Schools are a central interface between evolution and culture. They are the contexts in which children learn the evolutionarily novel abilities and knowledge needed to function as adults in modern societies. Evolutionary educational psychology is the study of how an evolved bias in children's learning and motivational systems influences their…

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.…

Comments on Evolutionary psychology: Controversies, questions, prospects, and limitations by Confer et al. We applaud Confer et al.'s (February-March 2010) clarifications of the many misconceptions surrounding the use of evolutionary analyses in psychology. As they noted, such misunderstandings are common and result in a curious tendency of some…

J. Weeden and J. Sabini's finding of small to no relation between traits rated as attractive in a mate and health of that mate might be interpreted as consistent with C. Darwin's (1859) proposal that these traits are arbitrary signs of beauty. However, such a conclusion would be premature. A combination of consistent empirical findings with…

An evolution-based framework for understanding biological and cultural influences on children's cognitive and academic development is presented. The framework, which defines biologically primary and secondary classes of cognitive ability, is a foundation for examining current approaches to reform and mathematics instruction in the United States.…

Describes evolutionary developmental psychology as the study of the genetic and ecological mechanisms that govern the development of social and cognitive competencies common to all human beings and the epigenetic (gene-environment interactions) processes that adapt these competencies to local conditions. Outlines basic assumptions and domains of…