EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY

Catalog description

This course is an overview of the scientific understanding of the human mind and behavior as viewed through the lens of evolutionary theory. Unlike other psychology subfields which focus on the immediate causation for behavior, evolutionary psychologists think in terms of if or how a behavior would have been adaptive (i.e. led to greater survival and reproductive success) in the past, or how it might currently be adaptive in the present. Looking at behavior through an evolutionary lens ultimately leads to a more complete understanding as to why humans behave in the ways they do.