Evolutionary Psychology

Recommended Prerequisites

NA

Teaching Methods

Lectures: expository method supported by handouts (“Power Point” slides, available as PDF documents); interrogative methods; oral or written reflection based on the presentation of audio-visual materials.

Learning Outcomes

Introduction to Evolutionary Psychology as a currently emerging important theoretical framework of reference, which aims a horizontal and vertical perspective of conceptual integration within Psychology.
Learning Outcomes:
– Theoretical knowledge of Evolutionary Psychology basic concepts and general assumptions;
– Theoretical knowledge of Evolutionary Psychology main subjects, concerning human development and applied research.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

I. Introductory themes:
Historical notes and basic concepts: selection and adaptation; genetics and epigenetics. General and basic assumptions. Epistemological notes: Horizontal and vertical integration within the scope of psychology and social and human sciences. Other introductory considerations.
II. Basic human functions and processes:
Mental and psychological traits (e.g. memory, perception, language) as adaptations or adaptive processes; The evolution of cognition; The nature and evolution of language.
III. Applied Themes
Culture, co-operation and social exchanges; Psychology of mating and sex: sexual selection; sexual attraction, selection and mating strategies. Differences and conflicts between sexes. Parenthood: the evolution of parental care. Moral judgment, cooperation, reciprocity, and altruism. Language and symbolism: the evolution of language; Language as an instinct.

Head Lecturer(s)

Pedro Manuel Malaquias Pires Urbano

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Exam: 100.0%

Bibliography

Revistas científicas: Evolutionary Psychology; Evolution and Human Behavior
Barkow, Cosmides & Tooby, Eds (1995) The adapted mind: evolutionary psychology and the generation of culture. Oxford: OUP.
Buss, D. (2014). Evolutionary psychology.The new science of mind (5th ed). Boston: Pearson.
Dunbar & Barrett, Eds. (2007).The Oxford Handbook of evolutionary psychology. Oxford: OUP.
Laland, K. (2013). Sense and nonsense: evolutionary perspectives on human behavior. Oxford: OUP.
Lewin, R. & Foley, R. A. (2004).Principles of human evolutiom (2 ed.). Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Ray, W. (2013). Evolutionary psychology: neuroscience perspectives concerning human behavior and experience. LA: SAGE.
Swami, V. (Ed.). (2011). Evolutionary psychology: a critical introduction. Chichester, UK: BPS Blackwell.
Sapolsky, R. (2018). Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst (reprint ed). London: Penguin
Viren, V. (2011). Evolutionary psychology: a critical introduction. Chichester: BPS Blackwell