Biology 338: Lecture 23Spring 1997

Human Behavior

  1. Case study: Giving blood
    1. Nonadaptationist thinking
    2. Adaptationist thinking = sociobiology

  2. Misconceptions about the sociobiological approach
    1. Sociobiology is E. O. Wilson's own theory of human behavior
    2. No gene responsible for human behavior has ever been identified
    3. Humans don't do things just to raise their inclusive fitness
    4. Not all humans behavior is adaptative
    5. Sociobiology provides "scientific" justification for immoral social policies

  3. Developing sociobiological hypotheses
    1. Adoption
    2. Sexual behavior
      1. Male-male competition
      2. Coercive sex
      3. Sperm competition and mate guarding
      4. Mate choice
      5. Mating systems