Editors' Introduction to the Special Issue

Abstract

The editors of the Educational Psychologist's special issue “Evolution of the Educated Species” begin with an anecdotal account of the project's history, followed by an overview of the articles that comprise the special issue's contents. In the focal article, David C. Geary reviews the theory, rationale, and definitions associated with a science of evolutionary educational psychology. He then provides selected examples of how an “evolutionarily informed” perspective has direct implications for students' learning and motivation in the classroom. Four commentators, with varied perspectives, respond to Geary's provocative assertions. Geary's final response to the commentators includes clarifications and extensions of his evolutionary educational psychology principles.