Education

Ph.D. in Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2005.  Adviser: Leda Cosmides.  Dissertation: Regulating Welfare Tradeoff Ratios: Three Tests of an Evolutionary-Computational Model of Human Anger

B.A. in Psychology (summa cum laude), Ohio University.  Minor: Computer Science.  1998
Advisors: Gary Schumacher and Daniel Lassiter. Senior Honors Thesis: “Specialization in Long and Short Term Mating Strategies: Effects of Physical Attractiveness, Intelligence, SES, and Attachment Style".

Employment

Postdoctoral Researcher, Center for Evolutionary Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara.  2006-present.

Lecturer, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara.  2006. Courses: Biosocial Anthropology.

Lecturer, Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara.  2001, 2002 and 2004.  Courses: Developmental Psychology; Human Relationships.

Teaching Assistant, Department of Communications, University of California, Santa Barbara.  2004.  Courses: Introduction to Communications; Introductory Statistics.

Teaching Assistant, Department of Psychology, UCSB.  1998-2003. Courses: Introductory Statistics, Introductory Psychology, Methods and Design, Psychological Measurements, Abnormal Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology, Biopsychology, Human Motivation, Biopsychology, Cognitive Development, Developmental Psychology.

Graduate Student Researcher, Center for Evolutionary Psychology, UCSB.  Project: Character Counts, the effects of character information on cheater detection.  Spring 1999 Supervisors: John Tooby and Leda Cosmides.

Teaching Assistant, Department of Psychology, Ohio University.  1998.  Course: History of Psychology.  Supervisor: Daniel Motes.

Research Assistant, Department of Psychology, Ohio University.  Sept. 1996 – June 1997. Supervisor: Daniel Lassiter.

Grants, Awards, Fellowships

Young Investigator Award - International Society for Research on Aggression 2007

Dissertation Research Fellowship, University of California, Santa Barbara, Graduate Division 2005

Humanities and Social Science Research Grant, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2004

UCSB Special Regents Fellowship, UCSB 1998-2002

Excellence in Teaching Award, University of California, Santa Barbara, Graduate Student Association 2000

Phi Beta Kappa, Ohio University, 1997

Publications

Sell, A., Bryant, G., Cosmides, L.,Tooby, J., Sznycer, D., von Rueden, C., Krauss, A. & M. Gurven. (2010). Adaptations in humans for assessing physical strength and fighting ability from the voice. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, in press.

Helfrecht, C., Hess, N., Hagen, E., Sell, A. & Hewlett, B.  Interpersonal aggression among Aka hunter-gatherers of the Central African Republic: Assessing the effects of sex, strength, and anger. Human Nature, in press.

Petersen, M.B., Sell, A., Tooby, J., and Cosmides, L. (2010).  Evolutionary Psychology and Criminal Justice: A Recalibrational Theory of Punishment and Reconciliation.  In Høgh-Olesen, H. (Ed.) Human Morality and Sociality, Palgrave Macmillan.

Sell, A. (2009). Applying adaptationism to human anger: the recalibrational theory.  In P. R. Shaver & M. Mikulincer (eds.), Understanding and reducing aggression, violence, and their consequences.  Washington DC: American Psychological Association.

Sell, A., Tooby, J., & Cosmides, L. (2009).  Formidability and the logic of human anger.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 106(35), 15073-78.

Sell, A. (2009).  Standards of evidence for designed sex differences.  Commentary on John Archer’s “Does sexual selection explain human sex differences in aggression?”  Behavioral and brain sciences , 32, 289.

Sell, A., Cosmides, L., Tooby, J., Sznycer, D., von Rueden, C. & Gurven, M. (2009).  Human adaptations for the visual assessment of strength and fighting ability from the body and face.  Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 276, 575-584.

Tooby, J., Cosmides, L., Sell, A., Lieberman, D. & Sznycer, D. (2008).  Internal regulatory variables and the design of human motivation: A computational and evolutionary approach.  In Elliot, Andrew J. (2008). Handbook of approach and avoidance motivation. (pp. 251-271). New York, NY, US: Psychology Press.

Sell, A. (2006).  Regulating welfare tradeoff ratios: Three tests of an evolutionary-computational model of human anger.  Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 66(8-B), pp. 4516.

Sell, A., Hagen, E., Cosmides, L. & Tooby, J. (2002).  Evolutionary Psychology: Applications and Criticisms.  Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science.  Nature Publishing Group, 47-53.

Papers under Review

Petersen, M.B., Sell, A., Tooby, J., and Cosmides, L. To punish or repair? An evolutionary and computational dissection of criminal justice intuitions.

Manuscripts in Preparation

Sell, A., Tooby, J. & Cosmides L.  The origin of the anger face.  Paper written, will be submitted to Nature.

Sell, A., Tooby, J., Cosmides, L., von Rueden, C. & Gurven, M.  Strength and anger among the Tsimane Indians of Bolivia.  Paper written, will be submitted to Science.

Sell, A., Cosmides, L., Tooby, J. & A. Krauss.  Anger and welfare trade-off ratios: Mapping the computational architecture of a recalibrational emotion system.  Paper written, will be submitted to Cognition.

Sell, A., Krasnow, M. & Truxaw, D.  The developmental trajectory of strength assessment: preschoolers can assess adult strength from facial photographs.  Data collected and analyzed, will be submitted to Developmental Science.

Keynote, Plenary, & Public Addresses

Sell, A. “Understanding anger in the context of mental health.”  Psychiatric Grand Rounds, Cottage Health System.  Santa Barbara, California, Feb. 2010.

Sell, A. "The evolutionary psychology of human anger."  Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology Pre–Conference. Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 2010.

Sell, A.  “An evolutionary-computational model of human anger.”  Behavior, Evolution and Culture Speaker Series.  Organized by the UCLA Center for Behavior, Evolution, & Culture.  Los Angeles, CA, Sept. 2009.

Sell, A. “The Evolutionary Biology of Human Anger.”  Understanding and Reducing Aggression, Violence and Their Consequences: Keynote address.  Organized by the Herzliya Symposium on Personality and Social Psychology. Herzilya, Israel, March 2009.

Sell, A.  “The role of physical strength in anger and anger expressions.”  The Evolution of Human Aggression: Lessons for Today’s Conflicts: Keynote address.  Organized by the Barbara L. and Norman C. Tanner Center for Nonviolent Human Rights Advocacy Forum. Salt Lake City, Utah, Feb. 2009. http://www.cppa.utah.edu//video/flash/Tanner09/Hormones_Aggression/Hormones.html

Sell, A.  “Anger’s Evolutionary Origin.”  UCSB Affiliates: Science Lite.  Santa Barbara, CA, Feb. 2008.

Sell, A.  “Introduction to Evolutionary Psychology.”  UCLA Center for the Study of Evolution and the Origin of Life: Keynote address. Organized by the Encino-Tarzana Regional Hospital. Los Angeles, California, Oct. 2004.

Conference Papers

Sell, A.  Anger in a cooperative context.  Human Behavior and Evolution Society, University of Oregon, June 16th to 21st, 2010.

Sell, A., Cosmides, L. & Tooby, J.  Mapping the “grammar” of anger-based arguments.  Human Behavior and Evolution Society, California State University at Fullerton, May 27th to 31st, 2009.

Sell, A.  The Computational Structure of Human Anger.  The GCOE 1st International Symposium: Evolution and the Sociality of Mind, February 23-24, 2008.

Sell, A., Tooby, J. & Cosmides, L.  Violent Yells Dissected: Physical Strength is Revealed in the Voice and Enhanced during Anger.  Human Behavior and Evolution Society, College of William and Mary, May 30th - June 3rd, 2007.

Sell, A.  Strength and Anger in Human Males.  Southern California Animal Behavior Conference, UC Santa Barbara, March, 2007.

Sell, A.  The function of anger expressions: Why does his face look like that?  International Society for Research on Aggression, University of Minnesota, July 25-29, 2006.

Sell, A. Strength and Anger: Individual differences in anger, aggression and political attitudes conform to a Paleolithic logic of aggression.  International Society for Research on Aggression, University of Minnesota, July 25-29, 2006.

Sell, A. Anger Expressions Dissected: Why does his face look like that?  Human Behavior and Evolution Society, University of Pennsylvania, June 7-11, 2006.

Sell, A.  Form and Formidability: Physical strength as a predictor of attitudes on aggression.  UCLA-UCSB Human Nature and Society Program, UCLA,   California, November, 2003.

Sell, A.  The AWA and Human Anger: A cognitive-evolutionary model of human anger.  Human Behavior and Evolution Society, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, June 4-8, 2003.

Sell, A.  Convergent evidence on the function of revenge.  Human Behavior and Evolution Society, Rutgers University, June 19-23, 2002.

Memberships / Affiliations
American Psychological Society
American Psychological Association
Society for Personality and Social Psychology
Human Behavior and Evolution Society
Center for Evolutionary Psychology, University of California Santa Barbara

Research Interests: Computational design of human anger, anger-based arguments, the role of physical strength in human relationships, formidability assessment, development of aggression and cross-cultural differences in the expression of anger.