Evolutionary Psychology 2
PSY 4810: Evolutionary Psychology
Summer B, 2008
Instructor Teaching Assistant
Dr. David F. Bjorklund Amy Gardiner
Office: BS 112 Office: BS 110
Office hours: TuTh: 9:00-9:30 Office hours: TuTh: 1:00-2:00
TuTh: 2:00-3:00
Office phone: (561) 297-3367 Office phone: (561) 297-3374
E-mail: E-mail:
Web site: http://psy.fau.edu/~bjorklund/dfb/personal_home_page.html
Course Description
This course will provide an introduction to the emerging field of evolutionary psychology. We will consider a broad range of topics that have been addressed from an evolutionary perspective, including mating strategies, sexual jealousy, cheater detection, pregnancy sickness, parental nurturance and negligence, spatial memory, the evolution of consciousness, and aggression and violence. We will address how evolutionary psychology sheds light on the phenomena examined in traditional areas of psychology Students’ abilities to apply concepts and their knowledge of evolutionary psychology will be evaluated via two objective and essay exams and by completing four small “studies.” A 10- to 15-page term paper can be substituted in place of the “studies.” The exams will constitute 80% of the final grade (40% each), and the small studies will constitute 20% of the grade (5% each).
Required Text
Buss, David M. (2007). Evolutionary psychology: The new science of the mind (third edition). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Tentative Exam Schedule: First Exam: Thursday, July 10, 2008
Final Exam: Thursday, July 31, 2008
Each exam will cover approximately one-half of the course material (they will not be comprehensive) and will be equally weighted. A date for make-up exam for the first exams will be arranged the class day following the exam. All make-up exams are essays. There will be no make-up for the final exam.
Tentative Dates for Short Studies: Assignment #1: Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Assignment #2: Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Assignment #3: Thursday, July 17, 2008
Assignment #4: Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Tentative Dates for Optional Term Paper: Select topic by: Thursday, July 17, 2008
Paper due: Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Tentative Course Outline
I. Foundations of evolutionary psychology, Buss, Chapters 1 & 2; Chapter 13, pp. 372-384; 399-404
A. Darwin’s theory of natural selection
B. Human evolution
C. Concepts of evolutionary psychology
D. Evolutionary developmental psychology, Chapter 13, pp. 389-391
II. Problems of survival, Buss, Chapter 3
III. Challenges of sex and mating, Buss, Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 11
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First Exam: Thursday, July 10, 2008
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IV. Challenges of parenting and kinship, Buss, Chapters 7, 8; Chapter 13 pp. 391-394
V. Problems of group living, Buss, Chapters 9, 10, 12
A. The origins of consciousness
B. Cooperative alliances
C. Aggression
D. Status, prestige, and dominance
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Final Exam: Thursday, July 31, 2008
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PSY 4810 – Evolutionary Psychology
Study Questions 1st Exam, Summer B, 2008
1) What are the basic assumptions of evolutionary psychology? What do the proponents of evolutionary psychology say the field contributes to our understanding of the human condition? (15 points)
2) Does evolutionary psychology imply a form of genetic determinism? Why or why not? Discuss the various forms of innateness (representational, architectural, chronotopic) and how they relate to evolved psychological mechanisms. (15 points)
3) Discuss the assumptions and major focus of evolutionary developmental psychology. What, if anything, does a developmental perspective add to evolutionary psychology? (15 points)
4) Discuss how pregnancy sickness might be considered an evolutionary adaptation. (10 points)
5) Contrast both male and female long-term and short-term mating strategies. (10 points)
6) Discuss the concept of a woman’s reproductive value. How can (and do) men assess a woman’s reproductive value? (5 points)
7) Contrast male and female mate-retention tactics. (5 points)
8) What adaptive role, if any, might jealousy play? Discuss male and female differences in jealousy and the evolutionary psychological theory behind these differences. (10 points)
9) Discuss Triver’s parental investment theory. How does this theory account for differences in male and female psychology with respect to mating strategies? (15 points)
10) Describe the evolution of Homo sapiens over the past 5 million years. Include a brief description of the various species of hominids that existed over this time and the “Out of Africa” and “Multiregional Origins” theories of human evolution. Which of these two theories do you feel better accounts for the current data? (15 points)
11) Provide a detailed definition of evolved psychological mechanism (i.e., what are its properties, characteristics, etc.) as proposed by evolutionary psychology. Demonstrate a human trait that fits your definition. (10 points)
12) What are the some methods commonly used for testing evolutionary hypotheses? What are some common data sources used when testing evolutionary hypotheses? (5 points)
13) What are the 4 ways in which anxiety and fear may actually be beneficial to humans. (5 points)
14) Provide a detailed explanation of strategic interference theory. (5 points)
15) Contrast the Rape-as-adaptation theory and the by-product theory of rape. (10 points)
Provide justification and empirical support for your answers
Small Studies
Students will complete and write-up four small studies by the dates listed above. Write-ups for each study will consist of an introduction based on material from your textbook or from lectures, a brief description of the procedures used, a summary of the results, and a brief discussion of the results. Each write-up should be between 3 and 5 pages in length (typed, double spaced).
Assignment #1: What men and women want in a mate: Looking at personal ads: Date due: Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Look at the personal ads in local newspapers or online. Sample a comparable number of ads by men and women looking for long-term relationships and others looking for short-term relationships. Try to find 10 ads for each of the four combinations (i.e., men/long-term; men/short-term; women/long-term; women/short-term). What are some patterns of similarities and differences in these ads? How do these patterns fit with what is hypothesized by evolutionary psychology?
Assignment #2: Location memory: Date Due: Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Interview at least three males and three females of comparable age. (Some of the participants may be children if you’d like.) Tell them that you wish to test their memories. Show participants Figure A and ask them to study it for 30 seconds. Remove the picture after 30 seconds and engage the participant in conversation for about 1 minute. Then give them a pen or pencil, show them Figure B and ask them to circle only the objects in the second picture that were also in the first picture. Give them 1 minute to do this. To score their performance, count the number of items they circled that were correct (hits), and subtract the number of items that they circled that were incorrect (false alarms). Look for sex differences in performance. Discuss your findings in terms of evolutionary psychological theory.
Assignment #3: Grandparental investment: Date due: Thursday, July 17, 2008
Interview at least four people whose maternal and paternal grandparents were all living while they were growing up. Ask each participant to estimate:
1. The distance the grandparents lived from the participant (in miles)
2. The amount of time/month each grandparent spent with the participant. Include phone conversations as well as face-to-face interactions.
3. The closeness the participant felt toward each grandparent
4. The amount of resources (gifts, money, trips) each grandparent provided for the participant (in dollars per month)
For question 3, ask participants to make ratings on a 6 point scale, from –3 to +3, with –3 reflecting not very close and +3 reflecting very close.
Discuss your results in terms of what is hypothesized by evolutionary psychology.
Assignment #4: Abstract versus social reasoning: Date due: Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Interview at least four people on each of two reasoning tasks (abstract and social). Give half of your participants the abstract problem first and the other half the social problem first.
Abstract problem:
Show participants the following four cards, presented on a table in front of them:
A B 2 3
Tell participants: “If a card has a vowel on one side, then it must have an even number on the other side. I’d like you to determine if the cards in front of you follow this rule or not. What is the fewest number of cards you must turn over to determine if these cards follow this rule? Which cards would you turn over.”
You may rephrase the instructions if participants require more information.
Correct answer: A an 3. Do not tell the participant if he or she answered correctly or not until both tasks are completed.
Social Reasoning problem:
Show participants the following four cards, presented on a table in front of them:
Beer Coke 16 years old 25 years old
Tell participants: “If a person is drinking alcohol, then he or she must be at least 21 years old. I’d like you to determine if the cards in front of you follow this rule or not. What is the fewest number of cards you must turn over to determine if these cards follow this rule? Which cards would you turn over.”
You may rephrase the instructions if participants require more information.
Correct answer: Beer and 16. Do not tell the participant if he or she answered correctly or not until both tasks are completed.
Discuss your results in terms of evolutionary psychological theory.