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Human Development

Rebecca Burch

Professor

Contact

404 Mahar
315.312.3463
315.312.5444
rebecca.burch@oswego.edu
picture of Becky Burch

Rebecca Burch received her Ph.D. at SUNY Albany in Evolution and Human Behavior. Her main research interests are the evolution of sexual behavior, sexual cues, intimate partner violence, and cultural differences and similarities in a variety of human behaviors, including sex, parenting, play, and gender. She also studies depictions of bodies (and hypersexualization) in various cultural products, like comic books. She has previously taught at SUNY Albany and Colby College and has taught at SUNY Oswego for over 20 years.

Dr. Burch has publications on a wide array of topics including seminal composition and human physiology and behavior, genital morphology, intimate partner violence (focusing on sexual jealousy and prevention strategies), sexual signaling, dating/mating strategies, and depictions of male and female bodies in media. She is currently researching various personality traits and behaviors in a multinational research consortium. Her publications have garnered interest from the media, including nonfiction books (e.g., “Why is the Penis Shaped like that?”, “Bonk”, “The Dangerous Passion”), novels (“The Hitchhiker’s Child”), and innumerable websites, blogs, new outlets, and magazines.

Publications

(Since 2020)

  • Widman, D. R., Fisher, M. L., & Burch, R. L. (2023). Possible Influence of Psychological Distance to Women’s Intrasexual Mating Competition. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000344

  • Moran, J., & Burch, R. L. (2023). If You Leave, Don’t Leave Now: The Role of Gender, Sociosexuality, and Fear of Being Single on Desire to Engage in Breakup Sex. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.

  • Widman, D., & Burch, R. L. (2023). The Point of Nipple Erection 4: Male nipple erection engenders similar emotions as female nipple erection but triggers different altruistic reactions and sexual expectations. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000326

  • Moran, J. B., & Burch, R. L. (2023). Repercussions of Rejecting Romantic Advances: Gender Differences in Experience and Concern. International Journal of Sexual Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/19317611.2023.2175098

  • Hehman, J., Burch, R. L., & Salmon, C. (2023). Sibling conflict and closeness: The effects of sex, number of siblings, relatedness, parental resemblance and investment. Evolutionary Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40806-022-00353-w

  • Gallup, G. G. Jr. & Burch, R. L. (2023). Intimate Partner Violence and Relationship Maintenance. In Mogilski, J., & Shackelford, T. (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology and Romantic Relationships. Oxford University Press. p. 413-426. February 2023.

  • Salmon, C., & Burch, R. L. (2023). Mating in Popular Culture and Pornography: Artifacts of Desire. In Buss, D. M. (ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Human Mating. Oxford University Press. January 2023

  • Burch, R. L. (2023). Paternity uncertainty: resemblance of the newborn. In: Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_289-1

  • Burch, R.L. (2023). Penis Size: Semen Displacement. In: Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_290-1

  • Widman, D.R., Burch, R.L. (2023). Nipple Erection and the Sexual Response. In: Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_109-1

  • Burch, R. L., & Widman, D. (2022). She's got legs: Longer legs in female comic book characters correspond to global preferences. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000318

  • Burch, R. L., & Widman, D. (2022). The Point of Nipple Erection 3: Sexual and Social Expectations of Women with Nipple Erection. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences. Online first advance publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000312

  • Burch, R. L., & Widman, D. R. (2022). The point of nipple erection 2: The effect of nipple erection on intended and expected altruism. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, 16(2), 147–156. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000239

  • Salmon, C., & Burch, R. L. (2022). Rough sex and pornography preferences: Novelty seeking, not aggression. EvoS Journal: The Journal of the Evolutionary Studies Consortium, 12, Sp. Iss (1), 1-9.

  • Kennair, L. E., Wade, T. J., Tallaksena, M., Grøntvedta, T. V., Kesslera, A. M., Burch, R. L., & Bendixen, M. (2022). Perceived effectiveness of flirtation tactics: The effects of sex, mating context and individual differences in US and Norwegian samples. Evolutionary Psychology. 1: 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/14747049221088011

  • Wade, T. J., Burch, R. L., Fisher, M. L., & Casper, H. (2022). On a Pedestal: High Heels and the Perceived Attractiveness and Evolutionary Fitness of Women. Personality and Individual Differences 188, 111456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.111456

  • Burch, R. L., Fisher, M. L., Moran, J., Salmon, C., Wade, T. J., & Widman, D. (2022). Shifts in partner attractiveness: Evolutionary and social factors. In Shackelford, T (ed.) The Cambridge Handbook of Evolutionary Perspectives on Sexual Psychology, Volume 2: Male Sexual Adaptations. Cambridge University Press. June 2022

  • Moran, J., Salmon, C., & Burch, R. L. (2022). Female Sexual Adaptations: Provisions of Oral Sex. In Shackelford, T. (ed.) The Cambridge Handbook of Evolutionary Perspectives on Sexual Psychology, Volume 3: Female Sexual Adaptations. Cambridge University Press. June 2022

  • Wade, T. J., Burch, R. L., & Fisher, M. L. (2022). Renewed love between partners following infidelity. In DeLecce, T., and Shackelford, T. (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Infidelity. Oxford University Press. October 2022

  • Salmon, C., & Burch, R. L. (2022). Popular Culture Article Review 2022-2. Evolutionary Studies in Imaginary Cultures. 6 (2) 165-168.

  • Burch, R. L. & Salmon, C. (2022). Reviewed Work: The Modern Myths: Adventures in the Machinery of the Popular Imagination by Ball, Philip. Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture. 6 (1) https://doi.org/10.26613/esic.6.1.277

  • Salmon, C., & Burch, R. L. (2022). Popular Culture Article Review 2022-1. Evolutionary Studies in Imaginary Cultures. 6 (1). https://doi.org/10.26613/esic.6.1.292

  • Salmon, C., & Burch, R. L. (2022). The call of the final frontier? Reply to Why Imaginary Worlds? The psychological foundations and cultural evolution of fictions with imaginary worlds. Dubourg, E., & Baumard, N. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Nov 18;45:e295. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X21002247.PMID: 36396430

  • Burch, R. L. (2022). Weddings. In: Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_291-1

  • Burch, R. L. & Widman, D. (2021). Comic book bodies are supernormal stimuli; Comparison of DC, Marvel, and actual humans. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000280

  • Burch, R. L., & Widman, D. (2021). The Point of Nipple Erection 1: The experience and projection of perceived emotional states while viewing women with and without erect nipples. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, 15(3), 305- 311. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000244

  • Wade, T. J., Fisher, M. L., & Burch, R. L. (2021). Toupee or not Toupee?: Cranial Hair and Perceptions of Men’s Attractiveness, Personality, and Other Evolutionary Relevant Traits. Evolutionary Psychological Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40806-021-00303-y

  • Burch, R. L., Moran, J. B., & Wade, T. J. (2021). The reproductive priming effect revisited: Mate poaching, mate copying, or both? Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences 15(3), 251–264. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000232

  • Fisher, M. L., Burch, R. L., Sokol Chang, R., Wade, T. J., & Widman, D. (2021). Sexuality and Gender in Prehistory. In Henley, T., and Rossano, M. (eds.) Psychology and Cognitive Archaeology: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Study of the Human Mind. Taylor & Francis. p. 83-96.

  • Salmon, C., & Burch, R. L. (2021). Popular Culture Article Review 2021-2. Evolutionary Studies in Imaginary Cultures. 5 (2), 155-157. https://doi.org/10.26613/esic.5.2.262

  • Salmon, C., & Burch, R. L. (2021). Popular Culture Article Review 2021-1. Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture, 5, (1), 149-152. https://doi.org/10.26613/esic.5.1.232

  • Fisher, M. L., Garcia, J., & Burch, R. L. (2020). Evolutionary psychology: Thoughts on integrating feminist perspectives. In L. Workman, W. Reader, & J. Barkow (Eds.), Cambridge Handbook of Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Behavior. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 378-392. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108131797.032

  • Burch, R. L. (2020). More than just a pretty face: The overlooked contributions of women in evolutionary psychology textbooks. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences. 14 (1), 100–114. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000166

  • Burch, R. L., & Gallup, G. G., Jr. (2020). Abusive men are driven by paternal uncertainty. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, 14(2), 197 -209. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000163

  • Burch, R. L., & Johnsen, L. (2020). Captain Dorito and the bombshell: Supernormal stimuli in comics and film. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, 14(2), 115–131. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000164

  • Fisher, M. L., & Burch, R. L. (2020). Evolutionary psychology and gender studies. The SAGE Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology: Integration of Evolutionary Psychology with Other Disciplines. Sage. p. 350-376. https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781529739435.n18

  • Salmon, C., & Burch, R. L. (2020). I’m with You Till the End of the Line: The Romanticization of Male Bonds. In Evolutionary Perspectives on Imaginative Culture. Springer, Cham. p. 291-305. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46190-4_15

  • Salmon, C., Fisher, M. L., & Burch, R. L. (2020). The Internet is For Porn: Evolutionary Perspectives on Online Pornography. In L. Workman, W. Reader, & J. Barkow (Eds.), Cambridge Handbook of Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Behavior. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 548-557. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108131797.046

  • Burch, R. L. (2020). Captain Dorito and the Bombshells: Hypersexuality in Marvel Comic Characters. Juniata Voices, 19, 6-22. https://www.juniata.edu/offices/juniata-voices/past- version/media/volume-19/

  • Saxena, M., & Burch, R. L. (2020). Higher Survival with Older Siblings. In T. K. Shackelford & V.A. Weekes-Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1164-1

Conferences

Conference presentations and professional societies

Dr. Burch has given 56 invited talks and conference presentations and presented 158 posters at conferences for professional societies throughout the United States and abroad. Dr. Burch has served as the Co-Chair of the Feminist Evolutionary Perspectives Society and President, Vice President, and several other positions for Northeastern Evolutionary Psychology Society. She has also served as conference coordinator for an annual meeting of the Northeastern Evolutionary Psychology Society on multiple occasions.

Campus presentations

On the SUNY Oswego campus specifically, Dr. Burch has organized 9 conferences, 75 other large scale campus events, 124 presentations, 139 poster presentations, 265 discussion sessions, and 524 film and documentary showings.

Awards and honors

Faculty/student achievement

In addition to collaborations with students that have resulted in the publications and presentations above, Dr. Burch has supervised students in 15 on campus presentations and 82 on campus poster presentations. Her students have won Dean’s Writing Awards and student presentation awards at professional conferences.

As a result of continued collaboration, Dr. Burch and her students have been awarded multiple honors and awards from professional societies.

Awards

President’s Award for Excellence in Scholarly and Creative Activity

 President’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service

 President’s Award for Excellence in Academic Advisement

The SUNY Exploration In Diversity and Academic Excellence Award for the Intercultural Dialogue series, a collaboration with the Counseling Center

The Resident Hall Association Award for Excellence in Faculty Service

The Resident Hall Association Recognition of Faculty Service (twice)

The Martin Luther King Community Service Award. Given by the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity

Outstanding Advisor of the Year, given by Student Organization Services (twice)

Recognition award for dedication to diversity (three times)

  • The President’s Award for Excellence in Academic Advisement
  • Outstanding Advisor of the Year, given by Student Organization Services (twice)
  • Recognition award for dedication to diversity (three times)

Education

Ph.D., Evolution and Human Behavior, SUNY Albany