Table of Contents

Evolutionary Psychology: The Ultimate Origins of Human Behavior

Chapter 1. Origins: The Roots of Evolutionary Psychology

Darwin’s Theory

            Solving the Great Puzzle

            Basic Tenet’s of Darwin’s Theory

The Modern Synthesis

            Mendel’s Laws

Mutations

DNA

Behavior as a Function of Evolution

                        William James

                        The Abuse of Darwinism

                        Environmental Determinism

                        Ethology

                        Altruism and Sociobiology

                        Evolutionary Psychology

                        The Methods of Evolutionary Psychology

Chapter Summary

Chapter 2. From Big Bang to Big Brain

            Life in the Universe

            The Beginning

            Vertebrate Life

            Hominid Evolution

                        Africa: Cradle of Human Evolution

                        Bipedalism

                        The First Humans

            Chapter Summary

Chapter 3. Encephalization and the Emergence of Mind

The Prime Movers in Hominid Encephalization

                        Machiavellian Intelligence

                        The Ice-Ages

                        Ballistic Hunting

Language

                        Intraspecific competition

The Modular Brain

                        Localization of Function

Laterality

The Modular Mind

                        Fear Learning

                        Social Reasoning

                        Gender Differences

Chapter Summary

Chapter 4. Language: Crown Jewel of Communication

            The Nature of Language

                        Animal Communication

                        Animal Language Studies

                        Feral Children

            Language Acquisition

                        Developmental Stages

                        Critical Periods

            Language Evolution

                        Universals

                        Ancient Origins

                        Conceptual Domains

            Chapter Summary

Chapter 5. Mating and Reproduction

            Sexual Selection

                        The Evolutionary Basis of Sex Differences in Human Behavior

                        Mate Selection Criteria

                                    The Preferences of Men

                                    The Preferences of Women

            The Aesthetics of Attraction

                        Symmetry

                        Waist-Hip Ratio

                        The Masculine Ideal

                        The Feminine Ideal

Human Pheromones

            Menstrual Synchronicity

            Major Histocompatibility Complex Preferences

            Male Pheromones

            Female Pheromones

            Jealousy and Mate-Guarding

            Sperm Wars

            Sexual Orientation

            Pair-Bonding Strategies

                        Limerence: Short-Term Pair-Bonding

                        Long-Term Pair-Bonding

            Chapter Summary

Chapter 6. Ontogeny 

Pre-Natal Development

            Why Ontogeny Seems to Recapitulate Phylogeny

            Regulator Genes

            The Adaptive Function of Morning Sickness

            Mother-Fetus Competition

Post-Natal Development

            A Priori Mind

Parent-Infant Conflicts of Interest

            Incest Avoidance

            Evolved Contingency Mechanisms

Childhood Experience and Adult Reproductive Strategy

Childhood Experience and Adult Personality

                        Birth Order and Adult Personality

Optimizing Cognitive Potential

                        The Adaptive Function of Menopause

Chapter Summary

Chapter 7. Social Order and Disorder

            Dominance Hierarchies: The Coordination of Affiliation and Aggression

                        The Biochemistry of Status and the Function of Mood States

                                    Serotonin

                                    Testosterone

                                    Stress Hormones                     

            The Evolution of Compassion

                        Kin Selection and Altruism

                        Reciprocal Altruism

                        Universal Morality and Ethics

            Chapter Summary

Chapter 8. Personality and Psychopathology

Early Personality Theorists

Contemporary Approaches to Personality Theory

            The Case Study Research Paradigm: The Clinical Approach to Personality

            Trait Theory

            Factor Analysis: A Major Tool of Correlational Research

The Three Factor Model of Personality

The Five Factor Model of Personality

Evolutionary Theory and Personality

            The Adaptive Significance of Personality Traits

            Phylogeny and Ontogeny of Personality

Personality and Abnormal Behavior

            Axis I Psychiatric Diagnoses

                    Schizophrenia

                    Depression

                    Anxiety

            Axis II  Personality Disorders

                    Antisocial and Histrionic Personality Disorders 

                    Borderline Personality Disorder

                    The Other Axis II Personality Disorders

Chapter Summary

Chapter 9. The Creative Impulse: The Origins of Technology and Art

            Tool-Use

                        In Non Human Animals

                        The Hominid Archaeological Record

                        Tool-use as a selective force in Human Evolution

                        Assessment of Hominid Cognitive Ability

            Aesthetic Manipulation

                        Pleistocene Cave Art

                        The Adaptive Significance of Art

            Consciousness and the Symbolic Universe

            Chapter Summary

Chapter 10. Ancient Mammal in a Brave New World

            Mismatch Theory

            Stress: Then and Now

            Mental Health

            Indoctrination, Nationalism and War

            Better Living through Chemistry: Psychopharmacology

                        The Origins of Substance Abuse

                        Psychopharmacology

            The New Eugenics: Genetic Engineering

            Chapter Summary

 

Appendix A: Wason Selection Tasks for Cheater Detection (Cosmides & Tooby, 1992)

            Cheater Version

            Altruistic Version

Appendix B: Neurotransmitters: A Primer

Glossary

Bibliography

Index