Observer > 1996 > May-June
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Volume 9, Issue3May-June 1996
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  • Using Evolution By Natural Selection as an Integrative Theme in Psychology Courses

    Many who teach the introductory course bemoan the enormous breadth and diversity of our field. How, we ask, can we present psychology in an organized fashion, not as just a hodgepodge of facts and theories? One answer: Use evolution by natural selection as an integrative theme. No other concept can tie all of psychology together as meaningfully. Here are some thoughts about how to use the evolutionary theme in an introductory or more advanced psychology course. Early in the course, explain clearly the concept of evolution by natural selection and its relevance to all of psychology Many students hold misconceptions about evolution that can interfere with their ability to apply the concept as the course progresses. Some conceive of evolutionary "fitness" in terms that go beyond the survival and reproduction of genes.