Location & Accommodations

The Alabama Museum of Natural History is located on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL. By air, you can reach Tuscaloosa by flying into Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Airport, approximately one hour east of Tuscaloosa.

The Hotel Capstone is conveniently located on the University of Alabama campus about 15 minutes away from the conference location by foot. There are also campus buses that can take you back and forth for free. Visit the hotel website here to book.

Other nearby options are available but would entail a longer walk or drive to the conference site:
Embassy Suites
Hampton Inn
Holiday Inn Express

SEEPS 2016 Schedule.pdf
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SEEPS 2016 Program.pdf
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Submitted Abstracts

Below is a list of the abstracts that have been submitted thus far, and will be featured at SEEPS in either the form of a poster or an oral presentation. They are listed in alphabetical order, and not in order of presentation.

John Brooks, Graduate Student, University of Louisiana at Monroe
The Evolution of Systems Theory: Illustrated through Shakespearean Comedy and Tragedy

When psychiatrists and cyberneticians introduced systems theory into the therapy room to include complexity, context, and family in individual problems and solutions, Marriage and Family Therapy was born. The field, the youngest of the mental health disciplines, has experienced its own evolution, even within only 60 or so years of being. It has witnessed a lineal and circular evolution from 1st order cybernetics, to 2nd order cybernetics, to a narrative and postmodern view of the world. The foundational cybernetic concept of mutual influence implies interconnectedness. The interconnectedness of the mental health disciplines, the evolution of MFT, and the evolution of systems theory will be discussed through the lens of William Shakespeare, arguably the first systemic storyteller. Both comedy and tragedy, both hero and heroine, both villain and villainess, poetically weave old and new theoretical presuppositions into every day vernacular, reminding us that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Paradoxically, utilizing Shakespeare will simplify the complexity of cybernetics while the complexity of Shakespeare will shed light on the simplicity of all things being connected.

Mitch Brown, Graduate Student, University of Southern Mississippi
Fitness Indicators in Women's Long-Term Mate Preferences: Put a (Limbal) Ring on it

Limbal rings are dark annuli encircling the iris. Research indicates limbal rings serve as fitness indicators and bolster physical attractiveness (Peshek, Semmaknejad, Hoffman, & Foley, 2011). According to the parental investment model, although women prioritize men's intelligence over attractiveness as mating preferences shift from short- to long-term, fitness indicators should be given more consideration in selection if women initially perceive a potential long-term mate as intelligent. Given their communicative function as fitness indicators, we hypothesized that limbal rings positively influence women's evaluations of, and attraction toward, a prospective long-term mate. In this experiment, 80 women viewed the fictitious profiles of target men to assess their suitability for inclusion on a dating website. Target persons were represented by a comment to provide an overt cue to high (or low) intelligence. Comments were accompanied by a photograph altered for the presence (or absence) of limbal rings. Participants provided their perceptions of targets' interest in long-term relationships, intelligence, humorousness, and attractiveness before indicating their attraction. Participants reported liking high-intelligence target men more, whom they also viewed as more humorous and interested in long-term relationships. Along with physical attractiveness, limbal rings also bolstered women's perceptions of target men as intelligent and humorous, independent of the associated comment. Interactions between limbal ring presence and comment type revealed that attraction was highest toward high-intelligence target persons with limbal rings. Interestingly, limbal rings buffered low-intelligence target men from being perceived as such. Findings demonstrate how subtle facial features influence person perception, particularly in long-term mating contexts.

Dr. Jason DeCaro, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama
​From the Middle Passage to Wheat Gluten: Overcoming Just-So Stories in Evolutionary Medicine.

Even as evolutionary medicine has moved from a niche are of study to become an increasingly mainstream pursuit, the field struggles to communicate sophisticated evolutionary approaches to clinical and lay audiences. Consequently, evolutionary just-so stories with intuitive appeal - such as the middle passage hypothesis for hypertension in African Americans, the paleo diet, and the proposition that we are poorly adapted to consume wheat gluten - persist even when serious questions are raised about their scientific validity. This talk explores the benefits of evolutionary literacy in clinical medicine, and the measures required to ensure these benefits aren't lost due to superficial analyses that principally serve to reinforce biases or cultural trends.

Dr. Dana Ehret, Curator of Paleontology at Alabama Museum of Natural History
The Use of 3D printing Fossils To Teach Evolution in the Classroom

Paleontology has referred to as a ‘Gateway Science’ to teach both students and the general public the principles of evolution in a non-threatening way. However, handling fragile or irreplaceable fossils is prohibitive in classroom and informal teaching settings. Recent technological advances have greatly reduced the price and complexity of digitization hardware and software. As a result, it is much more affordable and user-friendly to employ state-of-the-art equipment for educational purposes. At the University of Alabama, the College of Engineering, the Department of Art and Art History, and the Alabama Museum of Natural History partnered to incorporate 21st Century technology into formal and informal learning environments. Fossil specimens from the University of Alabama Museum including: an elasmosaurid vertebra, a toxochelyid turtle skull, and a Carcharocles megalodon tooth, were scanned using an ARTEC scanner and then printed using a Stratasys Dimension printer. Printing out the specimens in durable plastics, the copies were sturdy enough to be handled by children and adults. These models are an important tool for discussing ‘hot button’ issues (i.e., evolution) in the southeastern United States where such topics are still difficult to present. Furthermore, individuals learn in different manners (i.e., tactile, auditory, visual) and by allowing durable reproductions of the specimens to be handled, a teacher can engage and reach more individuals, making topics like evolution easier to understand. We propose a workshop to demonstrate these technologies and also open the discussion to how fossils and paleontology can be integrated into the common core standards in the classroom.

Dr. Dean Falk, Professor of Anthropology, Florida State University
The Evolution of Asperger Syndrome: A Cross-Disciplinary Perspective

​Asperger syndrome (AS) is a form of autism that is associated with average to gifted intelligence, timely language development, intensely focused and repetitive interests, and extremely poor social understanding and interaction. Despite the fact that Asperger disorder was dropped from the 2013 edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM­5), many scientists continue to recognize this condition as one that is distinct from other subtypes of autism—and with good reason. Instead of melding seamlessly with high­functioning autism (HFA) on one “spectrum,” AS differs from HFA in certain behavioral, cognitive, neuroanatomical, and genetic features, many of which are related to different trajectories for language development. In this talk, I will discuss the mounting evidence that shows that AS may be understood as a natural part of variation that occurred during evolution of the human brain and cognition. Viewing AS within a cross­disciplinary evolutionary perspective has implications not only for education, but also for reconciling society’s ambivalence about whether to regard it as a pathology or venerate those who manifest its traits (e.g., Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). In fact, accumulating research from various disciplines suggests that (with apologies to the late geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky) nothing in Asperger syndrome “makes sense except in the light of evolution.”

Dr. Kilian Garvey, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Louisiana at Monroe
The Morality of Global Warming

While the scientific consensus on anthropocentric global warming is overwhelming a significant percentage of the US population either denies that there is such a phenomenon taking place or, if there is, that humans play no role in it. Previous polling data suggests that this is largely a liberal versus conservative political position but the results to be discussed here point more to an ingroup versus an outgroup moral worldview. That is, while liberals do accept the science of global warming more, and believe that humans are responsible, these differences become more pronounced when comparing individuals with a more inclusive moral sensitivity versus individuals with a more exclusive (or ingroup) moral sensitivity. Implications for addressing public understanding of this issue will be discussed. 

Dr. Glenn Geher, Department of Psychology, State University of New York at New Paltz
& Dr. Rosemarie Sokol-Chang, American Psychological Association and State University of New York at New Paltz
& Dr. Daniel J. Kruger, Research Assistant Professor in School of Public Health, University of Michigan
​Darwin's Grass Roots: A Message of Support from NEEPS to SEEPS

The evolutionary perspective has extraordinary potential to advance the understanding of phenomena across the entire academic spectrum. In recent years, evolutionary scholarship has informed such areas as human health, human politics, education, and the nature of war – along with a host of non-human phenomena such as the nature of social structure in lemurs, the function of bird calls, the shape of maple seedpods, and more. Darwin's ideas on the nature of life, simply, brought human thought a great leap forward. In 2007, embracing the power of evolutionary theory, some young rogue scholars (that'd be us!) formed the NorthEastern Evolutionary Psychology Society (NEEPS) to help connect scholars who share a passion and commitment to for Darwinian applications to behavior. Time reveals that this was an excellent idea and addressed a considerable niche. NEEPS recently held its 9th annual conference at Suffolk University in downtown Boston, featuring such keynote speakers as Steven Pinker and Robert Trivers, and included nearly 200 participants. Past keynotes have included such luminaries as Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, Marlene Zuk, and Gordon Gallup - representing a broad range of academic topics. Since the inception of NEEPS, which is a highly student-friendly organization, we've envisioned the development of sister societies emerging all around the USA and across the globe. SEEPS is the first formal effort along this front. As three founders and presidents of NEEPS, we formally and publicly say that we strongly endorse this fledgling group and in this presentation are glad to provide guidance to help ensure the success of SEEPS.

Dr. Douglas W. Haywick, Department of Earth Sciences, University of South Florida & Dr. David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Geological Survey of Alabama
Mounds but No Reefs in the Mississippian of Alabama

Large reefs are common in shallow tropical seas in many time periods, but are not typical in the Mississippian. The Mississippian Bangor Limestone in north Alabama contains small mounds, first described in 1999. Mounds, like reefs, are organosedimentary buildups, but lack a skeletal framework. Bangor mounds in Alabama range from rugose coral colonies to fenestral bryozoan mud mounds to fenestral bryozoan-crinoid-rugose coral grain-supported mounds; and are all thinner than 1.5 m. In 2015 we described small microbial mounds from the slightly older Monteagle Limestone along State Highway 72 near Woodville, AL. They measure 0.7 m tall by 0.4 m wide and possess synoptic relief. At this outcrop, shallow marine carbonates of the Monteagle Limestone pass upward through approximately 7 m of mixed siliciclastic-carbonate strata into shallow marine carbonates of the Bangor Limestone. The transition interval is roughly equivalent to the Hartselle Sandstone, which pinches out just west of the study site. One mound correlates with an exposure surface in the Monteagle Limestone and is selectively dolomitized. It contains fenestrae, but no other macroscopic microbial structures. The second mound caps a grainstone unit in the transition zone from Monteagle to Bangor, and is sharply overlain by dark gray shale. It is composed of thin seams of mud-packstone interbedded with dolomitic and siliciclastic sediment. The carbonate layers may be microbial. The Monteagle and Bangor mounds comprise a facies of the Mississippian that is easy to miss but may be environmentally and evolutionarily significant.

Dr. Adam Hutcheson, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Georgia Gwinnett College
Spatial Cognition: Necessary Tools in the Evolved Toolbox

I would like to present spatial cognition research as an ignored link between evolution and psychology. We usually focus on biology but the words "spatial cognition" are nowhere to be found in Intro books or occasionally even in upper level cog books. Spatial behaviors allow us to compare cognitive traits between species in unique ways.

Anastasia Makhanova, Graduate Student, Florida State University
Testosterone and Partner Self-Blame: Physiological and Psychological Reactions to Discussions of Marital Problems

 Romantic partners inevitably face problems in their relationships, and effectively navigating such problems requires earnest discussions of the source of those problems. We examined the physiological correlates of 50 newlywed couples’ (100 participants’) tendencies to focus blame on one another during four discussions of relationship problems—two identified by each spouse. Consistent with predictions, increases in actors’ testosterone across the discussions were positively associated with increases in their partners’ tendencies to blame themselves for the problems discussed. Actors’ tendencies to act confrontationally during the discussion mediated this effect. Moreover, increases in actors’ testosterone were positively associated with partners’, but not actors’, perception that the problems being discussed were more severe. These results indicate that increases in testosterone during problem-solving discussions may make actors behave in ways that make their partners feel blamed for the couples’ problems.

Mary Medlin, Graduate Student, University of Louisiana at Monroe
Why do we Believe? An Exploration of Non-Religious Factors in Religious Belief 

This study compared levels of belief in God, as well as suggested predictors of belief, between the states of Maine and Louisiana. Predictor variables measured included fear, rational versus experiential thought process preference, and morality salience. It was hypothesized that a higher pathogen level would predict higher levels of fear, and disgust, and a preference for experiential thought style, as well as greater belief in god. Maine was chosen due to its being in the lowest pathogen region on the country while Louisiana, though similar in economic and intelligence measures, is in the highest pathogen region in the country. T-tests run on the data and showed that Maine and Louisiana were surprisingly similar on measures of Individualizing foundations. This is interesting because Louisiana is a highly conservative state compared to Maine, and one would expect higher scores in the Binding Foundations as compared to Individualizing Foundations in a conservative state. Even more surprising was the fact that Louisiana was actually higher than Maine in not only the Binding foundations, but the Individualizing foundations as well. When compared to Maine, Louisiana shows to be in what we consider "pre-25kcal conditions", both socially and cognitively, meaning that due to greater levels of fear based on need, individuals in this state are more likely to be group-minded and afraid of deviance from the norm. Therefore, it is not surprising to find that LA had a higher reported level of religiosity, fear, and disgust concerns focusing on contamination and deviance.

Dr. Gregg Murray, Associate Professor of Political Science, Texas Tech University
Testing the Effect of Moral Foundation Theory as a Tool for Mobilizing Voters: A Two-site Field Experiment

Morality is inextricably intertwined in political matters. Individuals’ moral convictions affect how they perceive the political system and how they respond to it. For instance, moral political rhetoric has been found to increase political participation, and stronger moral convictions have been related to an increased probability of voting. This paper reports the results of a field experiment designed to assess the effect on voter mobilization of GOTV messaging informed by Moral Foundations Theory (MFT), a comprehensive theory of morality that is informed by evolutionary theory and intended to capture typically ignored non-western and religious constructs of morality in addition to conventional western constructs. Evidence suggests political liberals and conservatives respond differently to the five dimensions of morality captured by MFT. The experimental design includes manipulated GOTV messages delivered by mail to random samples of registered voters in El Paso, Texas, and Madison, Wisconsin. The results are mostly inconsistent with the hypothesized effects.

Dr. Diana Outlaw, Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University
Darwin Week at Mississippi State University: Challenges and Small Triumphs

The Darwin Week program has run annually since February 2013 at Mississippi State University, and has faced challenges from within the university and from the community. We have organized the program by building on existing outreach infrastructure and experimenting with different formats to engage the community more broadly. From inside the university, we have faced blatant hostility as well as indifference; from the community, we have encountered some pushback with respect to the name “Darwin”. Despite these negative interactions, our program has been widely publicized and attended, and we continue to expand and broaden the program each year. The most successful events include a career tour for middle school children, tea-times that revolve around a particular topic, and the very popular Survival-of-the-fittest dodge ball tournament. Our goals in the coming years are to widen the circle of departments with which to partner for programming and to bring in high-profile guests.

Dr. Amy Rector, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Virginia Commonwealth University 
Integrating Anthropology and Biology: Comparing success rates and learning outcomes across majors when taking Human Evolution 

A charge to bioanthropological curriculum development is generating learning outcomes for substantially different backgrounds of anthropology and biology majors. A primary concern is how prepared anthropology majors are for biology content; anthropology curriculum does not always require biology prerequisites. As bioanthropological research relies increasingly on genetics/phylogenomics, strong emphasis needs to be put on integrating biological content. The core-level “Human Evolution” course at Virginia Commonwealth University is taught under an anthropology rubric. It is required for anthropology majors, and serves as a lab-based elective for biology majors. The course is divided into four primary units: two covering topics that are also explored in lower-level biology courses (e.g., DNA inheritance), and two focusing on paleoanthropological content (e.g., hominin taxonomy). Here, we compare results of course assessments and final c ourse grades between anthropology and biology majors across five semesters and >200 students to determine whether the two majors performed differently on units with “biology” content vs. “anthropology” content. Preliminary results of a series of statistical tests reveal that overall, anthropology and biology majors are earning comparable final grades in the course. However, when assessment results for units with differing content are contrasted, anthropology and biology majors scored comparably on “biology” content units, while biology majors scored statistically significantly worse on “anthropology” content units. These results might suggest that biology rather than anthropology majors are deficient in an integrated bioanthropological perspective. We recommend that anthropology and biology departments consider introducing integrated curriculum that is interdisciplinary rather than multidisciplinary by design.

Dr. Andrew K. Rindsberg, Associate Professor of Environmental Geology and Paleontology, University of West Alabama
Implications of Behavioral Evolution for the Taxonomy of Trace Fossils 

This presentation will explore ways that the evolution of behavior can be more completely incorporated into ichnotaxonomy. Trace fossils are the basic evidence for many important behaviors, including locomotion, surficial detritus-feeding (“grazing”), deposit-feeding, hiding within the sediment, and digestion. In recent years, more and more trace fossils have been linked with clades of makers. Vertebrate ichnologists have tended to embrace such connections and incorporate them into ichnotaxonomy, while invertebrate ichnologists have largely been reluctant to do so. Although ichnotaxa are based ultimately on behavior rather than on presumed tracemaker, the realization that some behaviors are probably related to particular clades sheds new light on the classification of trace fossils. Some complex behaviors, e.g., the complex spiraling of the burrow Zoophycos, have evolved dramatically through time. Other behaviors, such as those producing the burrows Arthraria and Arthrophycus, have evidently became extinct along with their makers. An effective classification should be predictive as well as descriptive, and allow genetically related behaviors to be grouped together. The use of morphologically based ichnofamilies will help to put fossil behaviors into an evolutionary context.

John Brooks, Graduate Student, University of Louisiana at Monroe & Dr. Kilian Garvey, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Louisiana at Monroe
Cognitive Reflection and Morality: Type 2 Thinking Predicts Restricted Moral Sensitivity 

In this study the three item Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) was used to explore individual differences in extending vs restricting moral sensitivity (EMS vs RMS) as measured by the Moral Foundations Questionnaire (MFQ). The CRT is a widely used test of heuristics-and-biases judgments, believed to indicate differences in preference of using the System 1 (heuristic) or System 2 (analytic) cognitive processes. Four t tests were carried out on 8 different MFQ measures of EMS and RMS (4 each). While only 1 of 16 EMS tests were significant, 15 of 16 RMS tests were; all of them indicating that incorrect CRT responses were associated with a narrower moral worldview, suggesting that cognitive reflection is required for greater moral sensitivity.

Victoria Burgess, Undergraduate Student, Georgia Gwinnett College
The Cost of Sex and Wolbachia Infection in Trichogramma Wasps

Sex allocation is an important evolutionary trait that involves optimizing the number of female and male offspring a female can produce. For many insects this trait has been coopted by a bacterial parasite called Wolbachia. Parasitic wasps in the genus Trichogramma are infected with a form of Wolbachia that feminizes male offspring and allows them to reproduce parthenogenetically. The ultimate consequence of this type or reproductive manipulation is female-biased sex ratio distortion of populations and, in some cases, entire species. The spread of this type of Wolbachia infection in populations and species is often associated with a loss of sexual reproduction. The proximate cause of the loss of sexual reproduction though is unknown. We address this question by testing two distinct hypotheses related to sexual reproduction in Wolbachia-infected populations: 1) Female sexual fuction is costly, and 2) Wolbachia infection is costly. Using antibiotically-cured Trichogramma wasps survival and reproduction was analyzed for asexual, sexual, and cured laboratory populations. The results will be discussed in terms of bacterial transmission in populations and the potential to change modes of reproduction.

Ashley Daugherty, Undergraduate Student, University of Alabama
​Operation Sappho: Finding the Links Between Sexual Fluidity and Prosocial Behavior

Studies show male same-sex relations are evolutionarily adaptive on group level selection (Vasey and VanderLaan, 2009), as well as links between same-sex sexual behavior and benefits for groups as a whole in primates (Cronin, 2012). We hypothesize that when sexual fluidity is prevalent within a group, it will be positively correlated with prosocial behavior within that group. “Sexual fluidity” is the frequency of same-sex sexual behaviors within a given group, and “prosocial behavior” is behaviors that benefit others in the group or group welfare without necessarily being altruistic. We are collecting data from young adults aged 19-30 of all genders, with purposive sampling for women, who are an understudied demographic in this regard. This sample is being surveyed with regard to the Big Five personality traits, sexual fluidity, and prosociality. Preliminary regression analysis indicates a significant positive association between sexual fluidity and prosociality when controlling for openness to experience (r² = 0.292, p = .031). Findings from this study will shed light on the evolutionary implications of human sociosexuality .

Emma Duncan, Undergraduate Student, University of Alabama
Multi-Sensory Campfire Experiences Influence Lower Electrodermal Response

The mastery of fire has exerted underexplored evolutionary influences on human physiology (Wrangham 2009). While the purpose and necessity of fire has changed throughout human history, humans still display natural curiosity or attraction to fire (Murray et al. 2015). A natural attraction of fire could be related to a physiological benefit of controlled fire. However, the purpose of a fire varies throughout the day, serving as a more functional unit during daylight hours and providing relaxation and calming influences at night (Wiessner 2014). Our previous research using a simulated fire paradigm indicates that multisensory hearth and campfires (including visual and sound elements) influence human physiological responses by lowering blood pressure (Lynn 2014). Our current study (n = 36) includes two phases—another simulated fire experiment to further isolate sensory aspects (e.g., sound only and comparison to multimedia) with regard to blood pressure and electrodermal response and a field test of physiological responses to real fires in the day and night. Based on preliminary analyses, we find statistically significant decreases in blood pressure in fire as a multisensory experience (with visual and sound elements) (p = .02) and in the multimedia condition (p = .03). Further, we predict a larger effect with regard to real fire at night but not during the day. There are numerous implications of this research. The relationship among human physiology, fire, and multimedia has important potential for understanding contemporary interest in and sometimes addiction to television, videogames, and smartphone use. This study also explains the utility of fire as a method of relaxation and meditation, and its significance as a means of social relaxation throughout evolutionary history.

Dr. William Evans, Director, Institute for Communication and Research, University of Alabama
From Blockbusters to Experimental Cinema: Film in its Evolutionary Context ​

Evolutionary film theory has emerged as a contender as researchers work to understand why humans have come to create and appreciate a wide variety of film experiences, from Hollywood blockbusters to experimental cinema. By operationalizing evolutionary models to facilitate media content analysis, this paper aims to expand the methodological toolkit available for evolutionary film studies. This paper analyzes mainstream and art films, arguing that evolutionary theory can help us understand how these seemingly disparate film types exploit our evolved capacities for understanding and enjoying film. This paper also aims to help film theorists better account for the seemingly universal preference for narrative over art film experiences and for the enduring phenomena of the “art-house movie” that can thrill a relatively small subset of film fans.

Ari Freuman, Graduate Student, Baruch College
Masculine Facial Architecture Decreases Mating Intelligence in Ovulating Females 

Research has documented shifts in preferences for male facial architecture over the course of their ovulatory cycle (Penton-Voak et al., 1999). Specifically, females prefer males with masculine facial architecture as they near ovulation. 114 normally cycling American females were asked to assess various male faces on various dimensions, including dimensions associated with mating intelligence (specifically, commitment skepticism). This study found that masculine, but not feminine, male faces triggered shifts in mating intelligence. When paired with a long-term strategy statement, masculine faces triggered decreased commitment-skepticism, but when paired with a short-term strategy statement, predicted increased commitment-skepticism. This finding may shed light into the proximate mechanisms that ultimately account for pair-bonding during ovulation. It follows that although females are ultimately dual-strategists (i.e., they pursue both a long-term and a short-term strategy), they are continually motivated to engage in a long-term strategy. It is their ability to accurately assess whether a male is likely to remain committed that decreases, but only when exposed to masculine facial stimuli.

Dr. Amanda Glaze, Graduate Faculty, Texas A&M,
Evolutionary Perceptions in the 21st Century: A National Snapshot of Undergraduate Students

Oral presentation addressing preliminary data from a national survey of evolution understanding and acceptance among undergraduate students. 

Dr. Patricia Hawley, Professor of Educational Psychology, Texas Tech University
Fear and Loathing in West Texas: Reducing Teachers Anxiety and Increasing their Efficacy about Teaching Evolution 

Well documented problem of reception of evolution in the present American climate (Miller, Scott, Okamoto, 2006). Part of the solution lies with teachers who are unwittingly on the front lines of national cultural tension. Indeed, evolution is often avoided by biology teachers in high school classrooms (Rutledge & Mitchell, 2002), even if such avoidance technically violates state laws. The present work describes a piloted teacher workshop targeting not only content knowledge, but also epistemological anxieties that are fueled by the intelligent design movement. The Alabama School Bd insert was used as a learning tool. Pre- and post-tests indicate positive change in knowledge, affect, and self-efficacy, showing that "business as usual" approaches (i.e., teaching more biology) are insufficient to catalyze cultural change.

Dr. Nick Holztman, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Georgia Southern University
​The Evolution of Narcisicm: Old and New Models

Evolutionary psychology provides a powerful framework for understanding the emergence and maintenance of everyday personality traits. The goal of this theory-based presentation is to walk the audience through the evolution of narcissism, a trait that involves arrogance, entitlement, and vanity. The plan is to provide an overview of the various ways in which narcissism may have evolved. In particular, three explanations are offered: (1) narcissism is rooted in physical characteristics that in turn shape one’s psychological development; (2) narcissism is shaped by complex gene X environment interactions; and (3) narcissism is related to numerous genes with small effects that have been subjected to selection pressures over the course of evolutionary history. Building on the third explanation, a model is offered that integrates two key views: narcissism was selected because it facilitates short-term mating, and because it confers dominance. These two attributes facilitate narcissistic survival and reproduction, respectively.

Dr. Daniel Kruger, Research Assistant Professor in School of Public Health, University of Michigan
The Impacts of the Population Sex Ratio across the Life Course in Modern Human Populations

Reproductive dynamics are influenced by the relative proportions of potentially reproductive males and females in a population. Patterns following from the Operational Sex Ratio in other species are reflected in human populations. Because the reproductive strategies of men and women are somewhat divergent, market influences of supply and demand on the intensity of mating competition and selectivity for partners produce different outcomes in female biased and male biased populations. Scarce females are more effectively able to secure commitment from partners as well as demand higher levels of resource investment. Male mating opportunities are enhanced by scarcity and incentives for long-term commitment are diminished, encouraging serial and simultaneous polygyny. The effects of the sex ratio on marital patterns is well documented. This project examines the impact of the sex ratio in areas directly related to dynamics in reproductive relationships, as well as in other important areas of life. The sex ratio influences are seen across the life course, including birth outcomes, youth violence, social and health patterns, and mortality rates. Results demonstrate the power of evolutionary Life History Theory as framework for understanding psychological and behavioral patterns, as well as persistent social and health issues in modern populations.

Dr. Anthony Martin, Professor Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University & Andrew K. Rindsberg, Associate Professor of Environmental Geology and Paleontology, University of West Alabama
Trace Fossils and Ichnology as an Integral Part of Evolutionary Studies and Education

Paleontology is an essential science for evolutionary studies and for teaching evolution, as fossils constitute tangible evidence of ancient life and how it changed through time. However, in the public mind, fossils are stereotyped as bodily remains of plants and animals, such as carbonized leaves, shells, and bones. Body fossils give some insights on these organisms’ adaptations to their original ecosystems, but are not so good for interpreting the evolution of behavior in lineages. Thus for a more balanced approach when considering fossil evidence, evolutionary scientists can use ichnology, the study of modern and fossil traces, such as burrows, tracks, nests, and feces. In this presentation, we will supply examples of how ichnology contributes to a fuller understanding of the fossil record and its support of evolutionary theory. We will also show how modern traces tell us much about animal behavior in the context of their environments, reflecting the evolutionary heritage of trace-making animals.​

Cody Moser, Undergraduate Student, Florida State University
Anti-Predatory Behaviors in Nocturnal Prosimians at the Duke Lemur Center

Nocturnal primates compose a large representation of currently discovered extant primate species, with at least one-third of all primate species discovered exhibiting nocturnal behaviors. In this project, I build upon the relationship between nocturnal prosimians and their predators through the use of false predator models and playback experiments. Utilizing hawk calls, owl calls, and calls elicited by other predators found in their natural habitats, I attempted to elicit vocal and behavioral responses from the semi-free-ranging lemurs and lorises housed at the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, North Carolina. In addition to this, a model fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) was placed in the enclosure during experiments when fossa vocalizations were played. Expanding upon an original experiment conducted on mouse lemurs in their natural habitat, I was able to increase the sample size from eight mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus) to thirty-three animals across five different species of strepsirrhine; including Microcebus murinus, Cheirogaleus medius, Daubentonia madagascariensis, Nycticebus pygmaeus, and Lemur catta. Data gathered in these experiments were supplemented by recordings and behavioral observations taken of the individuals in their free-range and colony-group enclosures at the Lemur Center utilizing ultrasonic recording equipment. Preliminary data show a behavioral trend in all nocturnal species tested, separate from that of the diurnal Lemur catta. Data from these experiments will continue to be analyzed in order to further an understanding of the implications of nocturnality on early adaptations in primate behavior and the roles in which nocturnality and predator evasion may have contributed to early primate diversity.

Rachel Phillips, Graduate Student, Texas Tech University
The Dominion Mandate and Evolution: Sexism Undermines Understanding for Women but not for Men

Literalists would define the dominion mandate as a distinct plan and purpose for their lives endowed by the Creator. Since man is created in God’s image, the implication for women is that they are not, and so fall under the dominion of man. Women (“helpmates” to men; Genesis 2:20-25) are to be cherished (Ephesians 5:29 and Genesis 2:23), and, in contrast, men obeyed (1 Peter 3). The implications of a sexist and socially hierarchical epistemology is that ideologies or concepts, like evolution, are seemingly contradictory to the holy text and should be avoided. The connection between religion and the acceptance of evolution is well known (Heddy & Nadelson, 2012). Yet, the connection between sexism and evolution through a religious lens is not. The present project is the first to explore knowledge of evolution as a function of social dominance orientation (SDO) and sexist ideology (disfavoring women) in both men and women. Our results show that over the effects of religion and political orientation, social dominance orientation and sexism predict evolution knowledge (negatively) in women only. This finding makes sense in light of the dominion mandate: To protect their religious identities, women will incorporate views of themselves as helpmates while at the same time avoiding alternative explanatory frameworks (e.g., evolution). Given that SDO refers to beliefs in a natural, hierarchical order, women who endorse these beliefs may see attempts to change any power structure as conflicting with the natural order and therefore undesirable, even if to change it would be in their own interest (Roets, Van Hiel, & Dhont, 2012).

Isabella Rivera, Undergraduate Student, University of Alabama
Secular Belongingness in Religious Congregation Leads to Lower Stress

Evolutionary signaling theory suggests that humans communicate the quality of their intentions through displays of commitment and gain benefits of well-being and social integration or “belongingness” (Sosis 2006). Belongingness has been associated with the construct of “spirituality” in humans, applicable to religious and secular groups (King 2009). We use these cognitive science and behavioral models to examine the influences of signaling, social integration, proclivity, and perceived stress in a religious community. We hypothesize religious groups which embrace diversity and appeal to belongingness in secular and religious ways are more successful and social integration in the church should correlate positively with integration outside the church and negatively with perceived stress. For the past two years, we have collected data from congregants at a Wesleyan church in the U.S. Southeast using observational and survey methods. The church expressly states that different churches are needed to appeal to different people and provides diversity within its congregation. It has over 10 secular interest groups within the church to attract people of different socioeconomic backgrounds. Preliminary data collected from 18 church members suggests commitment is signaled via interest group membership, and the church requires training of members to facilitate this integration. High degree centrality through membership in multiple church groups appears to correlate with increased status outside the church. Questions remain whether outside success and proclivity motivate church integration or vice versa. This study is important toward better understanding the dynamics of within and between group cooperation in humans.

Nick Roy, Undergraduate Student, University of Alabama
The Evolution of Sexual Fluidity: Increased Sexual Fluidity is Correlated with Increased Prosocial Behavior in a Cross-Cultural Analysis

Studies show that male same-sex relations are evolutionarily adaptive on group level selection (Vasey & VanderLaan, 2009). Primate studies show that sexual behavior within groups of same-sex primates benefits the group by facilitating social cooperation through strengthening bonds and building coalitions (Muscarella, 2000). We are testing whether or not increased sexual fluidity within a group is positively correlated to prosocial behavior. Evolutionarily, we argue that the ability to engage in same-sex sexual behavior helps build bonds within primate groups and such sexual behavior may have been selected through a multi-level selection model. The present study examines, through a cross-cultural analysis, human populations and assesses whether similar patterns in prosocial behavior are present among human populations. We will assess a standard cross-cultural sample on how sexually fluid the group is and how prosocial the group is both within the group and among outsiders by using the Human Relations Area File Online Database. We define “sexual fluidity” as the frequency of same-sex sexual behaviors within a given group, and “prosocial behavior” as behaviors that benefit others in the group or group welfare without necessarily being altruism. Findings from this study will shed light on the evolutionary development and cultural diversity of human sociosexuality, a phenomenon underrepresented in previous literature.

Dr. James Russell, Assistant Professor of Biology, Georgia Gwinnett College
The Cost of Female Sexual Function in Wolbachia-Infected Populations 

Wolbachia pipientis is one of the most pervasive and evolutionarily influential bacterial symbionts in the animal kingdom. Among numerous arthropods species, Wolbachia disrupt male embryonic development such that infected males develop into females that are capable of parthenogenetic (asexual) reproduction. This extreme disruption of sex determination has significant consequences for the evolution of species and infected populations. We test two hypotheses associated with this unique form of sexual distortion: 1) Female sexual function is compromised in distorted sex ratio (female-biased) environments, and 2) Female sexual function is costly. Previous research has indicated Wolbachia infection is physiologically costly, yet many species appear to be susceptible to Wolbachia infection. Theoretical analysis of the spread of Wolbachia infection in populations suggests that the reason for the disconnection between infection prevalence and cost of infection has to do with female sexual function. When infected females are given the option of asexual reproduction, the cost of female sexual function essentially increases. We have conducted a series of experiments aimed at quantifying costs associated with female sexual function. These cost estimates have been incorporated into mathematical models used to predict the evolution of infection frequencies and mutant alleles associated with female sexual function. We will present the results of our preliminary investigation into the loss of female sexual function among Wolbachia-infected species.

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