PY2108 - Evolution of Behaviour
| Credit points: | 03 |
| Year: | 2006 |
| Student Contribution Band: | Band 1 |
| Administered by: |
Note: Not offered in 2005.
Evolutionary psychology and sociobiology are concerned with how natural selection has shaped the behaviour and psychology of humans and other animals. Basic concepts in genetics and evolutionary theory, necessary for applying this approach, are covered including heritability, inclusive fitness, kin selection, parental investment, parent-offspring conflict and male and female reproductive strategies. These concepts will be employed in order to understand diverse phenomena such as eusociality in bees, size and behavioural differences in males and females, the evolution of altruism and cooperation, why many species engage in sexual reproduction rather than asexual reproduction and why men and women focus on particular characteristics, such as the waist-to-hip ratio, when choosing a mate. Although many examples will be drawn from the non-human literature, the focus will be on understanding human behaviour and psychological processes.
Learning Outcomes
- acquire a working knowledge of basic evolutionary concepts so that these may be appropriately applied to our understanding of how natural selection may have shaped behaviour and the mind;
- demonstrate that an evolutionary or distal perspective complements, rather than necessarily competes with, proximate explanations typical of other subfields within the discipline;
- discuss the methodological problems and ethical issues that arise when applying an evolutionary or biological approach to behaviour;
- illustrate how an evolutionary perspective may be applied to diverse topics within the discipline of psychology, as well as to those common in other disciplines.
| Prerequisites: | PY1001 or PY1002 or PY1003 or PY1101 or PY1102 or PY1104or relevant background in another discipline with permission of HoS. |
Availabilities | |
| , , Study Period 1 | |
| Census Date 24-Mar-2006 | |
| Coord/Lect: | Michele Surbey. |
| Contact hours: |
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| Assessment: | (45%); (25%); (30%). |
Note: Minor variations might occur due to the continuous Subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.