H Dieter Steklis
- Professor of Practice, Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences
- Professor of Practice, Psychology
- Member of the Graduate Faculty
- (520) 621-9443
- Shantz, Rm. 208
- Tucson, AZ 85721
- steklis@arizona.edu
Biography
H. Dieter Steklis earned his Ph.D. in Anthropology in 1974 from the University of California, Berkeley. He joined Rutgers University in 1974, serving as Professor of Anthropology until “retiring” in 2004 as Professor Emeritus of Primatology. Steklis served the University of Arizona South from 2007-2016 as Associate Dean, Division Chair, and Professor and Program Director for Anthropology and Psychology. Presently, he serves as Professor of Practice in the School of Animal and Biomedical Sciences, with affiliated appointments in Psychology, Program in Ethology and Evolutionary Psychology, and in Family Studies and Human Development. Steklis’ teaching, research and published books and scientific articles reflect multidisciplinary interests, including the neurobiology of primate social bonds, hormones and social behavior, primate communication, cognition and the evolution of human language, mountain gorilla behavior, personality, and conservation, the evolution of primate play and paternal behavior, and the evolution and nature of human-animal relationships. In addition to his academic career, Steklis held leadership positions with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Internationala non profit organization dedicated to gorilla research and conservation in Africa. He served as Director of the Karisoke Research Center in Rwanda (1991-1993); Executive Director (1993-1995), and Chief Scientist and Vice-President (1995-2005).Current CV
Degrees
- Ph.D. Primatology/Biological Anthropology
- UC Berkeley, Berkeley, California
- The influence of selective temporal ablations on the social behavior of vervet monkeys.
Work Experience
- University of Arizona, School of Animal & Comparative Biomedical Sciences (2017 - Ongoing)
- University of Arizona South (2004 - 2016)
- Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (1974 - 2004)
Awards
- David E Cox Faculty Teaching Award
- CALS, Spring 2021
Interests
Teaching
Human-Animal Interrelationships, the human-animal bond, animal ethology and welfare, Captive Primate Management
Research
Human-animal interrelationships; animal personality & life history; emotions in animals and humans.
Courses
2024-25 Courses
-
Human and Animal Interrelation
ACBS 160D1 (Spring 2025) -
Ethology & Evolution
ACBS 469A (Fall 2024) -
Human and Animal Interrelation
ACBS 160D1 (Fall 2024)
2023-24 Courses
-
Human and Animal Interrelation
ACBS 160D1 (Spring 2024) -
Honors Thesis
ACBS 498H (Fall 2023) -
Human and Animal Interrelation
ACBS 160D1 (Fall 2023)
2022-23 Courses
-
Human and Animal Interrelation
ACBS 160D1 (Spring 2023) -
ACBS Preceptorship
ACBS 491 (Fall 2022) -
Human and Animal Interrelation
ACBS 160D1 (Fall 2022)
2021-22 Courses
-
Human and Animal Interrelation
ACBS 160D1 (Summer I 2022) -
Directed Research
ACBS 492 (Spring 2022) -
Honors Independent Study
ACBS 399H (Spring 2022) -
Hum+Anml Interl Dom-Pres
ACBS 160D1 (Spring 2022) -
Human and Animal Interrelation
ACBS 160D1 (Spring 2022) -
Hum+Anml Interl Dom-Pres
ACBS 160D1 (Fall 2021) -
Intro to Animal Sci Lab
ACBS 102L (Fall 2021)
2020-21 Courses
-
Animal Behavior Workshop
ACBS 497B (Spring 2021) -
Captive Primate Behav in Pract
ACBS 484 (Spring 2021) -
Directed Research
ACBS 492 (Spring 2021) -
Hum+Anml Interl Dom-Pres
ACBS 160D1 (Spring 2021) -
Hum+Anml Interl Dom-Pres
ACBS 160D1 (Fall 2020) -
Intro to Animal Sci Lab
ACBS 102L (Fall 2020) -
Primate Behav & Captive Mgmnt
ACBS 483 (Fall 2020)
2019-20 Courses
-
Captive Primate Behav in Pract
ACBS 484 (Spring 2020) -
Hum+Anml Interl Dom-Pres
ACBS 160D1 (Spring 2020) -
Directed Research
ACBS 492 (Fall 2019) -
Hum+Anml Interl Dom-Pres
ACBS 160D1 (Fall 2019) -
Primate Behav & Captive Mgmnt
ACBS 483 (Fall 2019)
2018-19 Courses
-
Captive Primate Behav in Pract
ACBS 484 (Spring 2019) -
Hum+Anml Interl Dom-Pres
ACBS 160D1 (Spring 2019) -
Ethology & Evolution
ACBS 469A (Fall 2018) -
Ethology & Evolution
ACBS 569A (Fall 2018) -
Hum+Anml Interl Dom-Pres
ACBS 160D1 (Fall 2018) -
Primate Behav & Captive Mgmnt
ACBS 483 (Fall 2018)
2017-18 Courses
-
Externship in FSHD
FSHD 493E (Summer I 2018) -
Internship
FSHD 693 (Summer I 2018) -
Ethology & Evolution
ACBS 569B (Spring 2018) -
Honors Thesis
ACBS 498H (Spring 2018) -
Hum+Anml Interl Dom-Pres
ACBS 160D1 (Spring 2018) -
Men, Fatherhood & Families
FSHD 150B1 (Spring 2018) -
Psio+Anat Dom Animals
ACBS 215 (Spring 2018) -
Ethology & Evolution
ACBS 569A (Fall 2017) -
Honors Thesis
ACBS 498H (Fall 2017) -
Hum+Anml Interl Dom-Pres
ACBS 160D1 (Fall 2017) -
Men, Fatherhood & Families
FSHD 150B1 (Fall 2017)
2016-17 Courses
-
Men, Fatherhood & Families
FSHD 150B1 (Summer I 2017) -
Directed Research
FSHD 492 (Spring 2017) -
Men, Fatherhood & Families
FSHD 150B1 (Spring 2017) -
Evolutionary Psychology
PSYV 306 (Fall 2016) -
Hum+Anml Interl Dom-Pres
ACBS 160D1 (Fall 2016) -
Men, Fatherhood & Families
FSHD 150B1 (Fall 2016) -
Nat Hist Closest Relat
ANTV 364 (Fall 2016) -
Preceptorship
FSHD 491 (Fall 2016) -
Topics in Social Psych
PSYV 496A (Fall 2016)
2015-16 Courses
-
Externship in FSHD
FSHD 493E-SA (Summer I 2016) -
Men, Fatherhood & Families
FSHD 150B1 (Summer I 2016) -
Biosocial Development
FSHD 447C (Spring 2016) -
Honors Independent Study
PSY 499H (Spring 2016) -
Nat Hist Closest Relat
ANTV 364 (Spring 2016) -
Personality
PSYV 352 (Spring 2016)
Scholarly Contributions
Books
- Steklis, H. D., & Steklis, N. G. (2020). Human and Animal Interrelationships (2nd Edition). Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall-Hunt Publishing Company.More infoThis book examines the relationships of humans with animals throughout theages. From our evolutionary past through domestication, the relationships of animals with humans throughout Europe and the New World are chronicled. Modern human-animal relationships will also be examined and analyzed and compared to those of ancient and historical times.Throughout, we take takes a science-based, multi-disciplinary approach to understanding the nature, diversity and functions of human-animal relationships that have developed over time, geographic region, and cultural contexts. This approach puts into fresh perspective many present developments, issues and challenges in the human-animal relationship, including the effectiveness of animal-assisted therapies, animal welfare and rights, animal experimentation, trophy hunting, wildlife management and conservation, and meat production industry.
- Steklis, H. D., & Steklis, N. G. (2020). Human-Animal Interrrelationships (Second Edition). Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall-Hunt Publishing Company.
- Steklis, H. D., Steklis, N. G., Steklis, H. D., & Steklis, N. G. (2017). Human-Animal Interrrelationships. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall-Hunt Publishing Company.
- Steklis, H. D., & Steklis, N. G. (2016). Human and Animal Interrelationships (1st Edition). DuBuque, Iowa: Kendall-Hunt Publishing Company.More infoThis book examines the relationships of humans with animals throughout theages. From our evolutionary past through domestication, the relationships of animals with humans throughout Europe and the New World are chronicled. Modern human-animal relationships will also be examined and analyzed and compared to those of ancient and historical times.Throughout, we take takes a science-based, multi-disciplinary approach to understanding the nature, diversity and functions of human-animal relationships that have developed over time, geographic region, and cultural contexts. This approach puts into fresh perspective many present developments, issues and challenges in the human-animal relationship, including the effectiveness of animal-assisted therapies, animal welfare and rights, animal experimentation, trophy hunting, wildlife management and conservation, and meatproduction industry.
- Steklis, H. D., & Steklis, N. G. (2014). Men, Fatherhood and Families: A Biocultural Perspective, revised 1st edition. Cognella Academic Publishing.More infoThis is an edited work with authors' Introduction. This 1st edition is a revision of the "preliminary edition" published the previous year.
Chapters
- Steklis, H. D., & Steklis, N. G. (2021). An HAI Love Story: A couple collaborates as teachers and researchers exploring our connection to animals. In Career Paths in Human-Animal Interaction for Social and Behavioral Scientists. Routledge.
- Steklis, H. D. (2014). The changing nature of human nature. In The Character of Human Institutions(p. 23). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Pubs.
Journals/Publications
- Steklis, H. D. (2021). Lower emotional awareness is associated with greater early adversity and faster life history strategy. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences.
- Smith, R., Steklis, H. D., Steklis, N. G., Weihs, K. L., & Lane, R. D. (2020). The evolution and development of the uniquely human capacity for emotional awareness: A synthesis of comparative anatomical, cognitive, neurocomputational, and evolutionary psychological perspectives. Biological psychology, 154, 107925.More infoWe offer an interdisciplinary framework for understanding the expanded capacity for emotional awareness (EA) in humans relative to other animals, synthesizing work within computational neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, and comparative anatomy. We argue that disproportionate cortical expansion during human evolution reflects additional hierarchical levels of computational processing, allowing representation of multimodal regularities over longer timescales - affording abstract concept learning, internal simulation of distal future outcomes, and expanded working memory capacity. This allows for the ability to simulate emotions, learn emotion concepts, and manipulate them in working memory when deciding how to act. We also draw on the construct of life history strategy within evolutionary psychology to argue that individual differences in EA within humans can be understood as the result of tuning particular computational parameters to the predictability of long timescale socioemotional regularities of the local environment. We conclude by discussing the implications and testable hypotheses offered by our proposed framework.
- Steklis, H. D., Chou, Y., & Warren, S. (2020). Potential for Resting-State fMRI of the Amygdala in Elucidating Neurological Mechanisms of Adaptive Self-Regulatory Strategies: A Systematic Review. Brain Connectivity, 10(1), 3-17.
- Cronk, L., Steklis, H. D., Steklis, N. G., van den Akker, O., & Aktipis, A. (2018). Kin terms and fitness interdependence. Evolution and Human Behavior, 40, 218-291. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2018.12.004More infoAlthough genetic relatedness has been shown to be an important determinant of helping and other forms ofcooperation among kin, it does not correspond well to the different types of kin designated by the kin terminologiesused in human societies. This mismatch between genetic relatedness and kin terms has led someanthropologists to reject the idea that kin terms have anything to do with genetic relatedness or anything elsebiological. The evolutionary and cultural anthropological approaches can be reconciled through an appreciationof the concept of fitness interdependence, defined as the degree to which two or more organisms positively ornegatively influence each other's success in replicating their genes. Fitness interdependence may arise for avariety of reasons, including not only genetic relatedness but also mating and marriage, risk-pooling, mutual aid,and common group membership. The major kin term systems correspond to cross-culturally variable but recurrentpatterns of fitness interdependence among different types of kin. In addition, changes from one kin termsystem to another are associated with corresponding changes in recurrent patterns of fitness interdependenceamong kin, and kin terms are often used metaphorically in situations in which fitness interdependence has arisenamong non-kin.
- Cronk, L., Steklis, H. D., Steklis, N. G., van den Akker, O., & Aktipis, A. (2019). Kin terms and fitness interdependence. Evolution and Human Behavior, 40, 218-291. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2018.12.004More infoAlthough genetic relatedness has been shown to be an important determinant of helping and other forms of cooperation among kin, it does not correspond well to the different types of kin designated by the kin terminologies used in human societies. This mismatch between genetic relatedness and kin terms has led some anthropologists to reject the idea that kin terms have anything to do with genetic relatedness or anything else biological. The evolutionary and cultural anthropological approaches can be reconciled through an appreciation of the concept of fitness interdependence, defined as the degree to which two or more organisms positively or negatively influence each other's success in replicating their genes. Fitness interdependence may arise for a variety of reasons, including not only genetic relatedness but also mating and marriage, risk-pooling, mutual aid, and common group membership. The major kin term systems correspond to cross-culturally variable but recurrent patterns of fitness interdependence among different types of kin. In addition, changes from one kin term system to another are associated with corresponding changes in recurrent patterns of fitness interdependence among kin, and kin terms are often used metaphorically in situations in which fitness interdependence has arisen among non-kin.
- Steklis, H. D. (2019). Suck it up—you are not so special after all—so says science? Review of Through a glass brightly.. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences. doi:https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000184
- Erdman, P., LaFollette, M. R., Steklis, N. G., Steklis, H. D., Germone, M., & Kogan, L. (2018). Guide to Human-Animal Interaction Education. Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin, 6, 37-46.More infoPursuing a career in human-animal interaction (HAI) may feel daunting, as this field is quickly growing and changing, and offers a wide array of career possibilities with pathways and educational programs. Yet, it is this broad scope of possibilities that can make navigating the field challenging. The purpose of this article is to help guide individuals who are interested in exploring a career with animals and humans. Our specific aims are to (a) describe and define the current field of HAI, (b) synthesize possible human-animal studies programs as provided by the Animals and Society website, and (c) offer guidance for those interested in exploring HAI careers. This paper, is designed as a practical guide to help students and their mentors navigate the HAI field.
- Steklis, H. D., & Schaefer, S. A. (2014). Personality and Subjective Well-Being in Captive Male Western Lowland Gorillas Living in Bachelor Groups.. American Journal of Primatology, 76(9), 11.
- Steklis, H. D., Eckhardt, W., Steklis, N., Weiss, A., Fletcher, A., & Stoinski, T. (2014). Personality Dimensions and Their Behavioral Correlates in Wild Virunga Mountain Gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei).. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 18.
Presentations
- Steklis, H. D., & Steklis, N. G. (2016, June). Animality: How human-animal relationships have changed human nature. Seminar for faculty and students of the Clever Dog Laboratory, Univ. Vienna. University of Vienna, Austria: University of Vienna.More infoInvited presentation.
- Steklis, H. D., & Steklis, N. G. (2016, November). The University of Arizona's Human-Animal Interaction Initiative. Purdue University Centers for the human-animal bond conference. Purdue University, Indiana: Purdue University Centers For the Human-Animal Bond (CHAB).More infoInvited to participate in this two-day conference.
- Steklis, H. D., & Steklis, N. G. (2015, October). Animality and Human-Animal Kinship. Conference on "Kinship, Conflict and Cooperation: Reconceptualizing kinship for the 21st century". Berlin, Germany: Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin (WIKO).