FSHD 603: Topics in Social and Emotional Development in Childhood
Family Relationships and Development of Reproductive Strategies
Spring 2010
INSTRUCTOR:
Bruce J. Ellis, Ph.D.
Office: McClelland Park 315G
Phone: (520) 626-5703
Email: bjellis@email.arizona.edu
OFFICE HOURS:
By appointment.
CLASS MEETINGS: Fridays 12:30-3:30 in McClelland Park 207/Psychology 107
Course Description:
This course focuses on using an evolutionary perspective to examine a series of topics in the general
area of family relationships and human development. We will be reading Sarah Hrdy’s book,
Mothers and Others, and thus examining parental and alloparental care in considerable detail. As
we read this book, we will go into depth on a variety of related topics (e.g., paternal investment,
development of attachment, life history strategies, parent-offspring conflict, sibling relationships
and conflict). Underlying all of this will be a unifying focus on understanding the evolution and
development of individual differences in personality. This will take us into the areas of epigenetics,
adaptive genetic variation, and phenotypic plasticity. The goal is for the use of an evolutionarydevelopmental perspective to help pull all of this together into a coherent framework.
Course Organization:
This course has an unusual organization. Part 1: The first hour or so of class takes place in the
context of a larger interdisciplinary reading group (evo-devo/buglab) that includes interested faculty
and graduate students from around campus (e.g., FSHD, Psychology, Anthropology, Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology, Adolescent Medicine). This brings a diversity of knowledge and
perspectives to bear on the topic. Part 2: The rest of class then takes place in the standard fashion
(instructor and students). The other unusual aspect of this class is that it rotates between two
locations (McPark 207 and Psychology 107).
Course communications:
http://d2l.arizona.edu/
A course website is in development, and will include updated copies of this syllabus, readings, and
other communications about the class. All participants will be expected to make use of the course
website, and are expected to use their university email accounts for communications about the
course.
Discussion Questions and Responses
Each week, students will be expected to post 2 discussion questions to the d2l discussion board and
to post at least one response to a question that another student has posted. For the two questions
that you need to post, one should be based on the reading from Part 1; the other on the reading(s)
from Part 2. Your questions should be posted by Wednesday at 5pm and your response should be
posted by Thursday at 12pm (noon). Here are some guidelines for your questions:
Each discussion question should be 150-250 words.
• The discussion questions should do more than just request information or clarification. That
is, the questions should raise issues, explore implications, challenge assumptions, or
juxtapose ideas.
• The discussion questions should be tied to the particular readings for that week. Do not ask
general questions that could have been posed without ever having done the readings .
• You are welcome to pick a fight (i.e., write a critical question).
• You are welcome to try to answer your own questions.
• You are welcome to try to connect your questions to your own research or research interests.
• You are welcome to try to place your questions in the context of other literature.
Your response should seriously engage the question.
Discussion Leadership:
Each student will help lead one day of class discussion. The job of the discussion leader that day
will be to carefully review all of the student discussion questions, organize them in some coherent
way (in a document that you will hand in to me at the end of class), and then work with me ensure
that the major themes and issues raised in the discussion questions get engaged during class.
Class Participation and Attendance
This class is based on a seminar-discussion format. My desire for this course is to provide an
environment in which all students feel free and safe to thoughtfully add to the class discussion in
their own way. It is my goal that we will listen to and build upon each other's thoughts and ideas as
we work together to learn more about evolutionary-development approaches to families and
development.
You should bring talking points with you to class every week. Don’t let 3 hours go by without
participating! Class preparation is critical. Attendance is mandatory.
Readings
Required text: Hrdy, S.B. (2009). Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual
Understanding. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
In addition, a set of course readings consisting of journal articles and book chapters will be
available on d2l. The specific readings for each week are listed below.
Research Proposal
Each student will be required to write a research proposal on some topic related to the course. A
draft of the proposal will be due April 5th, and the final paper will be due not later than May 5th. I
will be happy to meet with students individually to discuss ideas for their proposals. In addition,
you are required to email me (maximum one page) by March 24th stating your idea for your
research proposal. I will provide you with feedback on your initial idea and feedback on your draft.
During the last two weeks of the course, each student will present his or her proposal to the class.
(More detailed guidelines and suggestions will be posted to the d2l site.)
Grades
In determining the final letter grade for the course:
Discussion questions and responses: 30%
(Did you get them done on time? Did they meet the expectations stated above?)
Discussion leadership and class participation: 20%
(Did you come to class well-prepared and actively participate? Were you here every week?)
Research proposal: 50%
(Did you get all of the pieces done on time? Were you responsive to Feedback? Did you
have a well-organized and effective classroom presentation? Quality of the final product?)
Date
Jan. 15
READINGS
Hrdy Chap 1
(Evo-devo)
TOPIC
Cooperation and
Sharing
Jan. 15
----------------------------------------------
Introduction and
Overview
Jan. 22
Hrdy Chap 2
Evolution of Intersubjectivity
(Evo-devo)
Jan. 22
Bjorklund, D.F., Ellis, B.J., & Rosenberg, J.S. (2007).
Evolutionary
Evolved probabilistic cognitive mechanisms: An
Developmental
evolutionary approach to gene x environment x development Psychology
interactions. Advances in Child Development and Behavior,
35, 1-36. (Class)
Jan. 29
Hrdy Chap 3
Jan. 29
(Evo-devo)
Review the many
different ways that
infant primates are
cared
Target article only: Del Giudice, M. (2009). Sex,
attachment, and the development of reproductive strategies.
Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 32, 1-67.
Sex, attachment, and
the development of
reproductive strategies
LOCATION
McClelland
Park Rm. 207
Psychology
107
McClelland
Rm. 207
(Class)
Feb. 5
Hrdy Chap 4
(Evo-devo)
Contrast infant care
among wild Great Apes
with that of nomadic
hunter-gatherers
Feb. 5
Ellis, B.J., Figueredo, A.J., Brumbach, B.H., & Schlomer,
G.L. (2009). Fundamental dimensions of environmental
risk: The impact of harsh versus unpredictable
environments on the evolution and development of life
history strategies. Human Nature, 20, 204-268. (Class)
Life history strategies
Feb. 12
Hrdy Chap 5
Who are alloparents
and why did they help?
(Evo-devo)
Feb. 12
Geary, D. C. (2007). Evolution of fatherhood. In C.
Salmon & T. Shackelford (Eds.), Family relationships: An
evolutionary perspective (pp. 115-144). New York: Oxford
University Press.
Psychology
107
McClelland
Rm. 207
Paternal Investment
Nettle, D. (2008). Why do some dads get more involved
than others? Evidence from a large British cohort.
Evolution and Human Behavior, 29, 416–423.
(Class)
Feb. 19
Hrdy Chap 6
(Evo-devo)
Feb. 19
Harris, J. R. (2005). Social behavior and personality
development: The role of experiences with siblings and with
peers (pp. 245-270). In B. J. Ellis & D. F. Bjorklund (Eds.),
Alloparenting in
taxonomically diverse
species
Sibling relationships/
birth order
Psychology
107
Origins of the Social Mind. New York: Guilford Press.
Frank J. Sulloway, F.J. (2007). Birth Order. In C. Salmon
& T. Shackelford (Eds.), Family relationships: An
evolutionary perspective (pp. 162-182). New York: Oxford
University Press.
(Class)
Feb. 26
Hrdy Chap 7
Babies as sensory traps
(Evo-devo)
Feb. 26
Schlomer, G.L., Del Giudice, M. DeBaca, T. & Ellis, B.J.
(submitted). The Utility of Parent-Offspring Conflict
Theory in Understanding Parent-Child Conflict.
McClelland
Rm. 207
Parent-offspring
conflict
(Class)
Mar. 5
Hrdy Chap 8
Grandmothers
(Evo-devo)
Mar. 5
Flinn MV, Quinlan RL, Ward CV, & Coe MK (2007).
Evolution of the human family: Cooperative males, long
social childhoods, smart mothers, and extended kin
networks. In C. Salmon & T. Shackelford (Eds.), Family
relationships: An evolutionary perspective (pp. 16-38).
New York: Oxford University Press.
Quinlan, R.J., & Quinlan, M.B. (2008). Human lactation,
pair-bonds, and alloparents: A Cross-cultural analysis.
Human Nature, 19, 87–102.
(Class)
Mar 12
SRA: No Class
Mar. 19
Spring Break
Mar.
24
Email me (maximum one page) stating idea for
research proposal.
Evolution of the human
family and pair-bonding
Psychology
107
Mar.
26
Hrdy Chap 9
Mar.
26
Isles, A.R., & Wilkinson, L.S. (2008).
Epigenetics: what is it and why is it important to
mental disease? British Medical Bulletin, 85, 35–
45.
(Evo-devo)
Long childhoods
and other life
history traits
associated with
cooperative
breeding
Psychology
107
Epigenetics
Champagne, F.A., & Mashoodh, R. (2009). Genes
in Context: Gene–Environment Interplay and the
Origins of Individual Differences in Behavior.
Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18,
127-131.
Cole, S.W. (2009). Social Regulation of Human
Gene Expression. Current Directions in
Psychological Science, 18, 132-137.
(Class)
April 2 Target article only: Keller, M. C., & Miller, G. F.
(2006). Resolving the paradox of common,
harmful, heritable mental disorders: Which
evolutionary genetic models work best?
Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 29, 385-452.
Adaptive genetic
variation
McClelland
Park Rm.
207
(Evo-devo)
April 2
Target article only: Penke, L., Denissen, J. J. A., Adaptive genetic
& Miller, G. F. (2007). The evolutionary genetics
variation
of personality. European Journal of Personality,
21, 549-587. (Class)
April
5
Preliminary research proposals due (5pm).
Turned in to my office.
April 9 PP. 129-163 (Chapter titled: Why grow up?) of:
Ellison, P. T. (2001). On fertile ground: A
natural history of human reproduction.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Pubertal
Development
(Evo-devo)
April 9 Ellis, B.J. (2004). Timing of pubertal maturation
in girls: An integrated life history approach.
Psychological Bulletin, 130, 920-958.
(Class)
Pubertal
Development
Psychology
107
April
16
Ellis, B.J., Boyce, W.T., Belsky, J., BakermansKranenburg, M.J., & van IJzendoorn, M.H.
(under review). The differential susceptibility
paradigm: Reconceptualizing person-xenvironment interactions in development.
Submitted to Development and Psychopathology.
Evolutionary
McClelland
models of person-x- Park Rm.
environment
207
interactions in
development
(Evo-devo)
April
16
Ellis, B.J. (in press). Toward an evolutionarydevelopmental explanation of alternative
reproductive strategies: The central role of
switch-controlled modular systems. In D.M.
Buss & P.H. Hawley (Eds.), The evolution of
personality and individual differences. New
York: Oxford University Press.
Evolutionary
models of person-xenvironment
interactions in
development
(Class)
April
23
Student presentations
McClelland
Park Rm.
207
April
30
Student presentations
McClelland
Park Rm.
207
May 5
Final Research Proposals due (5pm). Turned
in to my office.