Biological Bases of Cognitive Development

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Chapter 2

• Biological Bases of Cognitive Development

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Darwins Theory of Evolution

• Basic principles
• 1.      superfecundity More members of a
  species are born in each generation than will
  survive.
  
• 2.      variation All members of the species
  have different combinations of traits (i.e.,
  physical and behavioral characteristics that
  differ among individuals).
• 3.      heritability This variation is
  heritable, that is these characteristics are
  passed down and inherited by the next generation
  

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Darwins Theory

• 4.      natural selection The characteristics
  that result in an individual surviving and
  reproducing tend to be selected. That is,
  genetically based variations in physical or
  psychological features of an individual interact
  with the environment, and over many generations,
  these features tend to change in frequency,
  resulting, eventually, in species-wide traits in
  the population as a whole.
• 5.      reproductive fitness The likelihood
  that an individual will become a parent or
  grandparent.
  

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Evolutionary Psychology

• Takes the basic tenets of Darwins theory and the
  advancements made over the past 140 years
  (neoDarwinism) and applies them specifically to
  human psychological functioning.
• Gives us a framework to think about whys humans
  do what they do and how they develop, which in
  turn can help us acquire a better understanding
  of the hows and whats of development.

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Important Points

• Development certain immature aspects of the
  young often have adaptive value and were selected
  in evolution to keep the individual alive at that
  time during ontogeny
• Cognitive Development
• natural selection operates on the cognitive level
  
  
• adaptationist thinking
• Darwinian algorithms psychological mechanisms
  that evolved to solve specific adaptive
  functions.
  
• domain-specific mechanisms

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Important Points

• flexibility of inherited mechanisms
• in humans, the mechanisms that have evolved are
  usually quite flexible
  
• general propensities to respond in certain ways
• environmental conditions and the developmental
  history of the individual
  
• importance of the environment
• evolutionary psychology does NOT imply its all
  in the genes
  
• the environment is also so tremendously important
  in all this
  
• environments of our ancestors
• modern environments are very different from the
  ones in which we evolved over many thousands of
  years
  
• what might have been adaptive for our ancestors
  who were hunters and gatherers may not be
  adaptive to us today

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3 products of evolution

• 1. adaptations reliably developing, inherited
  characteristics that came about as a result of
  natural selection and helped to solve some
  problems of reproduction or survival in the
  environment of evolutionary adaptedness
• -ontogenetic adaptations adaptations that are
  limited to a particular time in development they
  facilitate a young organisms chances of surviving
  into adulthood and eventually reproducing have
  specific roles in survival during infancy or
  youth and disappear when they are no longer
  necessary (umbilical cord)
• 2. by-products characteristics that did not
  solve some recurring problem and have not been
  shaped by natural selection but are consequences
  of being associated with some adaptation
  (belly-button)
• 3. noise random effects that may be attributed
  to mutations, changes in the environment, or
  aberrations of development (shape of ones
  belly-button)

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• 1.      biologically primary abilities cognitive
  abilities that were selected in evolution
  
• are acquired universally
• children typically have high motivation to
  perform tasks involving these abilities
  
• e.g., language
• 2.      biologically secondary abilities skills
  that build upon primary abilities but are
  principally cultural inventions
  
• are culturally determined
• often tedious repetition and external motivation
  are needed for their mastery
  
• e.g., reading
• Cost-Benefits Analysis

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Class Activity

• 1.  Pick a cognitive ability or skill children
  do
  
• 2. Classify the ability or skill
• 1. adaptation (ontogenetic adaptation?)
• 2. by-product
• 3. noise
• also
• 1. biologically primary ability
• 2. biologically secondary ability
• 3. Think about WHY this cognitive ability came to
  be
  
• If an adaptation, how did it enhance survival?
  Whats the purpose? What problem was it designed
  to solve? If a by-product or noise, what is the
  adaptation it is associated with? Why did that
  enhance survival? If a biologically primary
  ability, any secondary abilities associated with
  it? If secondary, whats the primary ability
  associated with it?
• 4. Do a cost-benefit analysis (list costs and
  benefits)