Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind

by David M. Buss

Book Overview

David Buss examines human behavior from an evolutionary perspective and provides students with the conceptual tools needed to study evolutionary psychology, and applies them to empirical research on... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0205483380
• ISBN13: 9780205483389
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon
• Length: 477 Pages
• Weight: 3.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A thorough, rigorous, and illuminating book.

David Buss, author of The Evolution of Desire and The Dangerous Passion, brings his formidable intellect, research experience, knowledge, and writing talent to bear in this impressive introduction to the field of Evolutionary Psychology. It is obvious from reading the book that it was painstakingly researched. An impressive breadth of research studies in evolutionary psychology and relevant work from other disciplines, including anthropology, biology, and sociology are clearly explained and their implications discussed. Alternative hypotheses and interpretations of research, where alternatives have been explicitly proposed, are even-handedly explored. The chapters of the book are organized by the kinds of problems of survival and reproduction faced by our ancestors. This organization makes the broad range of specific research covered in the book easy to understand and integrate into a coherent understanding of the evolutionary origins of human cognition and behavior. Thought-provoking, absorbing, and exceptionally well written: Dr. Buss's Evolutionary Psychology text is an absolute joy to read. It is a must-have for psychologists, biologists, and any student of human nature.

A Great Introduction to Evolutionary Psychology

In "Evolutionary Psychology -- The New Science of Mind," David M. Buss delivers a comprehensive, well-detailed, and illustrative presentation of evolved psychological mechanisms that have become universal across the human species while detailing the biology necessary to understand evolutionary theory and how it applies to human psychology. Organizationally-sound, the textbook reads like a novel, clearly providing theoretical and empirical information requisite for a fundamental understanding of Evolutionary Psychology. Buss' volume is essential reading for students of Evolutionary Psychology and very suitable reading for those of us interested in why we are the way we are. For more advanced readers, "The Adapted Mind," edited by Barkow, Cosmides, and Tooby is an ideal choice.

This is an excellent textbook for undergraduate students.

By working from the premises of Tooby & Cosmides' Integrated Causal Model, David Buss has done an outstanding job of making accessible not only the complex historical development of evolutionary psychology, but also inclusive fitness theory, specific evolutionary hypotheses and specific predictions derived from these hypotheses. Furthermore, Buss is comprehensive, balanced and precise when asserting theories and empirical substantiation from other major thinkers, viz., Trivers, Pinker, Bloom, Ridley, Symons, Williams, Mayr, Plomin, DeFries, etc.

Buss has touched all the bases regarding human behavior.

David Buss has touched all the bases when it comes to explaining human behavior. Written as a textbook, it reads like a mystery novel. The central mystery being: Why do humans behave the way they do? And, can we do anything to change? The primary tenet of psychology is: bringing into awareness the reasons why we act in certain ways, gives us the power to act differently, i.e. to change. Buss argues, using empirical as well as analogous evidence, that we behave as we do because in our ancestral past, specific behaviors prevailed because they solved specific problems; and that these behaviors now come programed in the brain, activated by situational cues. That's the short version, which if you take exception to, read the long version and then let the debate begin. The truly intriguing aspect of this theory is: if it is correct, then perhaps we can stop doing what we have always done and move towards a more peaceful existence in a more non-violent way. This theory, and this book, should become a part of all high school curriculum and let all students debate, study, and test its hypotheses.

A triumphantly successful milestone for modern psychology.

Professor Buss has taken upon himself the formidable challenge of producing the first evolutionary psychology textbook, a milestone that is long overdue. In his endeavor he has succeeded magnificently. In 411 pages he manages a sterling job of covering the most important topics in evolutionary psychology, bringing to bear the most up to date literature in a simple to read yet academically compelling format. He begins with a complete and intelligent introduction to both evolutionary theory and the events leading to the development of an evolutionary psychology. Thereafter, he covers broad branches of human behavior - kin relations, cooperative relationships, warfare, aggression, status-seeking, parenting and, of course, human mating strategies. This last topic is covered in several different chapters and highlights the author¹s own valuable, ground-breaking work done in the area. His book provides a miraculous combination of both utterly fascinating and effortless reading, rare qualities in textbooks. No review can be complete without mention of a few blemishes, however minor and in this case it is particularly tempting to simply omit them entirely. However, Dr. Buss occasionally relies heavily, too heavily perhaps, on secondary or general sources of information (i.e., Dawkins, de Waal, Pinker) when more research oriented sources are available. No doubt this stems, at least in part, from the fact that there is simply not as much primary literature on the subject as one could hope for (at least where humans are concerned). This will undoubtedly be improved by the time the next edition rolls off the press. Too, one would greatly hope that future editions of this text might include a section on foraging/hunting and food adaptations since they are so fundamental to survival and because so many other primate species display overt and well-studied feeding adaptations. However, such minor details are utterly dwarfed by the magnitude, importance and quality of this work. The breadth, depth and timeliness of this textbook cannot be overstated. If you are planning on teaching an undergraduate course on evolutionary psychology or are simply interested in learning more about the subject, this is, without question, the most authoritative and comprehensive vehicle available, eclipsing even the extraordinary Adapted Mind.