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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 signaling, domestic violence, and cultural differences and similarities in a variety of human behaviors, including sex, parenting, play, gender, and development.She has previously taught at SUNY Albany and Colby College.

Dr. Burch has publications on the topics of seminal composition and human physiology and behavior, genital morphology, intimate partner violence (focusing on the role of sexual jealousy and prevention strategies), and sexual signaling. These 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

  • Burch, R. L., & Widman, D. (2021). The Point of Nipple Erection 2: The effect of nipple erection on intended and expected altruism. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences. Online First Publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000239

  • 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/

  • Burch, R. L., & Widman, D. (2020). 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. Online First Publication https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000244

  • Burch, R. L., Moran, J. B., & Wade, T. J. (2020). The reproductive priming effect revisited: Mate poaching, mate copying, or both? Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences. Online First Publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000232

  • 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, 350.

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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Burch, R. L. (2019). The Wedding as a Reproductive Ritual. Review of General Psychology, 23 (1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1177/1089268019832848

  • Burch, R. L., & Gallup, G. G., Jr. (2019). The other man: Knowledge of sexual rivals and changes in sexual behavior. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, 13(4), 376–386. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000165

  • Burch, R. L., & Salmon, C. (2019). The Rough Stuff: Understanding aggressive consensual sex. Evolutionary Psychological Sciences, 5, 383–393.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s40806-019-00196-y

  • Salmon, C., Fisher, M. L., & Burch, R. L. (2019) Evolutionary Approaches: Integrating Pornography Preferences, Short-Term Mating and Infidelity. Personality and Individual Differences. 148, (1) 45-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2019.05.030

  • Gallup, G. G. Jr., Stolz, J. A., Burch, R. L., and Bremser, J. A. (2019). How Evolutionary Studies Enables People to Think Outside the Box. In D. S. Wilson, G. Geher, A. Gallup, and H. Head (Editors). Evolutionary Studies: Darwin’s Roadmap to the Curriculum. Oxford University Press.
  • Burch, R. L. (2018). What to do when you don’t have an EvoS program…yet: Evolutionary infusion into the social sciences and humanities. EvoS Journal: The Journal of the Evolutionary Studies Consortium. NEEPS XI, pp. 30-42.
  • Gallup, G. G. Jr. & Burch, R. L. (2017). Paternal Aggression, Resemblance, and Investment. Chapter to appear in V. Weekes- Shackelford and T. Shackelford (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology and Parenting. Oxford University Press.
  • Sokol-Chang, R. I., Burch, R. L., and Fisher, M. (2017). Cooperative Mothering: From Rivalry to Bonding in the Service of Childrearing. In M. Fisher (Editor). The Oxford Handbook of Women and Competition.
  • Fisher, M. L., Burch, R. L., and Sokol-Chang, R. I. (2017). A Theoretical Proposal for Examining the Integration of Cooperative and Competitive Mothering Behavior. Human Ethology Bulletin. 32 (1): 6-16.
  • Burch, R. L. (2016). Multiple Entries: Counter-Adaptations and Female Counter Strategies, Genital Evolution, Last Male Advantage, Reproductive Suppression and Sexual Conflict During Mating, Semen and Vaginal Chemistry, Semen Familiarity. In T. K. Shackelford & V.A. Weekes-Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer.
  • Gallup, G. G., Jr., & Burch, R. L. (2016). Multiple Entries: Copulatory Intrasexual Competition, Cuckoldry Risk, Evolutionary Arms Race, Seminal Plasma, Tactics to Solve Adaptive Problems of Sperm Competition. In T. K. Shackelford & V.A. Weekes-Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer.
  • Spaulding, K., Burch, R. L., and Lynn, C. D. (2014) Evolutionary Studies’ reproductive successes and failures: Knowing your institutional ecology. EvoS: The Evolutionary Studies Journal. 6 (1): 18-38. Eirdosh, D., and Burch, R. L. (2013).
  • Eirdosh, D., and Burch, R. L. (2013). Building a Bridge to Madagascar: The Start of an EvoS-COIL Collaboration. EvoS Illuminate, Vol 3 (1): 5-6.
  • Sokol-Chang, R., Fisher, M.L., Brandon, M., Burch, R. L., Carmen, R.A., Glass, D. J., Guitar, A.E., Geher, G., Hinshaw, J., Newmark, R.L., Nicolas, S.C., Peterson, A.N., Radtke, S., Tauber, B. R., & Wade, T.J. (2013). Letter of purpose of the Feminist Evolutionary Psychology Society. Journal of Social, Evolution, and Cultural Studies, 7(4), 286-294.
  • Gallup. G. G. Jr., Burch, R. L., & Petricone, L. (2012) Sexual conflict, infidelity, and semen chemistry. The Oxford Handbook of Sexual Conflict in Humans. A. Goetz and T. Shackelford, Editors., New York: Oxford University Press. Burch, R. L. (2010). Things are not what they seem: A review of Susan Pinker’s The Sexual Paradox. Evolutionary Psychology, 8 (1): 119-121.
  • Gallup, G. G. Jr. & Burch, R. L (2008). Semen Science. Review of Sperm Counts: Overcome by Man’s Most Precious Fluid. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 58 (7), 555-557.
  • Harrison, M. A., Hughes, S. M., Burch, R. L., and Gallup, G. G. (2008). The impact of prior heterosexual experiences on homosexuality in women. Evolutionary Psychology 6(2): 316-327.
  • Burch, R. L., & Gallup, G. G. Jr. (2006) The psychobiology of semen. Female Infidelity and Paternal Uncertainty. Steve M. Platek and Todd Shackelford, Editors. Cambridge University Press.
  • Gallup, G. G. Jr. & Burch, R. L. (2006) The Semen Displacement Hypothesis: Semen Hydraulics, Double Mating, Adaptations to Self-Semen Displacement, and the IPC Proclivity Model. Female Infidelity and Paternal Uncertainty. Steve M. Platek & Todd Shackelford, Editors. Cambridge University Press.
  • Burch, R. L., Hipp, D., & Platek, S.M. (2006) Paternal investment, phenotypic resemblance, and the social mirror effect. Female Infidelity and Paternal Uncertainty. Steve M. Platek & Todd Shackelford, Editors. Cambridge University Press.
  • Gallup. G. G. Jr., Burch, R. L., & Berens Mitchell, T. J. (2006) Semen displacement as a sperm competition strategy: Multiple mating, self-semen displacement, and timing of in-pair copulations. Human Nature 17, 253-264.
  • Burch, R. L., & Gallup, G. G. Jr. (2004). Is pregnancy a stimulus for domestic violence? Journal of Family Violence, 19 (4), 243-247.
  • Gallup, G. G. Jr. & Burch, R. L. (2004). Semen displacement as a sperm competition strategy. Evolutionary Psychology 2, 12-23. (Reprinted (2006) in “Sperm Competition in Humans: Classic and Contemporary Readings” T. K. Shackelford, N. Pound, eds., Kluwer Academic Publishers.)
  • Gallup, G. G. Jr., Burch, R. L., Zappieri, M., Parvez, R., & Stockwell, M. (2003). The human penis as a semen displacement device. Evolution and Human Behavior 24, 277-289.
  • Platek, S. M., Critton, S. R., Burch, R. L., Frederick, D. A., Myers, T. S. & Gallup, G. G. Jr. (2003) How much resemblance is enough? Determination of a just noticeable difference at which male reactions towards children’s faces change from indifferent to positive. Evolution and Human Behavior, 23, 81-87.
  • Gallup, G. G. Jr., Burch, R. L., & Platek, S. M. (2002). Does semen contain antidepressant properties? Archives of Sexual Behavior 39 (3), 289-291.
  • Platek, S. M., Burch, R. L., Panyavin, I., Wasserman, B., & Gallup, G. G. Jr. (2002). Children’s faces: Resemblance affects males but not females. Evolution and Human Behavior 23, 159-166.
  • Gallup, G. G. Jr., Burch, R. L., & Platek, S. M. (2002). Does semen contain antidepressant properties? Archives of Sexual Behavior 39 (3), 289-291.
  • Platek, S. M., Burch, R. L., Panyavin, I., Wasserman, B., & Gallup, G. G. Jr. (2002). Children’s faces: Resemblance affects males but not females. Evolution and Human Behavior 23, 159-166.
  • Platek, S. M., Burch, R. L., & Gallup, G. G. Jr. (2001). The reproductive priming effect. Social Behavior and Personality 29 (3), 245-248.
  • Platek, S. M., Burch, R. L., & Gallup, G. G. Jr. (2001). Sex differences in olfactory self-recognition. Physiology and Behavior 73, 635-640.
  • Burch, R. L., & Gallup, G. G. Jr. (2000). Perceptions of paternal resemblance predict family violence. Evolution and Human Behavior 21(6), 429-435.

Conferences

Conference presentations and professional societies
Dr. Burch has given 24 invited talks and conference presentations and presented 134 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 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.

Campus presentations
On the SUNY Oswego campus specifically, Dr. Burch has organized 9 conferences, 75 other large scale campus events, 121 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.

Awards
As a result of continued collaboration with students, Dr. Burch has been awarded:

  • 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
  • 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