Course: Evolutionary Cognitive Psychology

2 februari 2007 - 30 maart 2007

Course about the evolutionary roots of cognition.
Lots of room for discussion.
Interesting guest speakers.
6 EC.
Prerequisites: Propedeuse (first year finished) / for psychology students
also onderzoekspracticum
 
Lesson dates
Second semester, period 1:
Tuesdays and Fridays from 11 AM to 1 PM
6-02-2007 to 30-03-2007
 
Information
Annemie Ploeger,
e-mail: a.ploeger@uva.nl
phone: 020-5256686
 
Content of the course
Evolutionary psychology assumes that the human mind is the result of an
evolutionary process. Knowledge about this evolutionary process may
contribute to the understanding of the structure and the working of the
human mind.
We start with an introduction to evolutionary theory and evolutionary
psychology.
Specific issues that will be explained in the light of evolutionary theory
are language, theory of mind, and social exchange.
Theoretical issues that will be explained concern the evolution of the
brain, the modularity of the mind and the plasticity of the brain.
Controversies we will talk about are the (im)possibility of testing
evolutionary hypotheses and the question whether the assumptions of
evolutionary psychology are true.