Foundations in Evolutionary Cognitive Neuroscience

This book is an introduction to the emerging field of evolutionary cognitive neuroscience, a branch of neuroscience that combines the disciplines of evolutionary psychology and cognitive neuroscience. It outlines the application of cognitive neuroscientific methods (e.g., functional magnetic resonance imaging, transcranial magnetic stimulation, magneto- and electroencephalography, and the use of neuropsychiatric and neurosurgical patients) to answer empirical questions posed from an evolutionary meta-theoretical perspective. Chapters outline the basics of cognitive evolution and how the methods of cognitive neuroscience can be employed to answer questions about the presence of evolved cognitive adaptations. Written for graduate students and researchers, the book presents the major topics of study undertaken by evolutionary cognitive neuroscientists – such as language evolution, intelligence and face processing – and serves as a primer upon which to base further study in the discipline.

Steven M. Platek is Lecturer in Evolutionary Psychology in the School of Biological Sciences at The University of Liverpool. He is director of the Evolutionary Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory (ECNL), Associate and Managing Editor of the journal Evolutionary Psychology, and co-founding editor of the journal Social Neuroscience. He also serves on the editorial boards of The Journal of Social, Cultural and Evolutionary Psychology, The Open Ecology Journal, and The Open Evolution Journal.

Todd K. Shackelford is Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Evolutionary Psychology Area at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). He directs the Evolutionary Psychology Lab, which uses a modern evolutionary psychological perspective to investigate social and interpersonal phenomena. He is currently Editor-in-Chief of Evolutionary Psychology and Associate Editor of Journal of Personality, Personality and Individual Differences, and Human Ethology Bulletin.