Evolutionary Psychology: The Basics

Evolutionary Psychology: The Basics is a jargon-free and accessible introduction to evolutionary psychology, which examines behaviour, thoughts, and emotions in relation to evolutionary theory.

Reader and Workman outline how evolutionary thinking can enhance the core areas of psychology: social, developmental, biological, cognitive, and individual differences/abnormal psychology. Covering topics such as genetics and natural selection, mate choice, culture, morality, mental health, and childhood, among others, the book integrates psychology into the biological sciences and explains the different approaches in the field by evaluating current and past evolutionary research and theory. Key studies and theories are explored in an accessible way, with the work of key evolutionary and behavioural scientists from Darwin to Dawkins examined and explained.

Including a glossary and further reading, this is the essential introduction to evolutionary psychology for students of psychology and related areas, and academics and researchers, as well as anyone interested in learning more about this fascinating field.

Will Reader is Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK. Previously he taught at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, at Cardiff University, at the University of Glamorgan (now the University of South Wales) and The University of York, where he completed his DPhil in 1994.

Lance Workman is Visiting Professor of Psychology at the University of South Wales in the UK. Previously head of the Psychology Department at Bath Spa University, he received an undergraduate degree in psychology and biology (BA Joint Hons) from Keele University and his doctorate (DPhil) in animal behaviour from the University of Sussex. In 1990 he set up the first undergraduate module in Evolutionary Psychology at a British University.