Inside the Hive Mind: The Psychology of Group Life

Undergraduate

Human life is life in groups. Our lives depend on a complex web of others who furnish us with food, shelter, clothing, protection. Even our sense of self is largely defined in terms of who we are similar to and different from. And groups are by no means unique to our species, providing social organization in species as insects or even bacteria. But to place groups in a biological and evolutionary framework is to confront a central mystery, the mystery of cooperation: Why help others who may or may not help you back? And why don’t cheaters invade the population of cooperators, taking advantage of their niceness without reciprocation? This course begins with the evolutionary and biological origins of group life. When and why does group behavior evolve? What problems does it solve, and what forms does it take in other species? We then turn to the unique ways in which group behavior plays out in humans. Here we cover classic psychological work on topics like social identity, stereotyping and prejudice, and conformity, seeking to understand the ways in which group-mindedness enables both what is best and worst in our species. PSYC 1100 or PSYC 1300 (Introduction to Psychology or Introduction to Cognitive Science) SO TTh 2:35pm-3:50pm