糖心原创

School of Psychology
 

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Steve Stewart Williams

Professor of Psychology,

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Biography

I'm a professor of psychology at the 糖心原创 Malaysia. Before taking up my current position, I was a Senior Lecturer at Swansea University, and before that I spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at McMaster University in Canada, working in the lab of Martin Daly and Margo Wilson. I did my Ph.D. in psychology and philosophy at Massey University in New Zealand. My second book, The Ape That Understood the Universe, hit the shelves in September 2018, and an audiobook version and revised paperback edition were released in 2019.

Expertise Summary

My main areas of expertise include evolutionary psychology, nature/nurture issues, sex differences, and kin selection theory. I also have a long-standing interest in philosophy, especially philosophical issues related to the mind and evolutionary theory. Some of my earliest academic work was on the placebo effect.

Teaching Summary

Evolutionary Psychology / Behaviour Genetics / Philosophy of Mind

CURRENT TEACHING:

PSGY2015: Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology

PSGY2017: Personality and Individual Differences

PSGY3024: Evolutionary Psychology

Research Summary

My research revolves around the idea that theories from evolutionary biology can shed light on the human mind and behaviour. In particular, I'm interested in the evolutionary origins of human sex… read more

Selected Publications

  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, CHANG, CHERN YI MARYBETH, WONG, XIU LING, BLACKBURN, JESSE D. and THOMAS, ANDREW G., 2021. British Journal of Psychology. 112, 389-411
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2018. Cambridge University Press.
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE and THOMAS, ANDREW G., 2013. PSYCHOLOGICAL INQUIRY. 24(3), 137-168
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2010. Cambridge University Press.

Current Research

My research revolves around the idea that theories from evolutionary biology can shed light on the human mind and behaviour. In particular, I'm interested in the evolutionary origins of human sex differences and altruism. I also have a long-standing interest in the philosophical implications of evolutionary theory.

Sex Differences

How do nature and nurture conspire to produce average differences between men and women? How different are the sexes, anyway? Are we highly dimorphic like peacocks and deer? Or are we relatively monomorphic, like gibbons and sea dragons?

And why is research on sex differences so controversial? Do people react more negatively to research findings that favour males than those that favour females?

The Evolution of Human Altruism

If evolution is all about the survival of the fittest, why are people usually quite nice to each other? Do humans, like most other animals, help relatives more than non-relatives? If natural selection favours organisms that preferentially help their relatives, why are we often so nice to friends, romantic partners, and other unrelated individuals?

The Nature and Nurture of Individual Differences

My colleague Steve Janssen and I are setting up a twin registry in Southeast Asia, so we can do research into the nature and nurture of psychological traits in a non-Western society. (Most twin studies to date have been done in the West.)

The Philosophical Implications of Evolutionary Theory

This was the subject of my first book, Darwin, God and the Meaning of Life (2010, Cambridge University Press).

Past Research

The placebo effect

  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, WONG, XIU LING, CHANG, CHERN YI MARYBETH and THOMAS, ANDREW G., 2022. PLOS ONE. 17, e0266171
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, WONG, XIU LING, CHANG, CHERN YI MARYBETH and THOMAS, ANDREW G., 2022. British Journal of Psychology. 113, 960-986
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE and HALSEY, LEWIS G., 2022. European Journal of Personality. 36, 991-996
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, CHANG, CHERN YI MARYBETH, WONG, XIU LING, BLACKBURN, JESSE D. and THOMAS, ANDREW G., 2021. British Journal of Psychology. 112, 389-411
  • THOMAS, ANDREW G., ARMSTRONG, STEPHANIE L., STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE and JONES, BENEDICT C., 2021. Evolutionary Psychology. 19, 1-7
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2021. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 44, 120-121
  • THOMAS, ANDREW G., STONE, B., BENNETT, PAUL, STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE and KENNAIR, LEIF E. O., 2021. Archives of Sexual Behavior. 50, 2151-2162
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2020. . In: WORKMAN, LANCE, READER, WILLIAM and BARKOW, JEROME, eds., The Cambridge Handbook of Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Behavior Cambridge University Press.
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2020. Espress Edizioni.
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2020. Espress Edizioni.
  • THOMAS, ANDREW G., JONASON, PETER K., BLACKBURN, JESSE D., KENNAIR, LEIF EDWARD OTTESEN, LOWE, ROB, MALOUFF, JOHN, STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, SULIKOWSKI, DANIELLE and LI, NORMAN P., 2019. JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY.
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2019. Cambridge University Press.
  • THOMAS, ANDREW G. and STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2018. Evolution and Human Behavior. 39, 82-93
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2018. Cambridge University Press.
  • RICHARDS, GARETH, DAVIES, WILLIAM, STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, BELLIN, WYNFORD and REED, PHIL, 2018. 2D:4D digit ratio and religiosity in university student and general population samples. Transpersonal psychology review. 20(1), 23-36
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, BUTLER, CATHERINE A. and THOMAS, ANDREW, 2017. Journal of Sex Research. 54, 1097-1105
  • CREWTHER, BLAIR T., THOMAS, ANDREW, STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, KILDUFF, LIAM P. and COOK, CHRISTIAN J., 2016. European Journal of Sport Science.
  • RICHARDS, GARETH, STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE and REED, PHIL, 2015. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES. 83, 102-105
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2015. Evolution and morality. In: WRIGHT, J. D., ed., International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences (2nd ed., pp. 811-818). Elsevier.
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2015. . In: MARTIN, M. and AUGUSTINE, K., eds., The myth of afterlife: Essays on the case against life after death (pp. xiii-xxv). McFarland.
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2015. On the origin of afterlife beliefs by means of memetic selection Free Inquiry. 35, 15-21
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2014. Darwin, B贸g i sens zycia: Dlaczego teoria ewolucji zmienia wszystko? (P. Szwajcer, Trans.). CiS.
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE and THOMAS, ANDREW G., 2013. PSYCHOLOGICAL INQUIRY. 24(3), 248-271
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE and THOMAS, ANDREW G., 2013. PSYCHOLOGICAL INQUIRY. 24(3), 137-168
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2012. Darwin Tanr谋 ve Ya艧am谋n Anlam谋: Evrim Kuram谋 Bildi臒imiz Her 艦eyi Nas谋l Alt 脺st Etti? (I. Hoca, Trans.). Say Yay谋nlar谋.
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2011. Il senso della vita senza Dio: Prendere Darwin sul serio (M. Mori, Trans.). Espress Edizioni.
  • BRAIN, PAUL F. and STEWART-WILLIAMS, S., 2010. Evolution of Emotions ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE, VOL 1: A-G. 507-511
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2010. Cambridge University Press.
  • STARRATT, VALERIE G., GOETZ, AARON T., SHACKELFORD, TODD K., MCKIBBIN, WILLIAM F. and STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2008. JOURNAL OF FAMILY VIOLENCE. 23(5), 315-323
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2008. HUMAN NATURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE. 19(4), 414-425
  • MCKIBBIN, WILLIAM F., GOETZ, AARON T., SHACKELFORD, TODD K., SCHIPPER, LUCAS D., STARRATT, VALERIE G. and STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2007. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES. 43(2), 231-241
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2007. EVOLUTION AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR. 28(3), 193-198
  • GOETZ, AARON T, SHACKELFORD, TODD K, SCHIPPER, LUCAS D and STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2006. Adding insult to injury: development and initial validation of the Partner-Directed Insults Scale. Violence and victims. 21(6), 691-706
  • WHITTINGTON, CRAIG J., PODD, JOHN and STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2006. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. 28(5), 738-754
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, PODD, JOHN V. and HILL, STEPHEN R., 2006. Elements of an evolved conceptual framework. In: FLETCHER-FLINN, C. M. and HABERMAN, G. M., eds., Cognition and language: Perspectives from New Zealand (pp. 227-238). Australian Academic Press.
  • LAMONT, AC, STEWART-WILLIAMS, S and PODD, J, 2005. MEMORY & COGNITION. 33(6), 1017-1024
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, S, 2005. BIOLOGY & PHILOSOPHY. 20(4), 791-814
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, S, 2005. BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN SCIENCES. 28(2), 294-+
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, S and PODD, J, 2004. PSYCHOLOGICAL BULLETIN. 130(2), 344-345
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, S, 2004. Theories of the placebo effect INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY. 39(5-6), 478-478
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, S and PODD, J, 2004. PSYCHOLOGICAL BULLETIN. 130(2), 324-340
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, S, 2004. HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY. 23(2), 198-206
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, S, 2004. Concepts: Core readings JOURNAL OF CONSCIOUSNESS STUDIES. 11(2), 79-80
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, STEVE, 2004. Darwin meets Socrates: The implications of evolutionary theory for ethics. Philosophy Now. 45, 26-29
  • STEWART-WILLIAMS, S, 2002. SEX ROLES. 46(5-6), 177-189

School of Psychology

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