Evolutionary Approaches to Human Behaviour (PSYC3262)
Information valid for Semester 1, 2020
Course level
Undergraduate
Faculty
School
Psychology School
Units
2
Duration
One Semester
Delivery mode
Internal
Class hours
2 Lecture hours
2 Tutorial hours
Recommended prerequisite
PSYC2050
Assessment methods
Quiz and Presentation, Essay and End of Semester Examination.
Course enquiries
Study Abroad
This course is pre-approved for Study Abroad and Exchange students.
Current course offerings
Course offerings | Location | Mode | Course Profile |
Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025) | St Lucia | In Person | Course Profile |
Please Note: Course profiles marked as not available may still be in development.
Course description
This course is designed to give students a working knowledge of how to correctly apply evolutionary biology to the study of human behaviour. Evolutionary psychologists use evolutionary biology to make inferences about psychological mechanisms. There are several ways of reconstructing humans' evolutionary past, leading to different sorts of psychological hypotheses. The course covers what psychologists can learn from game theory, hominid archaeology, primate behaviour, and hunter-gatherer cultures, giving an overview of the major sources of hypotheses in evolutionary psychology. Throughout, we will balance theory with critical review of empirical studies in evolutionary psychology.