Postgraduate Course: Evolutionary Psychology (PSYL11016)
Course Outline
| School |
School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College |
College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type |
Standard |
Availability |
Not available to visiting students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) |
SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits |
10 |
| Home subject area |
Psychology |
Other subject area |
Language Sciences |
| Course website |
None |
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| Course description |
The course covers both Evolutionary Psychology, and Sociobiology applied to human and animal behaviour*. It will focus particularly on recent research in these areas. It will cover a subset of the following topics:
- the evolution of cognition
- social intelligence
- modular conceptions of the mind
- the evolution of attractiveness
- biological markers (fluctuating asymmetry, 2nd:4th digit ratio, etc.) as predictors of human abilities and personality
- individual differences in human reproductive strategies
- evolutionary interpretations of language and culture
- sociobiological analyses of aid giving and co-operation, parental behaviour, mate choice and reproductive strategy, conflict resolution and group life.
* 50% of the teaching will be shared with P00172, Animal Communication and Sociobiology.
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Entry Requirements
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites |
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| Prohibited Combinations |
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Other requirements |
None
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| Additional Costs |
None |
Course Delivery Information
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
After successful completion of this course students will be able to explain and evaluate the ways in which ideas from evolutionary psychology are currently being applied to human behaviour, with a particular focus on applications relevant to human abilities, personality, individual differences in human attractiveness and reproductive strategies, and the evolution of human cognition.
They will be able to identify and evaluate the key ideas from animal sociobiology relating to aid-giving, parental behaviour, mate choice, reproductive strategies, and the dynamics of social groups, to give an account of the techniques (including agent-based and game-theoretic models) used in the analysis of these ideas, and evaluate their application to human behaviour. |
Assessment Information
| One literature review essay of 5000 words plus references |
Special Arrangements
| Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser |
Dr Peter Caryl
Tel: (0131 6)50 3451
Email: P.G.Caryl@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary |
Miss Toni Noble
Tel: (0131 6)51 3188
Email: Toni.noble@ed.ac.uk |
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copyright 2010 The University of Edinburgh -
1 September 2010 6:36 am
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