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The Adaptive Value of Cognitive Immaturity: Applications of Evolutionary Developmental Psychology to Early Education

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Book cover Evolutionary Perspectives on Child Development and Education

Part of the book series: Evolutionary Psychology ((EVOLPSYCH))

Abstract

This chapter briefly outlines some of the principles of evolutionary developmental psychology, emphasizing that some aspects of young children’s cognitive immaturity are actually adaptations for surviving the niche of childhood and not simply deficits or shortcomings that need to be overcome. We take an evolutionary developmental perspective to describe how young children learn, focusing on learning through observation and play. We argue that educators can take advantage of some of these features of young children’s thinking and learning styles, and that some efforts to accelerate young children’s cognitive development, such as educational videos and direct-instruction preschools, can actually be counterproductive to early education.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA

    David F. Bjorklund

  2. Department of Curriculum, Culture and Educational Inquiry, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA

    Courtney Beers

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Correspondence to David F. Bjorklund .

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  1. Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA

    David C. Geary

  2. Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

    Daniel B. Berch

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Bjorklund, D.F., Beers, C. (2016). The Adaptive Value of Cognitive Immaturity: Applications of Evolutionary Developmental Psychology to Early Education. In: Geary, D., Berch, D. (eds) Evolutionary Perspectives on Child Development and Education. Evolutionary Psychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29986-0_1

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