| Title & Author | Abstract | |
|---|---|---|
| 12(008) | THE MATING MIND: HOW SEXUAL CHOICE SHAPED THE EVOLUTION OF
HUMAN NATURE [Doubleday/Heinemann, 2000, 503 pp. ISBN: 0-434-00741-2] Precis of Miller on Mating-Mind Geoffrey F. Miller Department of Psychology, Logan Hall University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM 87131-1161 USA matingmind@hotmail.com |
Abstract:
'The mating mind' revives and extends Darwin's suggestion
that sexual selection through mate choice was important in human
mental evolution - especially the more 'self-expressive' aspects of
human behavior, such as art, morality, language, and creativity.
Their 'survival value' has proven elusive, but their adaptive
design features suggest they evolved through mutual mate choice, in
both sexes, to advertise intelligence, creativity, moral character,
and heritable fitness. The supporting evidence includes human mate
preferences, courtship behavior, behavior genetics, psychometrics,
and life history patterns. The theory makes many testable
predictions, and sheds new light on human cognition, motivation,
communication, sexuality, and culture.
Keywords: sexual selection, human evolution, art, language, morality, creativity. |
| 12(033) | A MATING OF MINDS
Book Review of Miller on Mating Mind Kate Rigby Dept of Social Psychology London School of Economics Houghton Street London WC2A 2AE Bradley Franks Dept of Social Psychology London School of Economics Houghton Street London c.g.rigby@lse.ac.uk b.franks@lse.ac.uk |
Abstract:
Miller's hypothesised greater role for sexual selection
in human cognitive evolution is welcomed, but we suggest that it
has two limitations. First, omitting consideration of intra-sex
competition, and of necessary constraints on creativity. Second,
Miller's empirical focus is restricted to obviously creative
products, rather than on more fundamental cognitive processes. We
suggest that addressing the first limitation leads to empirical
implications that address the second. We note some of the findings
of our recent research in this area.
Keywords: sexual selection, human cognition, intra-sex competition, creativity, intelligence, evolution. |
| 13(004) | DID SEX MAKE YOU BRAINY?
Book Review of Miller on Mating Mind Emmet Spier School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QH, UK. http://www.cogs.sussex.ac.uk/users/emmet emmet@cogs.sussex.ac.uk |
Abstract:
A striking thesis in the 'Mating Mind' (Miller, 2000) is
that humans became brainy through sexual selection. An examination
of the various processes that Miller identifies leads to the
conclusion that his arguments do not support this thesis.
Keywords: sexual selection, human evolution, encephalization. |
| 13(009) | CROAKS AND TAILS OR TEETH AND CLAWS?
Book Review of Miller on Mating-Mind Laura Betzig The Adaptationist Program 2200 Fuller 806B Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA lbetzig@aol.com |
Abstract:
Sexual selection should produce sexually dimorphic
traits, idiosyncratic with respect to environments. Natural
selection should produce sexually monomorphic traits, correlated
with environments. The idea that minds evolved to mate is clever.
The idea that minds evolved to compete fits the evidence better.
Keywords: Natural selection, sexual selection, human evolution. |
| 13(010) | LIKEABLE BUT UNLIKELY, A REVIEW OF THE MATING MIND BY GEOFFREY MILLER
Book Review of Miller on Mating Mind James R. Roney University of Chicago Institute for Mind and Biology 940 E. 57th St. Room 126 Chicago, IL 60637 jrroney@midway.uchicago.edu |
Abstract:
In this review I present basic arguments for why Miller's
theory of human mental evolution is unlikely to be correct.
First, his contention that uniquely human intellectual traits are
sexually selected fitness indicators is largely unsupported by
empirical evidence. Second, I contend that more traditional
survival selection accounts of human brain evolution can be rescued
from his criticisms and stand as adequate explanations for human
intelligence. Despite these disagreements with the author, I
strongly recommend the book to any readers interested in
evolutionary psychology.
Keywords: evolutionary psychology, sexual selection, intelligence, mating. |
| 13(014) | SEXES CHOOSE BIG BRAINS
Book Review of Miller on Mating Mind Dorothy Tennov www.tennov.com tennov1@mchsi.com |
Abstract:
Expanding on the ideas of Darwin, Fisher, Cronin, and
others, in The Mating Mind, Geoffrey Miller proposes that art,
language, music, religion, and other human qualities that are
difficult to understand as products of natural selection have
arisen by the more rapid process of sexual selection through mate
choice.
Keywords: sexual selection, runaway, fitness indicator, handicap principle, sensory bias |