Evolutionary Developmental Psychology  

Recommended Prerequisites

Darwin's Theory of Evolution (basic knowledge); Biology and Genetics (basic knowledge); Developmental Psychology. It is advisable for students to have previously taken the course of Evolutionary Psychology.

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.
Evaluation: Type A examination: written exam, that corresponds to 100% of the final classification. Students with a rating equal to or higher than 18 values will have to take an additional oral exam to defend the grade.

Learning Outcomes

Introduction to Evolutionary Psychology as a currently emerging important theoretical framework of reference, which aims a horizontal and vertical standpoint of conceptual integration within Psychology. Promote research and critical reflection on scientific psychology, according to evolutionary paradigm conceptual framework.
Learning Outcomes
– Theoretical knowledge of Evolutionary Psychology basic concepts and general assumptions.
– Theoretical knowledge of Evolutionary Psychology main subjects, concerning human development and applied reasearch.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

I. Introduction
Epistemological and historical notes; Basic concepts; General assumptions.

II. General Themes
Culture and social exchanges; Psychology of mating and sex (sexual selection; sexual attraction, selection and mating strategies); Differences and conflicts between sexes; Mental and psychological traits (e.g. memory, perception, language) as adaptations or adaptive processes.

III. Themes related to human development
Social development; Parenthood (the evolution of parental care; the impact of parents in development); Moral judgment, cooperation, altruism, and reciprocity; Language (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/Journals:
Evolutionary Psychology; Evolution and Human Behavior

Obras de referência/Books:
Barkow, J.; Cosmides, L. & Tooby, J., Eds. (1995) The adapted mind: evolutionary psychology and the generation of culture. Oxford: OUP.
Buss, D. (2004). Evolutionary psychology: the new science of mind. Boston: Pearson.
Crawford, C. & Krebs, D., Eds. (2008). Foundations of evolutionary psychology. NY: Lawrence Erlbaum
Dunbar, R. & Barrett, L., Eds. (2007). The Oxford handbook of evolutionary psychology. Oxford: OUP.
Krebs, D. (2011). The origins of morality. NY: OUP.
Laland, K. (2013). Sense and nonsense: evolutionary perspectives on human behavior. Oxford: OUP.
Robert, S., Ed. (2012). Applied evolutionary psychology. Oxford: OUP.
Ray, W. (2013). Evolutionary psychology: neuroscience perspectives concerning human behavior and experience. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Salmon, C. & Shackelford, T., Eds. (2011) The Oxford handbook of evolutionary family psychology. NY: OUP.