Students debating in a controversial scientific issue were asked to defend the position opposite to that which they initially held. The technique produced much student involvement and exposed students to the professional literature. (AL)

In this interrupted case, students read about the alarm-calling behavior of a certain type of ground squirrel and then work in groups to develop hypotheses to explain the behavior and describe data that might be used to test their hypotheses. Students are then given real data and asked to interpret the evolutionary relevance of the results.…

We studied economic choice behavior in capuchin monkeys by offering them to choose between two different foods available in variable amounts. When monkeys selected between familiar foods, their choice patterns were well-described in terms of relative value of the two foods. A leading view in economics and biology is that such behavior results from…

There are some important similarities between biological and societal evolution, but these similarities should not blind the enormous differences between them. Each system must be analyzed on its own merits and according to its own peculiar properties and principles. (Author/AM)

There is no clearly defined, universally accepted evolutionary theory that social anthropologists must accept. There has been great progress in the understanding of genetic mechanisms, but there are still major controversies. The most fundamental problem comes from postulating genes to account for behaviors. (Author/AM)

Discussed is the confusion of the human perceptual world with the perceptual environment of other organisms and possible effects of anthropomorphism on ecological principles. (CP)

A comparative approach to the study of communication can be seen as extremely valuable for a thorough understanding of human communication. In its broadest sense, communication is a biological phenomenon, defined as the interchange of information between an organism and its environment. Communication systems of living organisms differ…

The topic of altruistic behavior is an important one in studying the evolution of behavior. It is questioned whether natural selection can actually favor patterns of behavior that apparently do not favor the survival of the individual. Game theory models are presented to help explore the problem. (MA)

This article addresses the following questions: (1) What are the aims and claims of contemporary sociobiology? (2) How does the enterprise fit into the history of ideas? and (3) Does sociobiology have the earmarks of being the beginning of a major synthesis? (Author/AM)

The dangers of a sociobiological approach to the problem of mind are discussed. (Author/AM)

Based upon British studies, suggests how the coexistence of different ant species can occur, and discusses competition and niche-separation in relation to a study made in Norfolk. Recommends the elucidation of the mechanisms of niche-separation in ants as an ideal student project. (JR)