Jurij Fedorov Mar 26, 2016

really liked it 's review

First of all. Is this handbook worth reading? Yes. The chapters are written by the best and most intelligent psychologists we have today. This is groundbreaking science in psychology and a new exciting unexplored field. But I am reading this Volume 1 from start to finish and must say as someone who already knows a lot about EP it's not as exciting as I would have liked it to be. The information is clear and there are a lot of studies. But I would recommend reading "David Buss - EP" instead from start to finish as it basically contains the same ideas but presented in a shorter and more exciting way. It also doesn't repeat the same ideas again and again.

For example, reading 3 chapters in a row on sex and love in this Handbook is not that exciting if that is not what you want to read about right now. Still, this is a must own handbook if you are interested in EP or psychology. Not all chapters are as good as I would have liked them to be, but it's mostly because it's a modern science and a lot of this is still unexplored. We need new scientists to do even more studies on these subjects. But these scientists need to read about EP first. And as introductions these chapters are perfect.



Also, this is the place to do studies in if you want to discover something groundbreaking in psychology. So I look forward to the next handbook and what chapters they will add in that. I hope it will have a chapter on g factor, ToM and other exciting stuff.



I will now rate all the chapters in the book on how I think they hold up to EP anno 2016. 6 is still worth reading if you are interested in the subject. 7 is worth reading if you like psychology at all.



This is my 10 star rating system:

10 - Is the perfect chapter that will blow your mind and change the way you view the world.

9 - Amazingly good.

8 - Worth learning English for just so that you can read things like this. No matter what you usually like to read or study this chapter is extremely important to read.

7 - Good chapter that is worth looking up if you like to know the basics on the subject. Still, I expect an improvement on it the next edition.

6 - Okay chapter that does what it set out to do but is forgettable and not exiting. You can probably find a better intro to the subject in another article if you spend some time looking for it.

5 - Failed grade. Badly writing, boring and not groundbreaking science.



Table of Contents



Foreword ix

Steven Pinker



- Rating is 6 - Good but a bit complicated language and I already know all this from his other books.



Acknowledgments xv



Contributors xvii



Introduction: The Emergence and Maturation of Evolutionary Psychology xxiii

David M. Buss



- 8 - Spot on. Describes what EP is and how it is essential to understanding the brain. A perfect intro really.



PART I FOUNDATIONS OF EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 1

David M. Buss



1 The Theoretical Foundations of Evolutionary Psychology 3

John Tooby and Leda Cosmides



- 4 - Has some good passages very similar to the 2004 version. But this version is very boring and very technical. It also contains a lot of hypothesis without any proof or sources. Really not worth the read as it is very, very boring. The 2004 version is a 10 star rating - so, yeah.



2 Life History Theory and Evolutionary Psychology 88

Marco Del Giudice, Steven W. Gangestad, and Hillard S. Kaplan



- 7 -Really a good chapter. But a bit too many unproven hypothesis and too much talk. The passages where science is mentioned are great. But the 2004 chapter is again much better. This is not the goto chapter on the subject but still a good read.



3 Methods of Evolutionary Sciences 115

Jeffry A. Simpson and Lorne Campbell



- 6 - Good chapter on how to study EP. But it is a bit confusing at times and could be better. Still, for people wondering how the studies are done this is a goto chapter.



4 Evolutionary Psychology and Its Critics 136

Edward H. Hagen



- 5 - About EP critics. Has been written much better in other books. I don't see the meaning of having this chapter in the book. Yes, EP has ignorant critics too.



5 Intuitive Ontologies and Domain Specificity 161

Pascal Boyer and H. Clark Barrett



- 5 - Much easier to read than the last chapter, so it is readable. But this chapter just mentions things and doesn't explain them. It just mentions them, which is useless really. No experiments mentioned. This is still introduction for people who know nothing about EP. So I still feel like this book so far has been a waste of my time.



PART II SURVIVAL 181

David M. Buss



6 The Evolutionary Psychology of Food Intake and Choice 183

Paul Rozin and Peter M. Todd



- 7 - Nice little chapter with some interesting information, studies and easy to understand text. Not a lot of deep information about food and it seems to be just a presentation of a very small and new field. Still a good read for people interested in this topic. Best chapter so far, but still not deep enough or with enough studies.



7 The Behavioral Immune System 206

Mark Schaller



- 7 - About disgust and viruses. Good chapter. Maybe 30% of it is just loose talk. But it's easy to understand and the basic concepts are explained. Not that much science but worth a read if the subject is of interest.



8 Spatial Navigation and Landscape Preferences 225

Irwin Silverman and Jean Choi



- 8 - Great introduction into spatial instincts and gender differences. A lot of good studies and points. Could have included a bit more. Just like the other chapters it seems a bit too small. Like it's a very undiscovered field of study. There should be a ton more studies on all these subjects really, I can't believe there is not. The best chapter so far as is uses animal studies and has much less loose talk compared to the other chapters. That are just overfilled with studyless talk.



9 Adaptations to Predators and Prey 246

H. Clark Barrett



- 6 - Well written and interesting to read. But 50% of it is basic statements such as: predators hunt prey, humans also are build to run from predators. Some interesting studies too but mainly loose talk. For people who don't understand EP at all it is a great chapter. For the rest it seems very silly and basic.



10 Adaptations to Dangers From Humans 264

Joshua D. Duntley



- 6 - I give it 6 because it is simple and easy to understand. But it also feels a bit empty. A lot of it are just explanations of what attack and defense is, without any sources or science. So why include it in the book? It's high school level basics and nothing spectacular. Easily skipped by all as everything is basic knowledge - except the defending children, killing to reproduce and stepchildren parts.



PART III MATING 287



Challenges of Mating 287

David M. Buss



- Just the intro. Can easily be skipped by is not bad.



Adaptationism and Human Mating Psychology 291

Donald Symons



- 7 - Very basic. But for beginners into EP it is perfect. For the rest it is well written but nothing new. Still, good intro.



11 Fundamentals of Human Mating Strategies 294

David P. Schmitt



- 8 - First chapter where the science is the focus of the chapter and not basic EP explanations or mediocre hypothesis predictions. A lot of great science on the topic and a perfect intro into the topic of mating strategies by men and women. Can't ask for a better chapter than this really. The first chapter I would recommend copying from the book.



12 Physical Attractiveness: An Adaptationist Perspective 317

Lawrence S. Sugiyama



- 6 - Well, I asked for more science. And this is a chapter that starts of with loose talk but then starts laying down studies. But it's just not interesting and it juggles page up and down with the same small hypothesis about WHR and other factors. Boring and long. If you need science on sexual attraction this is an okay chapter, but you should really read a full book on it instead. Just a chapter that is full of science but makes it out to be a bit boring, at least for someone who already knows about WHR, testosterone, ovulation and such. Recommended for people who are very critical of these things and want a critical in depth discussion.



13 Contest Competition in Men 385

David A. Puts, Drew H. Bailey, and Philip L. Reno



- 9 or 10 - The best chapter so far because this is how all EP science should be presented. Direct presentation without too much loose talk about feeling or assuming something. Studies presented and clear hypothesis presented based on these studies. Also not 100% conservative but willing to follow new findings or thoughts about competition and not just women selecting male traits. It's very information heavy and clearly written by experts. I would have rewritten other chapters into this kind of chapter and the book would be much shorter and better. Maybe only a 9 because some hypothesis had a bit too little evidence or were a little bit too much guesswork for some critical minds. Still, be critical and make up your mind, nothing is stopping you from using these findings to make another assumption.



14 Women’s Sexual Interests Across the Ovulatory Cycle 403

Steven W. Gangestad, Randy Thornhill, and Christine E. Garver-Apgar



- 7 - I knew it all already and the chapter was not written in an excited way. So for me it was a let down, a 6. But then again, this is a great intro to ovulation and how it affects mating. A great introduction at that as it has all the popular studies and theories. It's not written in a convincing way but if you like to know something about this this is a good chapter to read, an 8. I do value entertainment too, highly. And convincing witting. This was a "maybe this is true" intro - which is fine for most people.



15 Human Sperm Competition 427

Todd K. Shackelford, Aaron T. Goetz, Craig W. LaMunyon, Michael N. Pham, and Nicholas Pound



- 7 - A bit like the last chapter. Not as long but still goes to the case. Also, a much more convincing chapter and the hypothesis are perfectly presented and answered. For example, does the female orgasm have a function? Well, great question that we can try to answer. EP 101. All in all a great presentation of what EP is and what it can answer. If you don't mind reading about porn and sperm this is a great chapter to read.



16 Human Sexuality and Inbreeding Avoidance 444

Debra Lieberman and Jan Antfolk



- 7 - A deeper and more intelligent chapter on incest avoidance. How they discover these effects is mind-blowing. The subject still feels like 99% is uncovered after having read about it. But what we know is that it already exist and is created by very specific means. Again, a chapter for the ones interested in the topic.



17 Sexual Coercion 462

Mark Huppin and Neil M. Malamuth



-6 - While it does have some good hypothesis and studies presented it is a very boring chapter and a lot of the things are very badly explained in a confusing language. No really conclusive answers and to dry. Also an area not that exciting. Only recommended for people wanting to read about this field.



18 Love and Commitment in Romantic Relationships 482

Lorne Campbell and Timothy J. Loving



- 6 - How love works. Another topic I really don't care about. But it is a very short and compressed intro into what love and relationships are. For people asking about one of these things I would throw this article at their head, it's a 10 stars must read article for them. For me, it was okay I guess, but not exiting.



PART IV PARENTING AND KINSHIP 499

Martin Daly



- Short intro.



19 Kin Selection 505

Raymond Hames



-5 - Well written but in the end a bit pointless. Does kin selection exist in Homo sapiens? I didn't make this question and didn't need it answered. But now I have the answer. Also, females help kin more than men, but this is also described in other chapters.



20 Evolution of Paternal Investment 524

David C. Geary



- 8 - Very good chapter on fathers. But in the end I am asking myself the question all psychologists also try to answer. Is it nature or nurture? Do fathers really matter? Well, it looks like husbands and their SES does matter - but what about fathers in a modern society? I am not totally convinced they actually do matter. But it's still an interesting discussion.



21 Parental Investment and Parent-Offspring Conflict 542

Catherine Salmon



- 6 - Not bad. But no real conclusions and most ideas have already been explored before. Feels like a too short a chapter to really explain things correctly, or maybe the science is just not there. Still, a great intro chapter for the subject even though it is mostly philosophical.



22 The Evolutionary Ecology of the Family 561

Ruth Mace



- 7 - The least EP chapter and most SSSM chapter. But also the most study centric chapter with great graphs and numbers. It's not really a good presentation of EP but it does tell us that ecology will change behaviour. Even behaviour such as marriage or family life. Things that are a big part of EP.



23 Hunter-Gatherer Families and Parenting 578

Coren L. Apicella and Alyssa N. Crittenden



- 7 - A very good goto chapter on who raises kids in forager societies. And it seems like they all do, including the kids themselves. It's needed as humans have huge brains and a born too early. So we need to live in groups to survive. Actually a very convincing chapter.



24 The Role of Hormones in the Evolution of Human Sociality 598

Mark V. Flinn and Carol V. Ward



- 6 - Another chapter I didn't find that interesting. A chapter on hormones needs to at least have a list of them somewhere. This is a problem throughout the book. No knowledge is made accessible and everything is written like an intro chapter to a bigger chapter.