Convergence: Connecting Levels of Analysis in Psychological Science
In the past, our field harbored distinct, and often competing, schools of thought that tackled different problems and produced findings that often appeared to diverge. Today, investigators attack shared problems at complementary levels of analysis and produce results that converge. Studies of people in a social world; mental systems of cognition and emotion; and biological mechanisms of the genome and the nervous system interconnect and yield an integrated psychological science. The APS 23rd Annual Convention displays, and celebrates, these advances in our field.

Invited Symposium

Evolutionary Psychology: Controversies and Current Directions

Saturday, May 26, 2012, 12:30 PM - 2:20 PM
Sheraton Ballroom III

Chair: Richard S. Lewis
Pomona College

Viewing human behavior within an evolutionary context would seem to be relatively uncontroversial. Yet, evolutionary psychology remains controversial. This symposium will explore the assumptions, misconceptions, and misapplications of evolutionary psychology, as well as some recent research on kin detection, psychoactive substance use, and intimate relationships.

The Use and Misuse of Evolutionary Psychology
Jaime Cloud
University of Texas at Austin

Co-Author: David M. Buss, University of Texas at Austin

It’s All Relative: Human Kin Detection and Inbreeding Avoidance
Debra Lieberman
University of Miami

Nicotine—Candy or Cure? Testing an Evolutionary Alternative to the Reward Model of Psychoactive Substance Use
Ed Hagen
Washington State University, Vancouver

Fertile Minds: Effects of the Ovulatory Cycle on Women's and Men's Social Behavior
Martie G. Haselton
University of California, Los Angeles

Subject Area: Biological/Neuroscience