Evolutionary Psychology MSc

About the Course

How can evolutionary theory help us understand human behaviour?
Do humans have a species-typical psychological design?
What learning mechanisms would have been favoured by natural selection in ancestral environments?

This programme provides an exciting opportunity for advanced study in Evolutionary Psychology, ie psychological science informed by explicit consideration of the fact that the human mind, like the human body, is a product of evolutionary processes. This course is particularly suited to students in the life sciences or social sciences who are interested in finding out how principles from evolutionary biology can provide a framework for the scientific study of human psychology and behaviour.

Aims

The degree programme aims to provide students with:

an understanding of how evolutionary theory can provide a framework for the study of psychology and behaviour in both human and non-human species;
knowledge of important theoretical issues, research findings and recent advances in Evolutionary Psychology;
an overview of concepts, findings and recent advances in Evolutionary Biology, Animal Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology that are critical for research in Evolutionary Psychology;
the opportunity to acquire important transferable research skills (eg research design, data analysis, report preparation, seminar presentation);
the opportunity to acquire knowledge of theoretical issues, research findings and recent advances in a related area of psychology (Cognitive Neuroscience or Cross-Cultural Psychology).

Enquiries

Course enquiries
Email sss-pgenquiries@brunel.ac.uk
Tel +44 (0)1895 265951

For applications already submitted
Contact Admissions online
Tel +44 (0)1895 265265

Course director: Dr Nicholas Pound

View the School of Social Sciences website

Related Courses

Special Features

The Evolutionary Psychology MSc is taught in association with the Centre for Culture & Evolutionary Psychology (CCEP) and the Centre for Cognition & Neuroimaging (CCNI).

The Centre for Cognition & Neuroimaging jointly owns a 3-Tesla fMRI scanner dedicated to research, as part of the ‘CUBIC’ collaboration with Royal Holloway, Roehampton and Surrey Universities. Within the Department of Psychology we have excellent research facilities including computing laboratories, experimental testing cubicles, an EEG lab, an eye-tracking lab, equipment for participant photography, and an extensive psychometric test library. In addition, through collaborative arrangements with the School of Engineering & Design we have access to an NX12 [TC]² 3D Body Scanner for anthropometric measurements.

The core modules of the Evolutionary Psychology MSc are taught by members of the Evolution & Behaviour Group who include:

Andrew Clark, PhD (McMaster). Acting Programme Director 2012/13.
Research interests: Mating systems, sexual conflict, direct and indirect sexual competition, mating strategies, mating effort allocation and mechanisms of mate preference and choice.
Nicholas Pound, PhD (McMaster). Programme Director.
Research interests: Social and psychological influences on male reproductive physiology and sexual behaviour. Perception of personality in faces, facial structure and health/endocrine status.
Michael Price, PhD (UCSB). Co-Director: Centre for Culture & Evolutionary Psychology.
Research interests: Evolutionary moral psychology. The origins of moral beliefs about social inequality, sexual behavior, and aggression. Business and organizational behaviour. Cooperation, free riding and punishment.
Achim Schützwohl, PhD (Bielefeld).
Research interests: Evolutionary Psychology, emotion, sex differences in jealousy.
Isabel Scott, PhD (Bristol).
Research interests: Evolutionary perspectives, cross-cultural research, individual differences, mate choice, facial perception, personality perception, economic, moral and political psychology

Course Content

The degree programme aims to provide students with an understanding of how evolutionary theory can provide a framework for the study of human psychology and behaviour.

Students will acquire comprehensive knowledge of important theoretical issues, research findings and recent advances in Evolutionary Psychology.

They will study concepts, findings and recent advances in Evolutionary Biology, Animal Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology that are critical for research in Evolutionary Psychology. Moreover there will be the opportunity to take an optional module in either Cognitive Neuroscience or Cross Cultural Psychology.

This course can be undertaken over one year, full time or two and a half years part-time.

Modules are subject to variation and students are advised to check with the School on whether a particular module of interest will be running in their year of entry.

Core modules

Evolutionary Biology and Research Methods
The Evolutionary Biology component will cover topics such as levels of analysis in the study of behaviour; adaptation and natural selection, sexual selection; levels of selection; inclusive fitness; phylogeny; population genetics, molecular evolution, origins of sex; host-pathogen arms races; co-evolution; life history evolution; human evolution.

The Research Methods component will cover topics such as hypothesis testing; experimental design; statistical methods; observational methods; questionnaires and psychometrics; phylogenetic; comparative methods; meta-analysis; archival research; modelling; multivariate methods..

Evolutionary Psychology
Main topics of study: cognitive adaptationism and domain specificity; environments of evolutionary adaptedness; cross-cultural human universals; selective impairments; social status and reputation; cognitive sexual dimorphism in mate preferences and jealousy; attractiveness and symmetry; gustatory adaptations, social exchange and cooperation; coalitional psychology; interpersonal and coalitional aggression; violence and homicide; spoken language; face recognition and prosopagnosia; functions of the emotions; kinship psychology (recognition, altruism, and inbreeding avoidance); gene-culture co-evolution.

Animal Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology
Main topics of study: levels of analysis, animals as "strategists"; optimality theory; sexual selection: competition for mates; sexual selection: post-copulatory competition; sexual selection: mate choice; parental care and parent-offspring conflict; foraging and predation; comparative reproductive strategies; life history strategy; cooperation and conflict; animal models of psychopathology; sexual differentiation; hormonal regulation of behaviour.

Dissertation
Students will conduct an empirical research project investigating an aspect of psychology / behaviour from an evolutionary perspective. The research focus, empirical methods, and analytic techniques will be selected through discussion with their Dissertation Supervisor.

Optional modules

Cognitive Neuroscience
The module will focus on fundamental issues within cognitive neuroscience, and the way in which neuroimaging in combination with neuropsychology has advanced our understanding. Topics covered will include: learning and memory; language and the brain; cerebral lateralization and specialisation; the control of action; executive functions and frontal lobes; emotional mechanisms; ageing; development and plasticity.

Cross-Cultural Variations in Psychological Findings
Main topics of study: controversies in defining culture; assessing culture; the development of cross-cultural dimensions (individualism/collectivism, the work of the Chinese culture connection, Trompenaars model, Inglehart’s work, Schwartz’s value circumplex) and a critique of cultural dimensions; the self across culture; emotion and appraisal across cultures.

Assessment

Assessment is by coursework (including term papers and oral presentations), examinations and a dissertation of up to 15,000 words.

Careers

The MSc will provide students with knowledge and skills required to go on to do PhD research not just in Evolutionary Psychology, but in other areas of Psychology and the Biological and Social Sciences.

Moreover, students will acquire analytic and research skills that will be useful in diverse areas of employment including governmental and non-government research organisations, and the private sector.

Fees for 2013/14 entry

UK/EU students: £5,800 full-time; £2,900 part-time

International students: £13,500 full-time; £6,750 part-time

Read about funding opportunities available to postgraduate students

Fees quoted are per annum and are subject to an annual increase.

Entry Requirements

The basic requirement is a first class or upper second class honours degree from a UK institution (or overseas equivalent) and a satisfactory interview. The degree should normally be in either the life sciences (eg psychology; biological sciences; zoology, ecology; biomedical sciences) or in the social sciences (eg anthropology or sociology). In the case of applicants from the social sciences we require that they can demonstrate some measure of knowledge of and experience in scientific research methods. This could take the form of a qualification equivalent to an A-level in a science subject or some experience of scientific research on their degree course (for example having used scientific methods for their undergraduate dissertation research).

English Language Requirements

IELTS: 6.5 (min 6 in all areas)
TOEFL Paper test: 580 (TWE 4.5)
TOEFL Internet test: 92 (R20, L20, S20, W20)
Pearson: 59 (51 in all subscores)
BrunELT 65% (min 60% in all areas)

Brunel also offers our own BrunELT English Test and accept a range of other language courses. We also have a range of Pre-sessional English language courses, for students who do not meet these requirements, or who wish to improve their English.