Description
Book SynopsisRecent research has emphasized that socially transmitted information may affect both the gene pool and the phenotypes of individuals and populations, and that an improved understanding of evolutionary issues is beneficial to those working towards the improvement of human health. Equally, an improved awareness of how human behavior influences health and reproductive fitness is starting to shed new light on the processes that shape the evolution of human behavior and the human mind.
Focusing directly on these emerging trends, Social Information Transmission and Human Biology bridges the gap between primarily theoretical work undertaken by those with evolutionary interests and biomedical work undertaken by those dealing with practical issues in human health and demographics. Incorporating papers from a symposium organized under the auspices of the UK Society for the Study of Human Biology, this volume merges the perspectives of internationally renowned evolutionary and theoreti
Table of Contents
Introduction to Models of Social Behavior. Niche Construction and Gene-culture Co-evolution. Symbolism and the Biology of Language. Sexual Selection and Human Behavior. Mathematical Dynamic Models of Human Interaction. Memetic Models of Human Behavior. Primate Models of Information Transmission. Archaeological Models of Information Transmission. Maximisation Strategies in Human Behavior. Demographic Trends and Social Change. Social Behavior and Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Social Change and the Epidemiology of Mental Health. The Psychology of Gender Development. The One-Child Policy in China and Child Health. The Evolution of Public Health Campaigns. Perceptions of Risk and Trust and Human Health.
