The origins of human nature : evolutionary developmental psychology /

Humans spend an unusually large proportion of their lives in immaturity and have a high rate of brain growth during that period. These features allow for great plasticity in human developmental trajectories. Until recently, human plasticity has led most developmental psychologists to downplay the role of evolved, innate potentials. Bjorklund and Pellegrini put an end to this unnatural separation. The first half of the book enriches the presentation of human evolutionary psychology, showing the important role of development in linking inherited genes with inherited environments to produce phenotypes. The authors make it clear that immature patterns of behavior not only prepare young organisms for adult adaptations, but also contribute to the young organisms' adaptations to their current environments. In the second part Bjorklund and Pellegrini examine areas usually studied by developmental psychologists--e.g., relations to parents, siblings, peers, and groups--from an evolutionary perspective. Presenting a variety of contexts, they show the reader that developmental flexibility is not at all inconsistent with evolved adaptations. This volume belongs in both undergraduate and graduate libraries of schools that present courses in developmental or evolutionary psychology and in evolutionary biology. S. I. Perloe Haverford College