Child Development and Evolutionary Psychology

Abstract

Evolutionary developmental psychology involves the expression of evolved, epigenetic programs, as described by the developmental systems approach, over the course of ontogeny. There have been different selection pressures on organisms at different times in ontogeny, and some characteristics of infants and children were selected in evolution to serve an adaptive function at that time in their life history rather than to prepare individuals for later adulthood. Examples of such adaptive functions of immaturity are provided from infancy, play, and cognitive development. Most evolved psychological mechanisms are proposed to be domain specific in nature and have been identified for various aspects of children's cognitive and social development, most notably for the acquisition of language and for theory of mind. Differences in the quality and quantity of parental investment affect children's development and influence their subsequent reproductive and childcare strategies. Some sex differences observed in childhood, particularly as expressed during play, are seen as antecedents and preparations for adult sex differences. Because evolved mechanisms were adaptive to ancestral environments, they are not always adaptive for contemporary people, and this mismatch of evolved mechanisms with modern environments is seen in children's maladjustment to some aspects of formal schooling. We argue that an evolutionary perspective can be valuable for developing a better understanding of human ontogeny in contemporary society and that a developmental perspective is important for a better understanding of evolutionary psychology.

ADHD and criminality: A primer on the genetic, neurobiological, evolutionary, and treatment literature for criminologists

“…The relatively high rate of ADHD means that the genes underlying it have survived natural selection because they conferred some benefits in evolutionary environments even if they do not in evolutionarily novel classroom and work environments (Bjorklund & Pellegrini, 2000). There is strong evidence that the DRD4-7R allele, the most robust genetic correlate of ADHD, is a young variant that arose about 40,000 years ago and has been positively NOTICE: This is the author's version of a work accepted for publication by Elsevier.…”

Caracterização de brincadeiras de crianças em idade escolar

“…No entanto, os meninos tentavam brincar de lutar escondidos e enquanto os monitores não estavam atentos aos seus grupos especificamente. A etologia tenta trazer respostas para estes comportamentos turbulentos afirmando que estes são resultados de características herdadas geneticamente, e que, principalmente os meninos, têm tendências para estes tipos de brincadeiras, pois serviriam como um treino de habilidades futuras, tais como lutar para defender a família, porém em um ambiente seguro (Bjorklund & Pellegrini, 2000;McHale et al,1999;Pellegrini & Smith, 1998). Humphreys e Smith (1984) afirmam que esses tipos de brincadeiras auxiliam as crianças a avaliarem sua própria força em relação aos outros e ainda auxiliam o organismo a controlar a obesidade e a termorregulação.…”

“…Apesar disso, os benefícios que estas atividades trazem superam os gastos, transformando-se assim em um investimento (Bjorklund & Pellegrini, 2000;Pellegrini & Smith, 1998). Estes benefícios nem sempre se apresentam de forma imediata, mas em longo prazo, se manifestando no decorrer do desenvolvimento do indivíduo (McHale, Crouter, & Tucker, 1999), como por exemplo, o brincar de carrinho, que pode treinar a criança na habilidade para dirigir um carro quando for adulto.…”

Brain and cognitive evolution: Forms of modularity and functions of mind.

“…The accompanying evolutionarily expectant experiences are accrued through the organism's natural play, exploration, and social experiences and are predicted to adapt evolved modular systems to local conditions, such as the local language (Bjorklund & Pellegrini, 2000;D. G. Freedman, 1974;Geary, in press;Geary & Bjorklund, 2000;Gray & Feldman, 1997;Greenough et al, 1987;MacDonald, 1992;Scarr, 1992).…”