Gillian R Brown
Biographic Data
| ID | 90443 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gillian R Brown |
| GIVEN NAMES | Gillian R |
| FAMILY NAME | Brown |
| SIGNATURE | BROWN G R |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of St Andrews |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0675-0780 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 21 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 39 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 21 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1916 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
The pitfalls of an impoverished approach to culture: Commentary on Baumard and André
Impediments to countering racist pseudoscience
Although virtually all academics who study human ‘race’ agree that it is a social construct, members of the general public still commonly regard ‘race’ as a biological property (i.e. they think that ‘races’ are genetically distinct). Even though empirical data from genetics and other fields do not support biological conceptions of race, this erroneous viewpoint is widely held, suggesting that there are impediments to effective communication of th…
Relationship between Height Preferences and Endorsement of Gender Norms
Height preferences when choosing a partner might reflect adaptive mating strategies, whereby tall men are deemed attractive to potential partners due to links with health and resource acquisition. However, height preferences are highly variable across populations and could reflect socially constructed gender norms. We examined the relationship between ideal partner height, the importance placed on partner height and endorsement of traditional gen…
Sense and Nonsense: Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Behaviour
Evolutionary theory is one of the most wide-ranging and inspiring scientific ideas, and it offers a battery of methods that can be used to interpret human behaviour. However, researchers disagree about the best ways to use evolution to explore humanity, and a number of schools of thought have emerged. Sense and Nonsense, third edition, provides an introduction to the ideas, methods, and findings of five such schools, namely sociobiology, human be…
The imposter phenomenon and its relationship with self-efficacy, perfectionism and happiness in university students
Individuals who experience the imposter phenomenon (IP) have feelings of self-doubt and are concerned that they will be exposed as frauds. Previous research has indicated that IP is associated with anxiety, depression and low self-esteem, and university students are thought to be particularly susceptible to IP. This study investigated the relationship between IP and self-efficacy, maladaptive perfectionism and happiness in university students, an…
Feminist Beliefs, Not Gender Equality Primes, Shape Self-Reported Partner Preferences
Men are reported to prioritise physical attractiveness in potential intimate partners, while women focus on the abilities of potential partners to provide resources. Yet previous research has suggested that these traditional gender differences vary according to national levels of gender equality. Here, we used priming material to manipulate participants’ perceptions of gender equality and examined the effects on self-reported partner preferences,…
Comparability of personality facets between men and women: A test of measurement invariance in Ipip-NEO facets in 49 countries
Identifying whether men and women differ in their personalities, and whether such differences are robust across populations, requires researchers to consider measurement invariance (MI) when comparing between groups. Here, we examined thirty facets of the 120-item IPIP-NEO personality measure between genders (49 countries, N = 831,849). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) revealed that only about half of the facets exhibited robust factor structu…
Sir John Lyons
The Social Construction of Human Nature
What is the job that the term ‘human nature’ is expected to do? Three notions are prevalent but are problematic: (1) Distinguishing what is biological from what is cultural/environmental. Here the term fails. (2) Characterizing the defining features of humanity, thereby allowing us to be distinguished from other species. This stance is tenable but contributes little. (3) Characterizing what is universal or typical about humanity, because of our ‘…
Sex differences in confidence influence patterns of conformity
Lack of confidence in one's own ability can increase the likelihood of relying on social information. Sex differences in confidence have been extensively investigated in cognitive tasks, but implications for conformity have not been directly tested. Here, we tested the hypothesis that, in a task that shows sex differences in confidence, an indirect effect of sex on social information use will also be evident. Participants (N = 168) were administe…
Evolution and human behavioural diversity: Papers of a Theme Issue
Human beings persist in an extraordinary range of ecological settings, in the process exhibiting enormous behavioural diversity, both within and between populations. People vary in their social, mating and parental behaviour and have diverse and elaborate beliefs, traditions, norms and institutions. The aim of this theme issue is to ask whether, and how, evolutionary theory can help us to understand this diversity. In this introductory article, w…
Social influences on foraging behavior in young nonhuman primates: Learning what, where, and how to eat
Human infants rely on social interactions to acquire food‐related information. 1 , 2 Adults actively teach children about food through culturally diverse feeding practices. Characteristics we share with the other primates, such as complex diets, highly social lives, and extended juvenile periods, suggest that social learning may be important during ontogeny throughout the order. Although all young primates typically pay attention to feeding adult…
The niche construction perspective: Implications for evolution and human behaviour
The vibrancy of the field of evolution and human behaviour belies the fact that the majority of social scientists are deeply unhappy with evolutionary accounts of human behaviour. In part, this reflects a problem within evolutionary biology: neo-Darwinism fails to recognize a fundamental cause of evolutionary change, "niche construction", by which organisms modify environmental states, and consequently selection pressures, thereby acting as co-di…
Sometimes an Orgasm is Just an Orgasm
Niche construction, human behavior, and the adaptive-lag hypothesis
Niche construction is the process whereby organisms modify selective environments, thereby affecting evolution. The niche-construction perspective is particularly relevant to researchers using evolutionary methods to interpret human behavior and society. On the basis of niche-construction theory, we argue against the hypothesis that modern humans experience an atypically large adaptive lag. We stress that humans construct their world largely to s…
Adult-infant food transfer in common marmosets: An experimental study
Infant marmosets and tamarins obtain solid food items from adults during and after the time of weaning. In addition to providing nutrients, food transfers may provide infants with the opportunity to learn about diet. The aim of this study was to investigate patterns of begging and food transfer in captive groups of common marmosets during tests with 1) palatable novel food, 2) unpalatable novel food, and 3) familiar food. Infants may gain an oppo…
Hawthorne’s American history
Every one who has considered the subject, knows full well that a nation without fancy, without some romance, never did, never can, never will, hold a great place under the sun. In this 1853 proclamation, Charles Dickens articulates the nineteenthcentury belief in the importance of fancy in books for children that has remained a guiding assumption about children's literature ever since. “The fairy literature of our childhood,” according to Dickens…
The development of behavioural sex differences in infant rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)
Dwelling in the Text: Houses in American Fiction
Journal Article Dwelling in the Text: Houses in American Fiction. By Marilyn R. Chandler. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991. viii + 338 pp. $29.95, ISBN 0-520-076363-0.) Get access Gillian Brown Gillian Brown University of Utah Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of American History, Volume 79, Issue 3, December 1992, Pages 1166–1167, https://doi.org/10.2307/2080857 Published: 01 December…
The Empire of Agoraphobia
Research Article| October 01 1987 The Empire of Agoraphobia Gillian Brown Gillian Brown Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Representations (1987) 20: 134–157. https://doi.org/10.2307/2928505 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Gillian Brown; The Empi…
Folk Tales from the Tonga Islands
The niche construction perspective: Implications for evolution and human behaviour
The vibrancy of the field of evolution and human behaviour belies the fact that the majority of social scientists are deeply unhappy with evolutionary accounts of human behaviour. In part, this reflects a problem within evolutionary biology: neo-Darwinism fails to recognize a fundamental cause of evolutionary change, "niche construction", by which organisms modify environmental states, and consequently selection pressures, thereby acting as co-di…
The Empire of Agoraphobia
Research Article| October 01 1987 The Empire of Agoraphobia Gillian Brown Gillian Brown Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Representations (1987) 20: 134–157. https://doi.org/10.2307/2928505 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Gillian Brown; The Empi…
Sex differences in confidence influence patterns of conformity
Lack of confidence in one's own ability can increase the likelihood of relying on social information. Sex differences in confidence have been extensively investigated in cognitive tasks, but implications for conformity have not been directly tested. Here, we tested the hypothesis that, in a task that shows sex differences in confidence, an indirect effect of sex on social information use will also be evident. Participants (N = 168) were administe…
Feminist Beliefs, Not Gender Equality Primes, Shape Self-Reported Partner Preferences
Men are reported to prioritise physical attractiveness in potential intimate partners, while women focus on the abilities of potential partners to provide resources. Yet previous research has suggested that these traditional gender differences vary according to national levels of gender equality. Here, we used priming material to manipulate participants’ perceptions of gender equality and examined the effects on self-reported partner preferences,…
Dwelling in the Text: Houses in American Fiction
Journal Article Dwelling in the Text: Houses in American Fiction. By Marilyn R. Chandler. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991. viii + 338 pp. $29.95, ISBN 0-520-076363-0.) Get access Gillian Brown Gillian Brown University of Utah Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of American History, Volume 79, Issue 3, December 1992, Pages 1166–1167, https://doi.org/10.2307/2080857 Published: 01 December…
Folk Tales from the Tonga Islands
Folk Tales from the Tonga Islands
The Empire of Agoraphobia
Research Article| October 01 1987 The Empire of Agoraphobia Gillian Brown Gillian Brown Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Representations (1987) 20: 134–157. https://doi.org/10.2307/2928505 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Gillian Brown; The Empi…
Dwelling in the Text: Houses in American Fiction
Journal Article Dwelling in the Text: Houses in American Fiction. By Marilyn R. Chandler. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991. viii + 338 pp. $29.95, ISBN 0-520-076363-0.) Get access Gillian Brown Gillian Brown University of Utah Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of American History, Volume 79, Issue 3, December 1992, Pages 1166–1167, https://doi.org/10.2307/2080857 Published: 01 December…
The development of behavioural sex differences in infant rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)
Hawthorne’s American history
Every one who has considered the subject, knows full well that a nation without fancy, without some romance, never did, never can, never will, hold a great place under the sun. In this 1853 proclamation, Charles Dickens articulates the nineteenthcentury belief in the importance of fancy in books for children that has remained a guiding assumption about children's literature ever since. “The fairy literature of our childhood,” according to Dickens…
Adult-infant food transfer in common marmosets: An experimental study
Infant marmosets and tamarins obtain solid food items from adults during and after the time of weaning. In addition to providing nutrients, food transfers may provide infants with the opportunity to learn about diet. The aim of this study was to investigate patterns of begging and food transfer in captive groups of common marmosets during tests with 1) palatable novel food, 2) unpalatable novel food, and 3) familiar food. Infants may gain an oppo…
Sometimes an Orgasm is Just an Orgasm
Niche construction, human behavior, and the adaptive-lag hypothesis
Niche construction is the process whereby organisms modify selective environments, thereby affecting evolution. The niche-construction perspective is particularly relevant to researchers using evolutionary methods to interpret human behavior and society. On the basis of niche-construction theory, we argue against the hypothesis that modern humans experience an atypically large adaptive lag. We stress that humans construct their world largely to s…
The niche construction perspective: Implications for evolution and human behaviour
The vibrancy of the field of evolution and human behaviour belies the fact that the majority of social scientists are deeply unhappy with evolutionary accounts of human behaviour. In part, this reflects a problem within evolutionary biology: neo-Darwinism fails to recognize a fundamental cause of evolutionary change, "niche construction", by which organisms modify environmental states, and consequently selection pressures, thereby acting as co-di…
Social influences on foraging behavior in young nonhuman primates: Learning what, where, and how to eat
Human infants rely on social interactions to acquire food‐related information. 1 , 2 Adults actively teach children about food through culturally diverse feeding practices. Characteristics we share with the other primates, such as complex diets, highly social lives, and extended juvenile periods, suggest that social learning may be important during ontogeny throughout the order. Although all young primates typically pay attention to feeding adult…
Evolution and human behavioural diversity: Papers of a Theme Issue
Human beings persist in an extraordinary range of ecological settings, in the process exhibiting enormous behavioural diversity, both within and between populations. People vary in their social, mating and parental behaviour and have diverse and elaborate beliefs, traditions, norms and institutions. The aim of this theme issue is to ask whether, and how, evolutionary theory can help us to understand this diversity. In this introductory article, w…
Sex differences in confidence influence patterns of conformity
Lack of confidence in one's own ability can increase the likelihood of relying on social information. Sex differences in confidence have been extensively investigated in cognitive tasks, but implications for conformity have not been directly tested. Here, we tested the hypothesis that, in a task that shows sex differences in confidence, an indirect effect of sex on social information use will also be evident. Participants (N = 168) were administe…
The Social Construction of Human Nature
What is the job that the term ‘human nature’ is expected to do? Three notions are prevalent but are problematic: (1) Distinguishing what is biological from what is cultural/environmental. Here the term fails. (2) Characterizing the defining features of humanity, thereby allowing us to be distinguished from other species. This stance is tenable but contributes little. (3) Characterizing what is universal or typical about humanity, because of our ‘…
Sir John Lyons
Sense and Nonsense: Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Behaviour
Evolutionary theory is one of the most wide-ranging and inspiring scientific ideas, and it offers a battery of methods that can be used to interpret human behaviour. However, researchers disagree about the best ways to use evolution to explore humanity, and a number of schools of thought have emerged. Sense and Nonsense, third edition, provides an introduction to the ideas, methods, and findings of five such schools, namely sociobiology, human be…
The imposter phenomenon and its relationship with self-efficacy, perfectionism and happiness in university students
Individuals who experience the imposter phenomenon (IP) have feelings of self-doubt and are concerned that they will be exposed as frauds. Previous research has indicated that IP is associated with anxiety, depression and low self-esteem, and university students are thought to be particularly susceptible to IP. This study investigated the relationship between IP and self-efficacy, maladaptive perfectionism and happiness in university students, an…
Feminist Beliefs, Not Gender Equality Primes, Shape Self-Reported Partner Preferences
Men are reported to prioritise physical attractiveness in potential intimate partners, while women focus on the abilities of potential partners to provide resources. Yet previous research has suggested that these traditional gender differences vary according to national levels of gender equality. Here, we used priming material to manipulate participants’ perceptions of gender equality and examined the effects on self-reported partner preferences,…
Comparability of personality facets between men and women: A test of measurement invariance in Ipip-NEO facets in 49 countries
Identifying whether men and women differ in their personalities, and whether such differences are robust across populations, requires researchers to consider measurement invariance (MI) when comparing between groups. Here, we examined thirty facets of the 120-item IPIP-NEO personality measure between genders (49 countries, N = 831,849). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) revealed that only about half of the facets exhibited robust factor structu…
The pitfalls of an impoverished approach to culture: Commentary on Baumard and André
Impediments to countering racist pseudoscience
Although virtually all academics who study human ‘race’ agree that it is a social construct, members of the general public still commonly regard ‘race’ as a biological property (i.e. they think that ‘races’ are genetically distinct). Even though empirical data from genetics and other fields do not support biological conceptions of race, this erroneous viewpoint is widely held, suggesting that there are impediments to effective communication of th…
Relationship between Height Preferences and Endorsement of Gender Norms
Height preferences when choosing a partner might reflect adaptive mating strategies, whereby tall men are deemed attractive to potential partners due to links with health and resource acquisition. However, height preferences are highly variable across populations and could reflect socially constructed gender norms. We examined the relationship between ideal partner height, the importance placed on partner height and endorsement of traditional gen…
Psychology (13 works) · Biology (6 works) · Computer Science (6 works) · Developmental psychology (6 works) · Social Psychology (6 works) · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation (5 works) · History (5 works) · Sociology (5 works) · Child and Animal Learning Development (4 works) · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior (4 works)