Evolutionary Social Psychology Psych 487-001 Fall 2015 Tues/Thurs 8:30-10:00am 1400 CHEM Professor Dr. Joshua Ackerman 3227 East Hall [email protected] Office Hours Tuesdays 3-4pm Course description Evolutionary Social Psychology represents a big-picture approach to understanding human behavior that has gained increasing attention—and notoriety—in recent years. An evolutionary approach posits that our brains and bodies act as specialized tools to address problems that affected our ancestors’ abilities to survive and reproduce, and continue to affect us today (though in the modern world, these tools sometimes create challenges in addition to solving them). From this perspective, principles of natural selection and sexual selection are applied to (1) “problems” such as aggression, friendship, attraction, and parenting as well as to (2) functional “solutions” to these problems, such as memory, reasoning, emotion, and self-control. In this class, we will re- examine traditional topics in social psychology through the lens of evolutionary theory in order to take a fresh look at the adaptive nature of who we are. We will also consider more unique topics that are particularly relevant to this scientific intersection of biology, economics and psychology, including animal behavior, disease, genes, and many of the common misunderstandings and critiques about evolutionary approaches. In doing so, we will continually ask “why” people think and behave as they do. For example: Why do thoughts of incest elicit disgust in most people? Why are parent-child relationships so intimate on the one hand and yet so divisive on the other? Why are people so good at understanding complex social relationships but much worse at understanding many logical rules? Why can the length of one’s fingers predict the chances of being homosexual, of stock market success, and of developing psychological disorders like autism? As one of the leading researchers in the field (Kenrick) puts it, this approach is useful both for personal and practical reasons: “The evolutionary perspective on psychology has the power to fundamentally change how you understand yourself…” and “If there is any hope for changing the world for the better, from reducing family violence to reversing overpopulation and international conflict, economists, educators, and political leaders will need to base their interventions on a sound understanding of what people are really like, not on some fairy-tale version of what we would like them to be.” Readings Required: 1. Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind 5th ed. by David Buss 2. Readings posted on the Canvas class site Other Recommended Readings: The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins The Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are by Robert Wright How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life by Douglas Kenrick The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature by Geoffrey Miller Course Requirements Your grade will be based on several types of assignments: Exams (2) 100 points each Journal Entries (3) 20 points each Engagement 40 points Total 300 points Extra Credit (optional) 15 points Engagement Everyone is expected to attend class, do the readings (before the relevant class session), and participate. One aspect of this engagement will come in the form of i>Clicker participation, so make sure you have one. Your engagement grade will be based both on your responses using i>Clicker and by the quality of your contributions, which means you should be prepared for each day’s discussion by connecting your comments to either the readings or what we have reviewed in class. Importantly, other electronic devices must remain off during the class as they are often distracting to both you and others. Failure to comply will result in the most humiliating punishment the class can agree on. Journal Entries Keeping a journal is an extremely useful way of organizing your thoughts and drawing attention to things that otherwise might have wooshed by you (many eminent scientists, including Darwin, have kept journals throughout their lives). You will submit each journal entry as a Word document or pdf, but you may find it useful to keep an actual notebook you can write in when you’re out in the world. You should use your journal for two purposes: (1) taking notes about interesting behaviors and questions you might want to mention in class, and (2) assignments. Journal entries should be a maximum of 2 pages, double-spaced. Make sure you are incorporating concepts from class or the readings in each entry. More detailed information will be given in class for each assignment. There are 3 official journal entry assignments: 1. Reanalysis of a favorite social psychological finding or phenomenon. Choose your favorite and then reinterpret this from an evolutionary perspective using key concepts from class. What does an evolutionary interpretation say about the phenomenon – will it occur under all conditions, by some people more than others, etc.? How has this phenomenon traditionally been viewed? 2. Human observation. Choose and analyze a human behavior that you visually observe, so get out into the world and watch people (non-creepily please). This method is one of the best ways of generating initial research ideas. Why is this behavior interesting? Why does this likely occur from an evolutionary perspective? What evolutionary theories are relevant to it? 3. Team project. Generate an evolutionary hypothesis and a method for collecting data relevant to it. Now collect some data! What did you find? How do your data speak to an evolutionary interpretation of the behavior or phenomenon? What difficulties did you face in your approach that limited your theoretical interpretation? Exams Exams will cover the assigned textbook, readings, and any material presented in lecture and class discussion including films, supplemental readings, handouts, and class exercises. These exams will include a combination of multiple-choice and short-answer questions. There will be a total of 3 non-cumulative exams (though because many of the topics we will discuss build on fundamental theories, some degree of accumulation is inevitable). Out of these 3, you are allowed to drop 1 of your choice. If you wish to keep all 3 exam grades, your grades will be averaged across the full set. Because you have the option to drop one exam, there will be no make-up exams given. If you miss an exam for any reason, that will be the one that is dropped. If you know your schedule will require you to miss two exam dates, you shouldn’t take this course. Extra Credit One extra credit opportunity will be offered. To complete this, you should pick one evolutionary theory from the list provided in class and apply it to a topic of your choice. This should be your own application of ideas and not a recycled summary of existing research or another person’s opinions. This opportunity builds on your work in the class and with the journal entries. Your scientific originality, creativity, and deep comprehension of this course will be on full display here. Typical papers will be 2-3 pages in length. This is an individual assignment and is due toward the end of the semester (see syllabus schedule for due date). Academic Integrity I expect everyone to uphold standard practices of academic integrity. Anyone caught cheating on an assignment or plagiarizing the work of others will receive an automatic failing grade on the assignment (and possibly the course). In other words, do your own work and don’t cheat. Simple. Schedule Introduction Dates: 9/8 History and Principles of Evolutionary Theory Dates: 9/10, 9/15 Readings: • Buss chapter 1 (skip “Common Misunderstandings”) & chapter 2 (pp. 33-38; stop at “Levels of Evolutionary Analysis”) • An evolutionary approach to animal behavior The Science of EP: How to Think about It and How to Do It Dates: 9/17, 9/22 Readings: • Buss chapter 1 (pp.16-18) & chapter 2 (pp. 38-48, 53-66) • Evolutionary Psychology: Controversies, Questions, Prospects, and Limitations • (optional) Alas Poor Evolutionary Psychology Survival: Important, but Not That Important Dates: 9/24, 9/29 Readings: • Buss chapter 3 • The behavioral immune system (and why it matters) Assignments: • Journal entry #1 due (9/24) • Exam I: Thursday, October 1st (class time) An Introduction to Sex Dates: 10/6 Readings: • Sex, Death, and the Red Queen • Evolution of Sexual Reproduction Female Mating Psychology Dates: 10/8, 10/13 Readings: • Buss chapter 4 & pp. 176-184 • Fruits of knowledge chapter Male Mating Psychology Dates: 10/15, 10/22 – No class on 10/20! Readings: • Buss chapter 5 & pp. 163-166 • The expense is damnable chapter Assignment: • Journal entry #2 due (10/15) Conflict & Cooperation between the Sexes Dates: 10/27, 10/29 Readings: • Let’s Get Serious: Communicating Commitment in Romantic Relationships • How to win even if you’re a loser chapter Parenting Dates: 11/3 Readings: • Buss chapter 11 • Buss chapter 7 Assignment: • Exam II: Thursday, November 5th (class time) Kinship Dates: 11/10 Readings: • Buss chapter 8 Cooperation & Aggression Dates: 11/12, 11/17 Readings: • Buss chapters 9 (pp. 256-270, 278-284) & 10 (pp. 285-290, 297-301, 309-312) • Killer Instincts Status & Prestige Dates: 11/19 Readings: • Buss chapter 12 Assignment: • Journal entry #3 due (11/19) Life History Theory Dates: 11/24 – No class on 11/26, Happy Thanksgiving! Readings: • Life History Theory and Evolutionary Psychology EP Beyond Social Psychology Dates: 12/1, 12/3 Readings: • Buss chapter 13 • Choose one o Economic Decision Biases o Fundamental Motives and Business Decisions o Evolution: A Basic Science for Medicine Assignment: • Extra credit due (12/1) Class Wrap-up and Team Journal Discussion Dates: 12/8 Assignment: • Exam III: Thursday, December 10th (class time) .