Whither Evolutionary Educational Psychology?

Abstract

Commentators' questions about the utility of an evolutionarily informed approach to children's schooling are addressed. I begin with discussion of our knowledge of the organization of evolved folk domains and clarify my proposals as to how evolved learning and motivational biases might influence the acquisition of nonevolved academic competencies. I then provide a model of how the Darwinian mechanisms of variability, competition, and selection at the levels of brain and cognition might operate during children's cognitive and academic development, and then I turn to the question of whether evolutionary predictions are falsifiable. I close with suggestions for future directions.