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Evidence for Modularity

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

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Synonyms

Mechanisms; Psychological mechanisms; Specialization

Definition

Modularity refers to that quality of any system wherein it consists of two or more functionally distinct mechanisms or components. In evolutionary psychology, modularity refers to this design feature in the human mind. Specifically, modularity refers to the various functionally distinct psychological mechanisms that comprise the human mind. These mechanisms are thought to serve evolutionary functions in that they address specific adaptive problems.

Introduction

Most aspects of modern design possess the quality of modularity. The cars we drive are modular in that they have multiple mechanisms which perform distinct operations (e.g., radio, speakers, engine, carriage). Each of these modules is functionally distinct in that they each perform a distinct function. The radio receives radio waves and converts those radio waves into sonic oscillations emitted from another module: our cars’ speakers. The engine (composed...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK, USA

    Breanna M. Wedde & J. Adam Randell

Authors
  1. Breanna M. Wedde
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  2. J. Adam Randell
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. Adam Randell .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, MI, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. School of Psychology, Karnatak University, Dharwad, India

    Shanmukh Kamble

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Wedde, B.M., Randell, J.A. (2020). Evidence for Modularity. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2137-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2137-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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