THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN
ONTARIO
LONDON CANADA
Department of Psychology
2005 - 2006
Psychology 371G (001)
Special Topics in Social
Psychology:
EVOLUTIONARY SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
Topic available in
Department: Evolutionary Social Psychology.
Prerequisite:
Psychology 272a/b, or 275E, or the former 270F/G, or 271; and registration in
third or fourth year of Honours Psychology
3 seminar hours,
0.5 course
Note: Other Psychology students and Special
Students who receive 70% in the prerequisite course may enrol in this course.
Please note that
students are responsible for ensuring that they have completed the necessary
prerequisites (and have not taken any of the antirequisites)
for this course. Students who do not
meet the registration requirements may be dropped from the course by the
University Registrar.
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Lorne Campbell
Office and Phone Number: SSC 6328;
661-2111, ext: 84904
Office Hours: By appointment
Time and Location(s) of Lecture(s):
Tuesday, 1:30-4:30pm, SSC 3108
3.0 TEXTBOOK
There is no textbook for this class. Instead, I have compiled a list of
weekly readings that are available for download from the course website (http://instruct.uwo.ca/psychology/371g)
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
This
course will provide an evolutionary perspective on social psychological topics.
Current empirical research will be emphasized. Topics will include theoretical
perspectives on adaptation and psychological mechanisms, interpersonal attraction,
love and commitment, aggression, and cooperation.
We will spend the class discussing issues
related to theory and research concerning weekly topics. To facilitate this
process, there will often be weekly readings and thought papers. For each
class, students will be asked to come prepared to actively participate in the
discussion.
5.0 EVALUATION
Class
Participation: 15%
Active
participation in the class discussion is expected, and students will receive a
grade for their participation. Half of this grade (7.5%) will come from 2
thought papers, whereas the other half will come from their participation
during class discussion.
Midterm Test: 25%
The midterm test
will be written during class period in February and will consist of short
answer and essay questions.
Final Exam: 30%
The final exam will
cover all of the readings and material covered in the course. This final exam is a take-home exam and will
be handed out on the last day of class. You will have 1 week to complete the
exam. The format of the exam will be short answer and essay questions.
Term Paper: 30%
Students will be required
to write research proposal (12-15 typed, double-spaced pages) based on some
aspect of the material covered in the seminar.
This paper is due during the last class.
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
Midterm Test:
The midterm test
will be written during class period on February 22 and will consist of short
answer and essay questions.
Final Exam:
This final exam is
a take-home exam and will be handed out on the last day of class. You will have
1 week to complete the exam.
7.0 LECTURE SCHEDULE
Week 1. Introductory Remarks
Week 2. Introduction to Evolutionary Psychology
Buss, D. M. (1995). Evolutionary psychology: A new paradigm for
psychological science. Psychological
Inquiry, 6, 1-30.
Schmitt, D. P., & Pilcher,
J. J. (2004). Evaluating evidence of psychological adaptation: How do we know
one when we see one? Psychological
Science, 15, 643-649.
Week 3. Emotion
Keltner, D., Haidt, J., & Shiota, M. N.
(in press). Social functionalism and
the evolution of emotions. In M. Schaller, J. A. Simpson, & D. T. Kenrick
(Eds.), Evolution and Social Psychology. New York: Psychology Press.
öhman, A., & Mineka, S. (2003).
The malicious serpent: Snakes as a prototypical stimulus for an evolved module
of fear. Current Directions in
Psychological Science, 12, 5-9.
öhman, A, & Mineka, S. (2001). Fears, phobias, and preparedness: Toward an evolved module
of fear and fear learning. Psychological Review, 108, 483-522.
Week 4. The Self
Klein, S. B., Cosmides,
L., Tooby, J., & Chance, S. (2002). Decisions and the evolution of memory: Mutliple systems, multiple functions. Psychological Review, 109, 306-329.
Sedikides, C., Skowronski, J. J., & Dunbar, R. I. M. (in press).
When and why did the human self evolve?
In M. Schaller, J. A. Simpson, & D. T. Kenrick (Eds.), Evolution and Social Psychology. New York: Psychology Press.
Leary, M. R. (1999). Making
sense of self-esteem. Current
Directions in Psychological Science, 8, 32-35.
Week 5. Stereotypes and Prejudice
Kurzban, R., & Leary, M. R.
(2001). Evolutionary
origins of stigmatization: The functions of social exclusion. Psychological
Bulletin, 127, 187-208.
Schaller, M., Park, J. H., & Faulkner,
J. (2003). Prehistoric dangers and contemporary prejudices. European
Review of Social Psychology, 14, 105-137.
Week 6. Person Perception and Impression Formation
Zebrowitz, L. A., & Montepare,
J. (in press). The ecological approach
to person perception: Evolutionary roots
and contemporary offshoots. In M. Schaller, J. A. Simpson, & D. T. Kenrick
(Eds.), Evolution and Social Psychology. New York: Psychology Press.
Haselton, M. G., & Funder, D. C. (in press). The evolution of accuracy and bias in social judgment. In M. Schaller, J. A.
Simpson, & D. T. Kenrick (Eds.), Evolution and
Social Psychology. New York:
Psychology Press.
Andrews, P. W. (2001). The psychology of social chess and the
evolution of attribution mechanisms: Explaining the fundamental attribution
error. Evolution and Human Behavior,
22, 11-29.
Week 7. Interpersonal Attraction and Relationships
Gangestad, S. W., & Simpson,
J. A. (2000). The evolution of human mating: Trade-offs and
strategic pluralism. Behavioral and
Brain Sciences, 23, 573-587.
Thornhill, R., & Gangestad, S. W. (1999). Facial attractiveness.
Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 3, 452-460.
Thornhill, R., & Gangestad, S. W. (1999).
The scent of symmetry: A human sex pheromone that signals fitness? Evolution and Human Behavior, 20,
175-201.
Week 8. More Interpersonal Attraction and Relationships
Miller, G. F. (1998). How
mate choice shaped human nature: A review of sexual selection and human
evolution. In C. Crawford & D. Krebs (Eds.), Handbook of evolutionary
psychology: Ideas, issues, and applications (pp. 87-130). Mahwah NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Campbell, L., & Ellis, B. (2005). Love, commitment, and mate retention. In D. Buss
(Ed.), The Handbook of Evolutionary
Psychology.
Haselton, M. G., & Buss, D.
M. (2000). Error management theory: A new perspective on
biases in cross-sex mind reading. Journal
of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 81-91.
Week 9. Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior
Van Vugt, M.,
& Van Lange, P. A. M. (in press). Psychological adaptations
for prosocial behavior: The altruism puzzle. In M. Schaller, J. A. Simpson, & D. T. Kenrick
(Eds.), Evolution and Social Psychology. New York: Psychology Press.
Buss, D. M., & Shackelford, T. K.
(1997). Human aggression in
evolutionary psychological perspective.
Clinical Psychology Review, 17, 605-619.
Daly, M., & Wilson, M. I. (1996). Violence against stepchildren. Current Directions in Psychological
Science, 5, 77-81.
Week 10. Group Dynamics and Social Influence
Kameda, T., & Tindale,
R. S. (in press). Groups as adaptive devices: Human docility
and group aggregation mechanisms in evolutionary context. In M. Schaller, J. A.
Simpson, & D. T. Kenrick (Eds.), Evolution and
Social Psychology. New York:
Psychology Press.
Sundie, J. M., Cialdini, R. B., Griskevicius,
V., & D. T. Kenrick (in press). Evolutionary social
influence. In
M. Schaller, J. A. Simpson, & D. T. Kenrick
(Eds.), Evolution and Social Psychology. New York: Psychology Press.
Week 11. Evolution and Culture
Buss, D. M. (2001). Human nature and
culture: An evolutionary psychological perspective. Journal of Personality, 69, 955-978.
Sperber, D., & Hirschfeld, L. A. (2004). The cognitive foundations of cultural stability and diversity. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 8,
40-46.
Mesoudi, A., Whiten, A.,
& Laland, K. N. (2004). Is human cultural evolution Darwinian?
Evidence reviewed from the perspective of The Origin of Species. Evolution, 58, 1-11.
Week 12. Evolutionary Social Neuroscience
Panksepp, J., & Panksepp, J. B. (2000). The seven sins of evolutionary psychology. Evolution and Cognition, 6, 108-131.
Adolphs, R. (1999). Social
cognition and the human brain. Trends
in Cognitive Science, 3, 469-479.
Duchaine, B., Cosmides, L., & Tooby, J.
(2001). Evolutionary psychology and the brain. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 11,
225-230.
Week 13. Critical Assessments
Smith, E. A., Mulder,
M. B., & Hill, K. (2001). Controversies in the
evolutionary social sciences: A guide for the perplexed. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 16,
128-135.
Wilson, D. S., Dietrich, E., & Clark,
A. B. (2003). On the inappropriate use of
the naturalistic fallacy in evolutionary psychology. Biology and Philosophy, 18, 669-682.
Conway, L. G., III,
& Schaller, M. (2002). On the verifiability of
evolutionary psychological theories: An
analysis of the psychology of scientific persuasion. Personality and Social Psychology Review,
6, 152-166.
8.0 OTHER
INFORMATION
Please see the
Psychology Undergraduate website at:
http://www.ssc.uwo.ca/psychology/newundergradstudentresp.htm
for information on the following:
POLICY
ON CHEATING AND ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
PROCEDURES
FOR APPEALING ACADEMIC EVALUATIONS
POLICY
ON ATTENDANCE
POLICY
REGARDING MAKEUP EXAMS AND EXTENSIONS OF DEADLINES
POLICY
FOR ASSIGNMENTS
SHORT
ABSENCES
EXTENDED
ABSENCES
DOCUMENTATION
ACADEMIC
CONCERNS
2005 CALENDAR REFERENCES