How Children Invented Humanity
The Role of Development in Human Evolution
Published on 5. January 2021
Book
Hardback
392 pages
978-0-19-006686-4 (ISBN)
Description
Infants and children are the often-ignored heroes when it comes to understanding human evolution. Evolutionary pressures acted upon the young of our ancestors more powerfully than on adults, and changes over the course of development in our ancestors were primarily responsible for the species and the people we have become. This book takes an evolutionary developmental perspective, emphasizing that developmental plasticity--the ability to change our physical and psychological selves early in life--is the creative force in evolution, with natural selection serving as a filter, eliminating novel developmental outcomes that did not benefit survival.
This book is about becoming--of becoming human and of becoming mature adults. Bjorklund asks, "How can an understanding of human development help us better understand human evolution?" Then, turning the relation between evolution and development on its head, Bjorklund demonstrates how an understanding of our species' evolution can help us better understand current development and how to better rear successful and emotionally healthy children.
This book is about becoming--of becoming human and of becoming mature adults. Bjorklund asks, "How can an understanding of human development help us better understand human evolution?" Then, turning the relation between evolution and development on its head, Bjorklund demonstrates how an understanding of our species' evolution can help us better understand current development and how to better rear successful and emotionally healthy children.
Reviews / Votes
A joyful read * Farid Pazhoohi, Evolutionary Psychological Science * a major theoretical and integrative contribution that can and should be read by any serious student of this subject. * Melvin Konner, Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture * This work is an exceptionally appropriate textbook for courses in evolutionary biology, evolutionary psychology, and evolutionary philosophy. * R. F. White, CHOICE * How Children Invented Humanity is a very clear, easy, and interesting read. I not only highly recommend this to the students and researchers of psychological, biological, and anthropological sciences, but this book is also valuable to parents and to-be-parents to understand and learn how early developmental years shape and affect all aspects of their children's childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Additionally, this is a well-referenced book on evolutionary developmental psychology and biology, providing a great review of the literature, covering lots of experiments and studies, combined with Bjorklund's deep understanding of evolutionary biology and great sense of narration. This is a joyful read! * Farid Pazhoohi, Evolutionary Psychological Science *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
752 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-006686-4 (9780190066864)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
10/2020
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€16.99
Available for download
E-Book
10/2020
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€16.99
Available for download
Person
David F. Bjorklund is Professor of Psychology at Florida Atlantic University where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in developmental and evolutionary psychology. He previously served as Associate Editor of Child Development and is currently serving as Editor of the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. His books include The Origins of Human Nature: Evolutionary Developmental Psychology (with Anthony Pellegrini); Origins of the Social Mind: Evolutionary Psychology and Child Development (edited with Bruce Ellis); Why Youth is Not Wasted on the Young: Immaturity in Human Development; Child and Adolescent Development: An Integrative Approach (with Carlos Hernandez Blasi); Psychology (with Peter Gray), and Children's Thinking: Cognitive Development and Individual Differences, now in its sixth edition. His current research interests include children's cognitive development and evolutionary developmental psychology.
Content
Acknowledgements
Preface Chapter 1: Children, Childhood, and Development in Evolutionary Perspective
Chapter 2: Changeable Children: Evolved Plasticity and Development
Chapter 3: Adaptable Ancestors: Developmental Plasticity and Evolution
Chapter 4: Embryos and Ancestors
Chapter 5: The Adaptive Value of Immaturity (or The Benefits To Being Young at Heart)
Chapter 6: Developing the Evolved Social Brain
Chapter 7: Evolutionary Mismatches in the Development of Today's Children
Chapter 8: Epilogue: How Children Invented Humanity References
Preface Chapter 1: Children, Childhood, and Development in Evolutionary Perspective
Chapter 2: Changeable Children: Evolved Plasticity and Development
Chapter 3: Adaptable Ancestors: Developmental Plasticity and Evolution
Chapter 4: Embryos and Ancestors
Chapter 5: The Adaptive Value of Immaturity (or The Benefits To Being Young at Heart)
Chapter 6: Developing the Evolved Social Brain
Chapter 7: Evolutionary Mismatches in the Development of Today's Children
Chapter 8: Epilogue: How Children Invented Humanity References