The Psych Files - Evolutionary Psychology – David Buss Responds to Critics (2 Parts)

Interesting discussion - evolutionary psychology has been getting a lot of flack in the past few months, mostly for its reductionism and its attempt to complex human behaviors in very simple terms. Evol psych has a lot to offer, as long as it acknowledges its own limitations. I still have issues, but it's good that they are responding to the criticisms.

In this two-part series at the Psych Files (interviews conducted by Michael Britt), David Buss (University of Texas) defends the field in which he is a leader.

Episode 111: Evolutionary Psychology – David Buss Responds to Critics

by Michael on December 6, 2009

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There has been a lot of criticism of evolutionary psychology lately. How do researchers respond? One of the leading researchers in this field – Dr. David Buss of the University of Texas responds to these critics in part 1 of this 2 part episode. Find out how he responds to these questions: a) is evolutionary psychology sexist?, b) doesn’t evolutionary psychology just give people the ammunition they need to not take responsibility for themselves? c) theories from evolutionary psychology are not falsifiable, this it’s not scientific and d) human society is always changing – it hasn’t been stable enough long enough for any human behavior to have evolved.

Resources on Evolutionary Psychology

• David Buss’ Homepage
• Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind
• The Evolution Of Desire – Revised Edition 4
• Why Women Have Sex: Understanding Sexual Motivations from Adventure to Revenge (and Everything in Between)
• Human Nature Today by David Brooks
• Why Do We Rape, Kill and Sleep Around? by Sharon Begley

Part two of the discussion:

Episode 112: Evolutionary Psychology – David Buss Responds to Critics – Part 2

by Michael on December 16, 2009

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In part 2 of my interview with David Buss, he responds to more criticisms of evolutionary psychology. Here’s what we cover: a) does evolutionary psychology just give criminals another reason not to take responsibility for themselves?, b) is all the research in evolutionary psychology done on American college students?, c) are evolutionary psychology theories falsifiable? We cover such topics as whether women’s mating strategies change depending on where they are in their menstrual cycle? and How does evolutionary psychology might explain homosexuality? and what does evolutionary psychology say about cultural differences in the desire for women with a low waist-hip ratio? All in this episode of The Psych Files.

Tags: Psychology, evolution, brain, behavior, The Psych Files, Evolutionary Psychology, David Buss, Responds to Critics, Michael Britt