The origins of human nature: Evolutionary developmental psychology.

Abstract

The Origins of Human Nature offers readers the first booklength attempt to define the field of evolutionary developmental psychology-the application of the principle of natural selection to explain contemporary human development. The authors point out that an evolutionary-developmental perspective allows one to view gene-environment interactions, the significance of individual differences, and the role of behavior and development in evolution in much greater depth. The authors also focus on how an evolutionary perspective can foster a better understanding of human development and how developmental processes may have influenced the course of human evolution.Of particular interest are chapters that explore factors influencing parenting and other aspects of family life; the role of play; and the interacting roles of an extended juvenile period, a big brain, and a complex social structure in human cognitive evolution. The authors present a hybrid approach to evolution and development, pointing out that though underlying assumptions held by evolutionary and developmental psychologists have been at odds, each field has much to offer the other. This volume will be an important and useful resource for scholars and others interested in the relationship between evolution and psychological development.

The supernatural guilt trip does not take us far enough

“…Representations of the afterlife are culturally recurrent, proximally driven by emotions, frequently implicated in social and reproductive matters, and superficially fitted to the ecological niche in which the human organism develops (Bering & Bjorklund 2004;Dechesne et al 2003;Reynolds & Tanner 1995). These features are consistent with what we know about the nature of psychological adaptations (Bjorklund & Pellegrini 2002;Tooby & Cosmides 1992). This is not to say that specific afterlife beliefs -the culturally variable vicissitudes of the hereafter -are direct products of natural selection.…”

Ethology, Sociobiology, and Evolutionary Psychology

“…Finally, a 'developmentalist' tradition in animal behavior research with its roots in classical ethology and comparative psychology has consistently criticized both sociobiology and Evolutionary Psychology for failing to integrate the evolutionary study of behavior with the study of how behavior develops (Gottlieb 1997;Bjorklund and Pellegrini 2002). Accessible introductions to this tradition have been provided by Patrick Bateson and Paul Martin (1999) and by David Moore (2001).…”

Risky Play

“…Climbing trees and rocky hills provides the opportunity to develop and enhance different motoric and physical skills, and for developing muscle strength, endurance, and skeletal quality (Bjorklund & Pellegrini, 2000;Byers & Walker, 1995;Pellegrini & Smith, 1998). Play in heights also provides opportunities to develop competencies to perceive depth, form, shape, size, and movement (Rakison, 2005), and general spatial-orientation abilities (Bjorklund & Pellegrini, 2002). These are significant skills and competencies both for survival in childhood (immediate benefits) and for handling important adaptive tasks in adulthood (deferred benefits).…”