Applied Evolutionary Psychology

by Roberts, S. Craig

• ISBN13: 9780199586073
• ISBN10: 0199586071
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-02-20
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Human behaviour is marvellous in its complexity, variability and unpredictability. Understanding it, however, is not solely the role of psychologists: everyone has a vested interest in it, from individuals to organisations and industry. Recently, biologists and psychologists have hadconsiderable success incorporating insights from evolutionary theory to help them understand some fundamental psychological issues, in a discipline now known as evolutionary psychology. However, to date, these useful insights have not been widely applied to tackle specific practical problems orissues in society. This innovative new book kick-starts this process. It provides a foundation for an incipient focus on applications of evolutionary research. It draws together a collection of renowned academics from a disparate set of fields, whose common interest lies in using evolutionary thinking to inform theirresearch. Topics range from reviews of evolutionary perspectives on adult and family relationships, insights into business, economics and marketing, health and interactions with technology and the media, through to major global and societal issues such as promoting green behaviour, cooperation, andpublic health, and tackling crime, terrorism, and prejudice. No other book has focused as specifically and with such broad scope on the applications of modern evolutionary psychology. While the rapidly growing number of books on evolutionary psychology succeed in describing current theoretical thinking, illustrated and supported by empirical studies, thisbook uses this established basis as a backdrop and starting point for a more focused exploration of practical application. This groundbreaking book will be valuable for students and researchers in evolutionary and applied psychology, as well as biology and anthropology.

Table of Contents

Applying evolutionary psychology

Business

The evolutionary psychology of economics

The evolution of business and management

The social animal within organizations

Family

The evolved child: adapted to family life

Application of evolutionary psychology to academic learning

Serial monogamy and clandestine adultery: evolution and consequences of the dual human reproductive strategy

Society

The evolutionary psychology of mass politics

Gender equity issues in evolutionary perspective

The evolution of charitable behaviour and the power of reputation

Altruism as showing off: a signaling perspective on promoting green behaviour and acts of kindness

Evolutionary perspectives on intergroup prejudice: implications for promoting tolerance

The evolutionary psychology of criminal behaviour

War, martyrdom, and terror: evolutionary underpinnings of the moral imperative to extreme group violence

Evolutionary theory and behavioural biology research: implications for law

Health

Motivational mismatch: evolved motives as the source of - and solution to - global public health problems

Mental health and wellbeing: clinical applications of Darwinian psychiatry

Evolutionary perspectives on sport and competition

Marketing and Communication

Why we buy: evolution, marketing, and consumer behaviour

Evolutionary psychology and perfume design

Television programming and the audience

News as reality-inducing, survival-relevant, and gender-specific stimuli

Technology

Media naturalness theory: human evolution and behaviour toward electronic communication technologies

Evolutionary psychology, demography and driver safety research: a theoretical synthesis

Evolutionary robotics

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