Undergraduate Course: Evolution and Cognition (PSYL10192)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course introduces psychology students to the fundamentals of evolutionary biology as it is relevant to psychological science. The first lectures give an audience-appropriate introduction to key concepts in evolution and genetics (natural selection, random drift, developmental genetics¿). The course then teaches students how this knowledge can be applied to our understanding of psychological phenomena, and provides examples of empirical research programmes where evolutionary principles have been deployed to understand the mind. |
| Course description |
The course introduces psychology students to the fundamentals of evolutionary biology as it is relevant to psychological science. Evolutionary principles are an essential foundation of contemporary biology, providing the key for understanding biological phenomena at the ultimate level of analysis. As psychology is in some important respects a sub-field of biology, understanding evolutionary principles provides important foundations for thinking about many issues in psychological science.
In the first lectures, we introduce key concepts in evolutionary biology in a way that is appropriate for an audience of non-biologists. Some major concepts covered will include the definition of evolution, the different mechanisms responsible for evolution (natural selection, random drift, etc), the gene-eye view of evolution, and key concepts in genetics and development as they are relevant to evolution.
In the next set of lectures, we discuss how these insights can inform psychological theorizing, as well as mistakes to avoid while doing so. Key points covered include the distinction between adaptation, noise and by-products; whether there are reliable criteria to infer that something is an adaptation; and how to think about learning from an evolutionary perspective. We discuss the role of evolutionarily-informed theorizing, highlighting the limits of approaches that only aim to explain known phenomena, and emphasizing that researchers primarily use evolutionary insights to make novel empirical predictions.
The main body of the course consists of case studies where we apply an evolutionary lens to a particular phenomenon. A typical case study starts with a description of what evolutionary biologists know about the topic, and discusses how these insights have informed psychological research, showcasing relevant empirical studies. For example, on a lecture on cooperation, we might start by introducing classic theoretical models of cooperation (like reciprocity and kin altruism), and then discuss how these insights apply to the human species, covering psychological research on economic games among strangers, social emotions, and sibling altruism. Some examples of topics that might be covered as a case study include kinship, coalitonal psychology, romantic relationships, individual differences, cooperation, and emotions.
The course ends by addressing what makes our species unique relative to other animals: We discuss how to think about culture from an evolutionary perspective. A guiding thread in this section might be to raise the question of whether the fact that humans are a cultural species means that evolutionary thinking is less relevant to understanding our behavior, relative to other animals. Topics to be discussed might include different evolutionary models of culture (cultural attraction and dual inheritance), psychological constraints on cultural evolution, and how to make sense of cultural variation from an evolutionary perspective.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should be studying Psychology as their degree major, and have completed at least 3 Psychology courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission. **Please note that upper level Psychology courses are high-demand, meaning that they have a very high number of students wishing to enrol in a very limited number of spaces.** These enrolments are managed strictly by the Visiting Student Office, in line with the quotas allocated by the department, and all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. It is not appropriate for students to contact the department directly to request additional spaces. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
70 %,
Coursework
30 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Essay (1,000 words) - 30%
Exam (2 hours) - 70% |
| Feedback |
Feedback will be provided via individual written feedback on assessments. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | PSYL10192 Evolution and Cognition exam | 120 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the key principles of evolutionary biology.
- Critically evaluate applications of evolutionary theory to the behavioural sciences.
- Appreciate the implications of evolutionary thinking for classic debates in psychology, such as nature vs nurture.
- Use evolutionary principles to generate and critically evaluate novel empirical hypotheses about mind and behaviour.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the distinction between proximal and ultimate-level explanations of mind and behaviour.
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Reading List
- Dawkins, R. (1976). The Selfish Gene. Oxford University Press.
- Barkow, J. H., Cosmides, L., & Tooby, J. (Eds.). (1992). The adapted mind: Evolutionary psychology and the generation of culture. Oxford University Press.
- Henrich, J. (2015). The secret of our success: How culture is driving human evolution, domesticating our species, and making us smarter. Princeton University press.
- Sznycer, D., Sell, A., & Lieberman, D. (2021). Forms and functions of the social emotions. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 30(4), 292-299. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
This course will encourage students' Reflection and Critical Thinking skills through teaching them to reason rigorously and creatively about primary research, in particular inter-disciplinary research. It will build Communication skills through writing practice, and Curiosity with readings and engagement with interdisciplinary research. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Tadeg Quillien
Tel:
Email: Tadeg.Quillien@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Fiona Thomson
Tel:
Email: fthomso3@ed.ac.uk |
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