed (EI) and EI-applied solutions to our social and environmental problems. AEPS evolved to support evolutionists in translating their findings into practical applications and is dedicated to the development and dissemination of the prosocial applications of evolutionary theory.

Several evolutionary scientists have already addressed a number of these issues from an EI perspective. David Sloan Wilson and his colleagues, for example, have applied evolutionary principles to guide their “Binghamton Neighborhood Project” with the goal that "the BNP can become a model of community- based research informed by modern scientific theory and methods." We seek more of that; more evolutionarily-informed problem-solving procedures such as EI parenting; EI environmental conservation; EI psychotherapy; EI medicine; EI education; EI nutrition and exercise programs; EI business procedures; EI public-policy making; and more. AEPS can serve as a clearinghouse for proposed EP practical solutions to problems in living.

For information on how to become a member or how to get involved with AEPS generally, please go to our website:

www.aepsociety.com

NEEPS 48 NEEPS is sponsored by

New Paltz Undergraduate Psychology Association New Paltz Student Association New Paltz Evolutionary Studies Club New Paltz Psychology Department New Paltz College of Liberal Arts and Sciences New Paltz Teaching and Learning Center New Paltz Honors Center New Paltz Department of Athletics Sojourner Truth Library New Paltz Evolutionary Psychology Lab Bacchus Restaurant

NEEPS 49 After a hard day of conferencing, relax at Bacchus – the official pub of the NEEPS conference!

Bacchus is a 10-minute walk from campus, located at 4 S. Chestnut St. (rt. 208) in downtown New Paltz. Show your membership badge during the dates of the conference to receive a dollar off beer, wine, or mixed drinks (not valid in conjunction with other discounts).

NEEPS 50 SUNY New Paltz Campus Map

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