Primate Psychology - 2005 Spring Quarter

Course Number: HUDV48411/PSYC48411
Course Hours: Thu 9:00-11:50               Room: HD seminar room
Instructor: Dr. Dario Maestripieri            Office: HD 303                    
Phone: 834-4104                                     Office Hours: by appointment
Email: dario@uchicago.edu                      

Thursday March 31              Introduction

• Primate Psychology Chapter 1

• Book review of Primate Psychology by N. Emery

• Gottlieb’s article on animal models of human behavior

• Dario’s reply to Gottlieb’s article 

Thursday April 7                 Aggression and Conflict Resolution

• Primate Psychology Chapters 2 and 3

• HFG papers on animal/human aggression

• De Waal’s article on peaceful culture in primates

Thursday April 14               Sex

• Primate Psychology Chapter 4

• Bonobo sex and society

• Chimps are from Mars and bonobos are from Venus?

Thursday April 21               Attachment and Parenting

• Primate Psychology Chapters 5 and 6

• Sternglanz SH, Nash A (199x). Ethological contributions to the study of
  human motherhood. In: The Different Faces of Motherhood, ed. by B Birns
  & DF Hay. New York: Plenum Press, pp. 15-46.

Thursday April 28               Social Development and Affiliation

• Primate Psychology Chapter 7

• No additional readings

Thursday May 5                   Cognition

• Primate Psychology Chapters 8 and 9

• No additional readings

Thursday May 12                 Emotions and Personality

• Primate Psychology Chapters 10 and 11

• Empathy in monkeys?

Thursday May 19                 Communication and Language

• Primate Psychology Chapters 12, 13, and 14

• No additional readings

Thursday May 26                 More on Communication and Language

• No additional readings

Tuesday May 31                Psychopathology

No class today but read Chapter 16 and attend the seminars by
Mark Erickson:

• Noon, Seminar room BPSB:
  "Can cross species observations inform our understanding of
  child sexual abuse?

• 4:30, Judd Hall, Room ?
  "Nature disrupted: evolution, kinship and the borderline personality"

Research papers due by noon, Tuesday June 7th.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In this graduate seminar we will discuss recent research on primate behavior in
relation to parallel areas of research on human behavior. Emphasis will
be given to psychological theories of behavior and integration of
primatological and psychological research, both conceptually and empirically.
Both proximate (e.g. physiological, cognitive, and neurobiological) and adaptive
aspects of primate and human behavior will be addressed. Topics to be
covered include: history of primate psychology, aggression and conflict
resolution, sexuality, parenting and attachment, social development and
affiliation, communication, cognition, and language, cognitive
neuroscience and psychopathology.

EXAMS and GRADING

Grades are based upon class attendance, participation in the discussion, and a
final research paper.

 TEXT

Primate Psychology, edited by D. Maestripieri, Cambridge: Harvard University
Press, 2003 (available at the University Bookstore, Barnes&Noble).