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Northeastern Evolutionary Psychology Society (NEEPS) Conference NorthEastern Evolutionary Psychology Society Eighth Annual Conference State University of New York at New Paltz April 10-13, 2014 NEEPS 1 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.
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