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Teaching Evolutionary Psychology
David M. Buss
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“In the distant future psychology will be based on a new foundation, that of the necessary acquirement of each mental power and capacity by gradation.” --Charles Darwin, 1859
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Teaching Tool #1 Convey to students a sense of “deep time”
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Origins of Modern Humans
Homo Erectus Migrated from Africa to Asia (1.8 MYA)
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Increases in brain size during evolution
ardipithecus brain size: 300 ccs Australopithe-cus brain size: ccs homo habilis brain size: ccs homo erectus brain size: ccs Neandertal brain size: ccs modern human brain size: 1350 ccs
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Milestones in the Origins of Modern Humans
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Milestones in the Origins of Modern Humans
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Teaching Tool #2 Teach students that there are multiple levels of causation and explanation.
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Turtles
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Teaching Tool #3 Explain the three theories of the origins of complex adaptive mechanisms
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1. Creationism
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2. Seeding theory
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3. Evolution by natural selection
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Teaching Tool #4 Explain the logic of evolution by natural selection
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Evolution Before Darwin
Change over time in organic structures: evolution Characteristics seemed to have a purpose (porcupines, turtles, skunks)
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Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection
The explanatory challenge: 1. why change takes place 2. how new species emerge 3. what the functions are of parts
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The answer--natural selection: Variation, inheritance, differential reproduction
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The key to natural selection: Differential reproductive success because of heritable variants; everyone has ancestors, but not everyone leaves descendants
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Natural selection provided 3 key answers
Explained change over time: descent with modification Explained the apparent purposive quality of component parts: adaptive function United all species into one grand tree of descent: including humans
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Darwin Was Deeply Troubled by Facts that Could not Be Explained by Natural Selection
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Teaching Tool #5 Hence, need to explain the tremendous importance of the theory of sexual selection
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Sexual Selection
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Intersexual Selection: Preferential Mate Choice
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Sexual Selection Components
Intrasexual Competition
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Teaching Tool #6 Explain the core tenets of evolutionary psychology
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Core Tenets of Evolutionary Psychology
1. All behavior is a function of psychological mechanisms + input to those mechanisms
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Core Tenets of Evolutionary Psychology
2. All psychological mechanisms, at some basic level, originate from evolutionary processes
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Core Tenets of Evolutionary Psychology
3. Natural and sexual selection are the most important evolutionary processes responsible for creating psychological mechanisms
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Core Tenets of Evolutionary Psychology
4. Evolved psychological mechanisms can be described as information processing devices. Inputs Decision Rules Outputs
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Core Tenets of Evolutionary Psychology
5. Evolved psychological mechanisms are instantiated in the brain.
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Core Tenets of Evolutionary Psychology
6. Evolved psychological mechanisms are functional: Designed to solve statistically recurrent adaptive problems
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Teaching Tool #7 Teach the critical distinction between ultimate and proximate causation
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Proximate and Ultimate Causation
Proximate causation: Immediate causal forces—development, input, mechanism Ultimate causation: Why? [example: Why are men taller than women, on average?]
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The “Long Bones” Explanation
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Teaching Tool #8 Explain that humans were not “designed” to understand the causal processes that created their own psychology
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What Was the Human Mind Designed to Comprehend?
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Teaching Tool #9 Use examples from the human body
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Teaching Tool #10 Use animal examples
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All Species have a Nature
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Sexual Conflict Dampwood termites: Antennating males
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Animals Mating and Fighting
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tremendously important.
Teaching Tool #11 Use examples that relate to what’s important in the lives of students*: Mating Cooperation Aggression Common clinical problems: depression, eating disorders, etc. Social conflict *Coincidentally, these are precisely the topics that evolutionary theory suggests tremendously important.
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Topics Students Care About
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Teaching Tool #12 Use thought experiments
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Illustrative Thought Experiment: Mission Impossible
What would you do if you were a gene? Your Mission: to increase your replicative success
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Inclusive Fitness Revolution
What would you do if you were a gene? Ensure the survival of your “vehicle” (body) Making copies of yourself: influence your “vehicle” to reproduce (find fertile mates, etc.) Aid in the survival and reproduction of other “vehicles” that contain copies of you (help genetic relatives)
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Thought Experiment List all of the qualities women want in a long-term mate. List all of the qualities men want in a long-term mate.
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Thought Experiment List all the things that men you know have done to irritate, anger, annoy, or upset women.
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Teaching Tool #13 Deal with controversial topics head on: Issue “surgeon general’s warnings”
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Surgeon General’s Warning #1: There are Dark Sides to Human Nature
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Warning # 2: Sexual Conflict is Prevalent
Same-Sex Friendships Mateships Opposite-Sex Friendships Hierarchical Relationships Sexual Conflict Same-sex friendship: sexual rivalry OSF: conflict over sexual access Coalitions: Sexual rivalry Parent-offspring: parents run interference with daughter’s mating. Mateships: conflict over EPC’s and within-pair copulations, commitment, etc. Hierarchical: conflict over privileged sexual access, and intrasexual competition over mates Step-relationships: Sexual abuse of stepdaughters Coalitions Step-Relationships Parent-Offspring Relationships
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Warning #3: Evolved Sex Differences Exist
Men and Women Differ in Domains Where they Have Recurrently Faced Different Adaptive Problems Over Human Evolutionary History
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Recurrently Different Adaptive Problems of the Sexes
Internal female fertilization Obligatory parental investment Metabolic demands of breast feeding Genetic cuckoldry Potential for misdirected parental investment Cryptic ovulation Cyclic ovulation
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Likelihood of Agreeing to Have Sex With Someone You Find Attractive as a Function of Time Known
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Teaching Tool #14 Emphasize that well constructed evolutionary psychological hypotheses are testable and hence falsifiable. Strongly Supported: Sex differences in mate preferences for cues to resources and cues to fertility Apparently Falsified: “Loser male” design feature of rape hypothesis
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Teaching Tool #15 Lighten up: show a sense of humor
E.g., One cartoonist’s rendition of male and females brains
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Teaching Tool #16 Explain heuristic value of evolutionary psychology: Guides researchers to important domains such as . . . Mating Kinship Aggression Cooperation Social conflict Status hierarchies Morality
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Teaching Tool #17 Consilience
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Evolutionary Psychology is Consilient
1. Organizes known facts parsimoniously 2. Provides guidance to important domains 3. Leads to new predictions 4. Unifies psychology with the life sciences
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Teaching Tool #18 Show humility and honesty: What we know is minute compared to what we do not know
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Final Teaching Tool #19: Excitement, Awe, Appreciation
It is a rare and special privilege to be living in the exciting time of what I believe is the most important scientific revolution in the history of psychology
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Thank you!
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