An EconoTimes perspective

Ian Hohm

Graduate Student of Psychology, University of British Columbia

Graduate Student of Psychology, University of British Columbia My research draws on an evolutionary psychology approach to investigate how deep-seated motivations influence behaviour in the context of particular threats and opportunities. For example, in one current project, I am applying error management theory to examine evolved biases in person-perception, such as attributions about the internal (psychological) and external (physical) characteristics of people who pose specific threats. In another, I am exploring how people may have developed an adaptive followership psychology for selecting leaders whose qualities were historically best-suited to solve different group challenges. In a third line of work, I am examining how people adapt to seasonal changes that cyclically alter natural ecologies, physiological processes, and social interactions to generate annual patterns of human behaviour (e.g., seasonal changes in short-term vs. long-term mating).