Evolutionary Social Cognition

How has human evolutionary history shaped the motivational systems that guide human social cognition?  How do these evolved psychological processes influence attention to and memory for the people that we encounter?  How do they shape the impressions we form, and the prejudices that we express?  Over the last several years, I've been pursuing several lines of research that address those questions.

Representative Publications:

Schaller, M., & Park, J. H. (2011).  The behavioral immune system (and why it matters).  Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20, 99-103.  [pdf]

Neuberg, S. L., Kenrick, D. T., & Schaller, M. (2011).  Human threat management systems: Self-protection and disease-avoidance.  Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 35, 1042-1051.  [pdf]

Kenrick, D. T., Griskevicius, V., Neuberg, S. L., & Schaller, M. (2010).  Renovating the pyramid of needs: Contemporary extensions built upon ancient foundations.  Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5, 292-314.  [pdf]

Schaller, M., Neuberg, S. L., Griskevicius, V., & Kenrick, D. T. (2010).  Pyramid power: A reply to commentaries.  Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5, 335-337.  [pdf]

Kenrick, D. T., Neuberg, S. L., Griskevicius, V., Becker, D. V., & Schaller, M. (2010).  Goal-driven cognition and functional behavior: The fundamental motives approach.  Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19, 63-67.  [pdf]

Neuberg, S. L., Kenrick, D. T., & Schaller, M. (2010).  Evolutionary social psychology.  In S. T. Fiske, D. T. Gilbert, and G. Lindzey (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology (5th Edition, pp. 761-796).  New York:  John Wiley & Sons.  [pdf]

Schaller, M., Conway, L. G., III, & Peavy, K. M. (2010).  Evolutionary processes.  In J. F. Dovidio, M. Hewstone, P. Glick, & V. M. Esses (Eds.), The Sage handbook of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination (pp. 81-96).  Thousand Oaks CA:  Sage.  [pdf]

Duncan, L. A., & Schaller, M. (2009).  Prejudicial attitudes toward older adults may be exaggerated when people feel vulnerable to infectious disease: Evidence and implications.  Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 9, 97-115.  [pdf]

Park, J. H., Schaller, M., & Van Vugt, M. (2008).  Psychology of human kin recognition: Heuristic cues, erroneous inferences, and their implications.  Review of General Psychology, 12, 215-235.   [pdf]

Schaller, M. (2008).  Evolutionary bases of first impressions. In N. Ambady & J. J. Skowronski (Eds.), First impressions (pp. 15-34).  New York: Guilford Press.  [doc]

Schaller, M., & Neuberg, S. L. (2008).  Intergroup prejudices and intergroup conflicts.  In C. Crawford & D. L. Krebs (Eds.), Foundations of evolutionary psychology (pp. 399-412).  Mahwah NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.   [pdf]

Faulkner, J., & Schaller, M. (2007).  Nepotistic nosiness: Inclusive fitness and vigilance of kin members' romantic relationships.  Evolution and Human Behavior, 28, 430-438.   [pdf]

Park, J. H., Schaller, M., & Crandall, C. S.  (2007).  Pathogen-avoidance mechanisms and the stigmatization of obese people.  Evolution and Human Behavior, 28, 410-414.   [pdf]

Ackerman, J. M., Kenrick, D. T., & Schaller, M. (2007).  Is friendship akin to kinship?  Evolution and Human Behavior, 28, 365-374.  [pdf]

Duncan, L. A., Park, J. H., Faulkner, J., Schaller, M., Neuberg, S. L., & Kenrick, D. T. (2007).  Adaptive allocation of attention: Effects of sex and sociosexuality on visual attention to attractive opposite-sex faces.  Evolution and Human Behavior, 28, 359-364.  [pdf]

Maner, J. K., DeWall, C. N., Baumeister, R. F., & Schaller, M. (2007).   Does social exclusion motivate interpersonal reconnection? Resolving the "porcupine problem."  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 42-55.  [pdf]

Schaller, M., Park, J. H., & Kenrick, D. T. (2007).  Human evolution and social cognition.  In R. I. M. Dunbar & L. Barrett (Eds.), Oxford handbook of evolutionary psychology (pp. 491-504). Oxford UK:  Oxford University Press.  [doc]

Schaller, M., & Duncan, L. A. (2007).  The behavioral immune system: Its evolution and social psychological implications.  In J. P. Forgas, M. G. Haselton, & W. von Hippel (Eds.), Evolution and the social mind: Evolutionary psychology and social cognition (pp. 293-307).  New York: Psychology Press.  [doc]

Ackerman, J., M., Shapiro, J. R., Neuberg, S. L., Kenrick, D. T., Becker, D. V., Griskevicius, V., Maner, J. K., & Schaller, M. (2006).  They all look the same to me (unless they're angry): From out-group homogeneity to out-group heterogeneity.  Psychological Science, 17, 836-840.  [pdf]

Schaller, M., & Abeysinghe, A. M. N. D. (2006).  Geographical frame of reference and dangerous intergroup attitudes: A double-minority study in Sri Lanka.  Political Psychology, 27, 615-631.  [pdf]

Park, J. H., & Schaller, M. (2005).  Does attitude similarity serve as a heuristic cue for kinship? Evidence of an implicit cognitive association.  Evolution and Human Behavior, 26, 158-170.  [pdf]

Maner, J. K., Kenrick, D. T., Becker, D. V., Robertson, T. E., Hofer, B., Neuberg, S. L., Delton, A. W., Butner, J., & Schaller, M. (2005).  Functional projection: How fundamental social motives can bias interpersonal perception. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 63-78.  [pdf]

Schaller, M., & Conway, L. G., III (2005).  The substance of prejudice:  Biological- and social-evolutionary perspectives on cognition, culture, and the contents of stereotypical beliefs.  In C. S. Crandall & M. Schaller (Eds.), Social psychology of prejudice:  Historical and contemporary issues (pp. 145-160).  Lawrence KS:  Lewinian Press.

Schaller, M., Faulkner, J., Park, J. H., Neuberg, S. L., & Kenrick, D. T. (2004).  Impressions of danger influence impressions of people:  An evolutionary perspective on individual and collective cognition.  Journal of Cultural and Evolutionary Psychology, 2, 231-247.  [doc]

Faulkner, J., Schaller, M., Park, J. H., & Duncan, L. A. (2004).  Evolved disease-avoidance mechanisms and contemporary xenophobic attitudes.  Group Processes and Intergroup Behavior, 7, 333-353.  [pdf]

Schaller, M., Park, J. H., & Faulkner, J. (2003).  Prehistoric dangers and contemporary prejudices.  European Review of Social Psychology, 14, 105-137.  [pdf]

Park, J. H., Faulkner, J., & Schaller, M. (2003).  Evolved disease-avoidance processes and contemporary anti-social behavior:  Prejudicial attitudes and avoidance of people with disabilities.   Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 27, 65-87.  [pdf]

Schaller, M., Park, J. H., & Mueller, A. (2003).  Fear of the dark:  Interactive effects of beliefs about danger and ambient darkness on ethnic stereotypes.  Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 637-649.  [pdf]

Conway, L. G., III, & Schaller, M. (2002).  On the verifiability of evolutionary psychological theories:  An analysis of the psychology of scientific persuasion.  Personality and Social Psychology Review, 6, 152-166.  [pdf] 

Schaller, M. (2003).  Ancestral environments and motivated social perception:  Goal-like blasts from the evolutionary past.  In S. J. Spencer, S. Fein, M. P. Zanna, & J. M. Olson (Eds.), Motivated social perception:  The Ninth Ontario Symposium (pp. 215-231). Mahwah NJ:  Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.  [doc]

Schaller, M. (2002).  The evidentiary standard of special design is a little bit like heaven. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 25, 527-528. [html]