Nature, nurture, and evolution:

A discussion of the significance of genetics and evolution for understanding human behavior

Senior Seminar in Neural and Behavioral Sciences
Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges, Spring, 2002

Session 1: Motivations
Readings and Web Links
(Discussion)

de Wall (1999) The End of Nature Versus Nurture, Scientific American, December, 1999 http://www.sciamarchive.org/pdfs/1383221.pdf
(This is accessible from campus computers only. If you have trouble with the URL above, go to http://www.sciam archive.org, and search "nature versus nurture").

Within psychology:

Cosmides, Leda and Tooby, John (1997) Evolutionary Psychology: A Primer, from CogWeb

Buss, David M. (1995) Evolutionary Psychology: A New Paradigm for Psychological Science. Psych Inquiry 6: 1-30

The human genome project:

Behavioral Genetics, a background paper from the Human Genome Project, US Dept. of Energy

Legal issues:

Genes and Behavior: A Complex Relationship, from a special issue of Judicature, 1999

The Impact of Behavioral Genetics on the Law and the Court, from a special issue of Judicature, 1999

Neurobiological issues:

Genes, Brains, and Behavior: A Work in Progress, a Serendip section

Grobstein, Paul (1991) From Genomes to Dreams, Bryn Mawr College Alumnae Bulletin

Berkowitz, Ari (1996) Our Genes, Ourselves?, Bioscience

Questions for discussion:

• Are genetic and evolutionary considerations (pick one or more of the following) necessary/useful/irrelevant/dangerous for thinking about human behavior?
• What distinctive advantages might there be in including genetic/evolutionary considerations in the exploration of human behavior?
• What new problems arise from including genetic/evolutionary considerations in the exploration of human behavior?
• What uncertainties do you have about your answers? What additional observations/information might help resolve some of these uncertainties?