Title |
Testing the Controversy
|
---|---|
Published in |
Human Nature, October 2007
|
DOI | 10.1007/s12110-007-9024-y |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Joshua M. Tybur, Geoffrey F. Miller, Steven W. Gangestad |
Abstract |
Critics of evolutionary psychology and sociobiology have advanced an adaptationists-as-right-wing-conspirators (ARC) hypothesis, suggesting that adaptationists use their research to support a right-wing political agenda. We report the first quantitative test of the ARC hypothesis based on an online survey of political and scientific attitudes among 168 US psychology Ph.D. students, 31 of whom self-identified as adaptationists and 137 others who identified with another non-adaptationist meta-theory. Results indicate that adaptationists are much less politically conservative than typical US citizens and no more politically conservative than non-adaptationist graduate students. Also, contrary to the "adaptationists-as-pseudo-scientists" stereotype, adaptationists endorse more rigorous, progressive, quantitative scientific methods in the study of human behavior than non-adaptationists. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 5 | 17% |
Spain | 2 | 7% |
India | 1 | 3% |
Japan | 1 | 3% |
Finland | 1 | 3% |
France | 1 | 3% |
Russia | 1 | 3% |
Netherlands | 1 | 3% |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 | 3% |
Other | 1 | 3% |
Unknown | 15 | 50% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 25 | 83% |
Scientists | 4 | 13% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 3% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Netherlands | 1 | 3% |
United Kingdom | 1 | 3% |
Spain | 1 | 3% |
United States | 1 | 3% |
Luxembourg | 1 | 3% |
Unknown | 30 | 86% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 5 | 14% |
Other | 4 | 11% |
Professor > Associate Professor | 4 | 11% |
Lecturer | 3 | 9% |
Student > Master | 3 | 9% |
Other | 9 | 26% |
Unknown | 7 | 20% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Psychology | 15 | 43% |
Business, Management and Accounting | 3 | 9% |
Social Sciences | 3 | 9% |
Computer Science | 1 | 3% |
Linguistics | 1 | 3% |
Other | 2 | 6% |
Unknown | 10 | 29% |