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Evolution and the Study of Human Behaviour: A Primer for the Scientist—Practitioner

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2012

Alisdair G. Daws  and
Candice P. Boyd
Alisdair G. Daws
Affiliation:
University of Melbourne, Australia.
Candice P. Boyd*
Affiliation:
Centre for Health Research and Practice, University of Ballarat, Australia.
*
Address for correspondence: Dr Candice Boyd, Lecturer in Psychology, University of Ballarat, Ballarat VIC 3353, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The theory of evolution has transformed biology from a largely descriptive science to a causal one. However, few psychologists have a thorough understanding of evolution. As a result, psychologists tend not to consider evolutionary explanations for the phenomena they investigate, or they present flawed evolutionary arguments that violate fundamental principles of evolutionary theory. The primary objective of this article is to outline the basic principles of evolution as they relate to the study of behaviour in general. The article then goes on to demonstrate the application of evolutionary theory to the study of human behaviour in particular, and concludes with a discussion of problems that can occur when evolutionary theory is applied incorrectly.

Type
Case Reports and Shorter Communications
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 22 , Issue 2 , 01 July 2005 , pp. 114 - 121
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2005

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