Institute for the Social Sciences Workshop
The Role of Biology in Families: From Ecology to Endocrinology
1
Institute for the Social Sciences
146 Myron Taylor Hall
Cornell University
The processes that shape family-related behavior can be found at multiple levels of organization.
For example, the forces influencing family formation have their origins in our evolutionary
history, while a person’s decision to create or remain in a family is caused by psychological and
biological mechanisms that operate in real-time. To better understand the formation of families,
family structure, and patterns of interaction within families, we need to integrate findings from
evolutionary and other biological approaches into our current knowledge.
The proposed workshop will be organized around a central question: What are the
critical biology-based hypotheses of family-related behavior in humans and how do we test
them? We will address this question from ultimate (evolutionary) and proximate (hormonal and
developmental) perspectives. The workshop’s goal is to generate empirical tests that will
establish causal links between biological mechanisms and family-related behavior. To that end
we will follow the main talks with a round-table discussion in which participants will work
together to construct research hypotheses that address the central question.
Dates: October 14 – 15, 2005
Speakers
Laura Betzig, Adaptationist Program, University of Michigan
http://laurabetzig.org/
Stephen Emlen, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University
http://www.nbb.cornell.edu/neurobio/emlen/
Robert Frank, Johnson Graduate School of Management and Department of Economics, Cornell
University
http://www.johnson.cornell.edu/faculty/profiles/frank/
David Harris, Vice Provost for the Social Sciences, Executive Director of the Institute for the
Social Sciences, and Department of Sociology, Cornell University
http://socialsciences.cornell.edu/harris.html
Dario Maestripieri, Department of Comparative Human Development and Committee on
Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago
http://primate.uchicago.edu/dario.htm
Katherine Wynne-Edwards, Department of Biology, Queen’s University
http://biology.queensu.ca/~wynneedw/index.html
Summary speaker
Jeffrey Alberts, Department of Psychology, Indiana University
http://www.indiana.edu/~psych/faculty/alberts.html
Institute for the Social Sciences Workshop
The Role of Biology in Families: From Ecology to Endocrinology
Discussion leaders
Elizabeth Adkins-Regan, Department of Psychology and Department of Neurobiology and
Behavior, Cornell University
http://www2.psych.cornell.edu/regan/
Stephen Emlen, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University
http://www.nbb.cornell.edu/neurobio/emlen/
Michael Goldstein, Department of Psychology, Cornell University
http://www.psych.cornell.edu/people/Faculty/mhg26.html
Schedule*
* All workshop activities take place at the ISS Conference Room (146 Myron Taylor Hall),
except the Oct. 14th dinner at Renee’s Restaurant (115 S. Quarry, 277-4047).
Day 1: Plenary talks
Morning session: Ecological and evolutionary approaches to family formation and structure
8:00 am
Breakfast
8:30 – 8:55
Introduction to the central questions and goals of the workshop (Mike Goldstein,
Elizabeth Adkins-Regan, Stephen Emlen)
9 – 9:45
"Sex, Marriage, Inheritance, Friendship, Kinship, & Politics: An Evolutionary
View,” Laura Betzig
9:45 – 10
Q&A
10 – 10:45
"Predictors of Familial Cooperation and Conflict: A Bird's Eye View,” Stephen
Emlen
10:45 – 11
Q&A
11 – 11:15
Break
11:15 – 12
"The Impact of Income Inequality on Middle-Class Families: A Darwinian
Perspective,” Robert Frank
12 – 12:15
Q&A
12:15 – 1:30 Lunch
2
Institute for the Social Sciences Workshop
The Role of Biology in Families: From Ecology to Endocrinology
3
Afternoon session: Proximal mechanisms of family organization and behavior
1:30 – 2:15
"The Causation, Ontogeny, Adaptive Function, and Evolution of Maternal
Attachment,” Dario Maestripieri
2:15 – 2:30
Q&A
2:30 – 3:15
“Neuroendocrinology of Fatherhood: A Role for Hormones in Life's Transitions,”
Kathy Wynne-Edwards
3:15 – 3:30
Q&A
3:30 – 3:45
Break
3:45 – 5:00
Introductions (short 3 – 5 minute presentations)
6:30
Dinner at Renee’s Restaurant (115 S. Quarry, 277-4047)
Day 2: Discussion
8:00 am
Breakfast
8:30 – 10:30 Roundtable discussion
10:30 – 11
“Implications for Public Policy,” David Harris
11 – 11:15
Q&A
11:15 – 11:45 Jeff Alberts summary talk (will integrate messages of talks and summarize
discussion answers to workshop questions)
11:45 – 12
Q&A
12:00
Lunch