The assignment is a reflection assignment. In this assignment, you will explain a research finding and the associated theory/hypothesis to someone else who is unfamiliar with evolutionary psychology. After doing so, you will write a reflection paper on the discussion you had with this person.

The topic is altruistic behavior towards different types of kin.

Answer all question in detail in approximately 1000 words.

Here are the questions:

1. What is the phenomenon that you chose to discuss and why is an evolutionary perspective relevant? Explain which theory/hypothesis is relevant. For example, let's say you chose to talk about altruistic behavior towards different types of kin. As we discussed in class, one relevant theory here would be inclusive fitness theory.

2. Who did you choose to have a discussion with? In this case a student from high school. What does this person know about evolutionary psychology? You might start your discussion with the question: "Have you heard about evolutionary psychology? What do you think it is?" You may discover that this person may have some familiarity. If so, ask where they heard of evolutionary psychology and/or the specific research/ideas that you then discuss with them.

3. Was this person convinced of the research finding/ideas you shared with them (? Why were they convinced, or skeptical (1 point)? You might ask: "Do these findings and ideas make sense to you? Why or why not?" Perhaps this person has personal experiences that are compatible with what you explained, or perhaps they have counterexamples that contradict the research findings and ideas. Or perhaps they think what you are saying simply doesn't make sense!

4. The last two points involve your own broad reflections. What were the problems that you encountered when trying to explain the research finding and theory, and how do you think you could have communicated it better? Perhaps your discussion partner misunderstood something you said. Perhaps they had certain misconceptions about evolutionary psychology. Or perhaps you discovered that you didn't quite understand evolutionary psychology as well as you thought you did. Tell us what you learned from this activity.