EDUCATION:

1997 B.A. Psychobiology – New College
2004 Ph.D. Cognitive Science – University of Alabama at Birmingham

TEACHING EXPERIENCE:

University of Alabama at Birmingham (1999-present):
PY 101 Introduction to Psychology
PY 108 Human Sexuality
PY 214 Elementary Statistical Methods and Design
PY 303 Introduction to Cognitive Science
PY 315 Methods in Psychological Research
PY 361 Psychology of Learning
PY 363 Cognitive Psychology
PY 372 Social Psychology
PY 420 Psychological and Behavioral Sex Differences
PY 420 Evolutionary Psychology
PY 420 Psychology of Fine Art

Jefferson State Community College (2002)
PSY 200 General Psychology
PSY 230 Abnormal Psychology

RESEARCH INTERSTS

Dr. Robinson’s research focuses on preparing a systematic treatment of the whole of psychology, emphasizing an evolutionary perspective. To this end, each class he teaches has three basic goals: theoretical, practical, and evolutionary. He teaches the theoretical terms, concepts, and important individuals. Second, he emphasizes the practical aspects of the material: what the material can help students understand or explain. Third, he emphasizes how evolutionary theory can facilitate understanding the material. To give an example from one of his classes, learning, he teaches the technical parts of classical conditioning, such as who Pavlov was; he teaches its applications to a wide range of facts, from advertising to drug addiction, and finally he teaches how evolutionary theory can facilitate understanding different aspects of learning, such as why certain things are easier to condition in some animals than others.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:

Member, Human Behavior and Evolution Society