Abstract
In this paper I discuss some of the logical and methodological features of evolutionary explanations of intelligence-based human behavior. Hence, the main thrust of the paper will be theoretical attempting to set out the conceptual role and importance of theories of cognition and neurobiology in applying evolutionary theory to the explanation of human behavior. My main thesis is that evolutionary explanations of human behavior involve complex causal chains the links of which are justified by reference to numerous quite distinct theoretical frameworks. Among these theoretical frameworks are theories of cognitive psychology and neurobiology that connect cognition to behavior, and theories of cultural transmission of information and behavior patterns. My central goal is to provide a theoretical framework for understanding the need for, and the logic and methodology underlying, such causal chains.
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Thompson, P. (1988). The Conceptual Role of Intelligence in Human Sociobiology. In: Jerison, H.J., Jerison, I. (eds) Intelligence and Evolutionary Biology. NATO ASI Series, vol 17. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70877-0_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70877-0_3
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