Geary / Berch Evolutionary Perspectives on Child Development and Education

1. Auflage 2016
ISBN: 978-3-319-29986-0
Verlag: Springer Nature Switzerland
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 359 Seiten

Reihe: Evolutionary Psychology

This stimulating volume assembles leading scholars to address issues in children's cognitive, academic, and social development through the lens of evolutionary psychology.Debates and controversies in the field highlight the potential value of this understanding, from basic early learning skills through emerging social relationships in adolescence, with implications for academic outcomes, curriculum development, and education policy.Children's evolved tendency toward play and exploration fuels an extended discussion on child- versus adult-directed learning, evolutionary bases are examined for young learners' moral development, and contemporary theories of learning and memory are viewed from an  evolutionary perspective.Along the way, contributors' recommendations illustrate real-world uses of evolution-based learning interventions during key developmental years.
Among the topics covered: The adaptive value of cognitive immaturity: applications of evolutionary developmental psychology to early education               
Guided play: a solution to the play versus learning dichotomy
Adolescent bullying in schools: an evolutionary perspective                 
Fairness: what it isn't, what it is, and what it might be for
Adapting evolution education to a warming climate of teaching and learningThe effects of an evolution-informed school environment on student performance and wellbeing  Evolutionary Perspectives on Child Development and Education will interest researchers and graduate students working in diverse areas such as evolutionary psychology, cultural anthropology, human ecology, developmental psychology, and educational psychology. Researchers in applied developmental science and early education will also find it useful.

David C. Geary is currently a Curators' Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences and the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program at the University of Missouri. His work spans a broad range of topics from children's mathematical cognition and development to the evolution of sex differences. He's written four sole authored books, Children's Mathematical Development (1994), Male, Female (1998, 2nd edition, 2010), Origin of Mind (2005), and Evolution of Vulnerability (2015), one co-authored book, Sex Differences (2008), and is co-editing a five volume series on Mathematical Cognition and Learning, the first two volumes of which have been released; Evolutionary Origins and Early Development of Number Processing (2015) and  Development of mathematical cognition: Neural substrates and genetic influences (2016). In addition, he has published about 250 journal articles and chapters and has had extensive funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation for his empirical research. He served on the President's National Mathematics Advisory Panel from 2006 to 2008 and chaired the learning processes task group, and was appointed by President Bush to the National Board of Advisors for the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education (2007 to 2010). Geary is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, received a MERIT Award from the National Institutes of Health, is a co-recipient of the G. A. Miller Award from the American Psychological Association, and has been a visiting scholar at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Institute of Advanced Study, Durham University. Daniel B. Berch is Professor of Educational Psychology and Applied Developmental Science at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education. Prior to this position, he was Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development at the Curry School, and before that served as Associate Chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH. His previous federal service included a stint as Senior Research Associate at the U. S. Department of Education, advising the Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement. Berch has published journal articles and book chapters on the development of numerical cognition, mathematical learning disabilities, and evolutionary perspectives on education. He is senior editor of the book, Why is Math So Hard for Some Children?, and senior editor of the five-volume Mathematical Cognition and Learning series. He is also the lead founder of the international Mathematical Cognition and Learning Society. Among other honors, Berch received the NIH Award of Merit, was elected Fellow of the American Psychological Association's Division of Experimental Psychology, served as an ex officio member of the U.S. Department of Education's National Mathematics Advisory Panel commissioned by President George W. Bush, and was elected to the Evolution Institute's Scientific Advisory Board (and chairs its Education Subcommittee). He is co-author (with David Geary) of an article entitled 'Evolutionary Approaches to Understanding Children's Academic Achievement' published in Wiley's online reference work, Emerging Trends in the Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Geary, David C.

Berch, Daniel B.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Preface;6
2;Contents;10
3;About the Authors;12
4;Part I: Development, Play, and Exploration in Early Learning;14
4.1;Chapter 1: The Adaptive Value of Cognitive Immaturity: Applications of Evolutionary Developmental Psychology to Early Education;15
4.1.1; Adaptations of Infancy and Childhood;16
4.1.1.1; Ontogenetic Adaptations;17
4.1.2; Deferred Adaptations;18
4.1.3; How Young Children Learn;19
4.1.3.1; Learning Through Watching;19
4.1.3.2; Learning Through Playing;22
4.1.4; Applying Evolutionary Developmental Thinking to Children’s Education;30
4.1.4.1; The Video Deficit and “Educational” DVDs and Videos for Infants;31
4.1.4.2; The Advantages of Thinking You’re Better than You Are;34
4.1.5; Conclusion;35
4.1.6;References;37
4.2;Chapter 2: Teaching: Natural or Cultural?;45
4.2.1; Natural Pedagogy?;46
4.2.2; Ethnocentrism as an Impediment to Theory Construction;49
4.2.3; Data and Definition Issues;53
4.2.4; A Working Definition of Teaching;56
4.2.5; Teaching in the Village;57
4.2.6; “Good” Teachers, “Good” Pupils?;62
4.2.7; Natural Pedagogy in the Classroom;63
4.2.8; The First Schools;65
4.2.9; Teaching in the Present and Future;66
4.2.10; Conclusion;68
4.2.11;References;68
4.3;Chapter 3: Children’s Natural Ways of Educating Themselves Still Work: Even for the Three Rs;78
4.3.1; The Origin of Modern Schools;79
4.3.2; A Biological View of Education;80
4.3.3; Education in Hunter-Gatherer Bands;82
4.3.4; Self-Education in Today’s World: Democratic Schooling and Unschooling;85
4.3.5; Conditions that Optimize Children’s Abilities to Educate Themselves: How Sudbury Valley Is Like a Hunter-Gatherer Band;89
4.3.6; Learning to Read Without Formal Instruction;92
4.3.6.1; Studies of Precocious Readers;93
4.3.6.2; How Sudbury Valley Students and Unschoolers Learn to Read;94
4.3.7; Learning Math Without Formal Instruction;97
4.3.7.1; An Experiment in Which Less Teaching Resulted in More Learning;97
4.3.7.2; Learning SAT Math at Sudbury Valley;98
4.3.7.3; How Children Acquire Basic Mathematical Concepts in Play and Life;99
4.3.8; Conclusion;101
4.3.9;References;102
4.4;Chapter 4: Object Use in Childhood: Development and Possible Functions;105
4.4.1; Different Forms of Object Use in Childhood;106
4.4.1.1; Exploration;106
4.4.1.2; Play with Objects;107
4.4.1.3; Construction;109
4.4.1.4; Tool Use and Toolmaking;111
4.4.1.5; Putative Functions of Object Use;113
4.4.2; Conclusion;120
4.4.3;References;121
4.5;Chapter 5: Guided Play: A Solution to the Play Versus Learning Dichotomy;126
4.5.1; The Education Problem in the US;127
4.5.2; The Existing Dichotomy: Play Versus Direct Instruction;128
4.5.3; What Is Guided Play?;130
4.5.4; Principles for Effective Learning;133
4.5.4.1; Active Versus Passive Learning;133
4.5.4.2; Engaged Versus Distracted Learning;135
4.5.4.3; Meaningful Versus Unrelated Learning;138
4.5.4.4; Interactive Versus Solitary Learning;140
4.5.5; Guided Play as a Middle Ground: A Recapitulation;142
4.5.6; Conclusion;143
4.5.6.1; Future Directions;144
4.5.7;References;145
5;Part II: Social and Moral Development;151
5.1;Chapter 6: Eight Myths of Child Social Development: An Evolutionary Approach to Power, Aggression, and Social Competence;152
5.1.1; Myth 1: Evolution Implies That We Are Selfish (or, Genetically Selfish Behavior Is Motivationally Selfish);153
5.1.1.1; Prosocial Behavior and Altruistically Motivated Behavior Are Not the Same;153
5.1.1.2; Evolutionary Definitions of Prosocial and Altruistic Behavior;154
5.1.2; Myth 2: “Nice” Behavior is Altruistic;157
5.1.3; Myth 3: Nice Kids Finish Last;158
5.1.3.1; Shifting from Form to Function;159
5.1.3.2; Aggression as Adaptation (vs. Maladaptation);160
5.1.3.3; Types of Resource Controllers;161
5.1.3.4; Nice Kids Don’t “Finish Last”;161
5.1.4; Myths 4a and 4b: “Cheaters Never Prosper” and its Corollary, “Socially Competent Kids are Nice all the Time”;162
5.1.4.1; Aggressive Youth are Heterogeneous;162
5.1.5; Myth #5a and 5b: “Mean” Kids are Disliked and its Corollary, It Doesn’t Pay to be a Bully;163
5.1.5.1; Does it Pay to Be a Bully?;164
5.1.6; Myth #6: Status Hierarchies Emerge in Adolescence;165
5.1.7; Myth #7: Power and Social Dominance are the Purview of Males;166
5.1.8; Myth #8: At the End of the Day, Power Doesn’t Matter;167
5.1.9; Conclusion;167
5.1.10;References;168
5.2;Chapter 7: Adolescent Bullying in Schools: An Evolutionary Perspective;174
5.2.1; Adolescent Bullying in Schools: An Evolutionary Perspective;174
5.2.2; Components of Bullying;174
5.2.2.1; Power;174
5.2.2.2; Harm;175
5.2.2.3; Goal Directedness;176
5.2.3; Is Bullying Adaptive?;177
5.2.4; School Bullying;179
5.2.4.1; Prevalence Rates;180
5.2.4.2; Prevalence of Subtypes;180
5.2.5; Parents and School Bullying;181
5.2.5.1; Parenting Style;182
5.2.5.2; Parent–Child Attachment;183
5.2.6; Bullying Educationfor the Educators;183
5.2.7; Bullying in the Peer Context;185
5.2.8; Bullying and School Atmosphere;188
5.2.9; Conclusions;190
5.2.10;References;191
5.3;Chapter 8: Fairness: What It Isn’t, What It Is, and What It Might Be For;199
5.3.1; The Difference Between Envy and Fairness Concerns;200
5.3.2; Fairness Does Not Appear Well Designed for Promoting Cooperation;201
5.3.2.1; Fairness is for Avoiding the Appearance of Partiality;204
5.3.2.2; Why Would People Care About Other People’s Partiality?;207
5.3.2.3; The Importance of Developmental and Cross-Cultural Work;210
5.3.2.4; Avoiding Partiality or Just Selfishness?;213
5.3.3; Conclusions and Implications for Educators;215
5.3.4;References;217
6;Part III: Evolved Biases and Cognition and Learning in the Modern World;221
6.1;Chapter 9: Evolution and Children’s Cognitive and Academic Development;222
6.1.1; Cognitive Development;222
6.1.1.1; Function of Mind and Brain;223
6.1.1.2; Folk Domains;224
6.1.1.3; Folk Psychology;225
6.1.1.4; Folk Biology;227
6.1.1.5; Folk Physics;228
6.1.1.6; Folk Heuristics and Attributional Biases;229
6.1.1.7; Mechanisms;231
6.1.1.8; Variation and the Evolution of Domain General Abilities;234
6.1.1.9; Working Memory, Intelligence, and Evolutionarily Novel Learning;237
6.1.2; Academic Development;238
6.1.2.1; Learning to Read;238
6.1.2.2; The Creation of Culture;239
6.1.2.3; Evolutionary Educational Psychology;241
6.1.3; Implications for Research on Instructional Interventions;243
6.1.3.1; Which Is Better: Explicit Formal Instruction or Discovery Learning?;243
6.1.3.2; Toward an Evolutionarily Informed Pedagogical Framework;244
6.1.4; Conclusion;246
6.1.5;References;248
6.2;Chapter 10: Adaptive Memory: Fitness-Relevant “Tunings” Help Drive Learning and Remembering;255
6.2.1; Memory Is Functionally Designed;256
6.2.2; The Mnemonic Value of Survival Processing;258
6.2.2.1; The Survival Processing Paradigm;259
6.2.3; The Mnemonic Value of Animacy;263
6.2.4; The Mnemonic Value of Potential Contamination;265
6.2.5; Conclusions and Implications for Educational Practice;267
6.2.6;References;270
6.3;Chapter 11: Adapting Evolution Education to a Warming Climate of Teaching and Learning;274
6.3.1; Barriers to Evolution Understanding and Acceptance;275
6.3.1.1; The Knowledge-Deficit View;276
6.3.1.2; The Religious Objection View;278
6.3.2; Folk Biology;279
6.3.3; Misconceptions;281
6.3.4; Complexity/Emergent Systems;283
6.3.5; Academic Topic Emotions;283
6.3.6; Motivation;285
6.3.7; Identity;286
6.3.8; Implications for Evolution Education;287
6.3.9; Conclusions;289
6.3.10;References;290
6.4;Chapter 12: Cognitive Load Theory, Evolutionary Educational Psychology, and Instructional Design;294
6.4.1; Evolutionary Educational Psychology and Human Cognition;294
6.4.1.1; Categories of Knowledge;295
6.4.1.2; Natural Information Processing systems;297
6.4.2; Cognitive Load Theory and Instructional Design;302
6.4.2.1; The Importance of Explicit Instruction;302
6.4.2.2; The Primacy of Domain-Specific Knowledge;303
6.4.2.3; Some Instructional Effects Generated by Cognitive Load Theory;304
6.4.3; Discussion;307
6.4.4;References;308
6.5;Chapter 13: Beyond Academic Performance: The Effects of an Evolution-Informed School Environment on Student Performance and Well-being;310
6.5.1; The Regents Academy;311
6.5.2; How the Regents Academy Was Informed by Evolutionary Theory;314
6.5.2.1; The Design Principles;314
6.5.2.2; Program Design;314
6.5.2.2.1; The Rooms;316
6.5.2.3; Teachers and Staff;318
6.5.2.3.1; Attitudes and Mindsets;319
6.5.2.4; Experimenter Participation;319
6.5.2.5; The Students: Population, Recruitment, and Class Size;321
6.5.2.5.1; Small School, Small Class;322
6.5.2.5.2; Overview;322
6.5.3; Measuring the Broad Goals of Education at the Regents Academy;323
6.5.3.1; Methods;323
6.5.3.2; Study Participants;324
6.5.3.3; Measures;324
6.5.3.4; Analyses;327
6.5.4; Results;328
6.5.4.1; Demographic Analyses Across Experimental Groups;328
6.5.4.2; Correlations;329
6.5.4.3; Comparison of Developmental Assets Between School Populations;331
6.5.5; Discussion of Study Outcomes;336
6.5.5.1; Comparisons of Asset Measures Between Experimental Groups;336
6.5.5.2; Interpreting Correlations Between DAP Scales;338
6.5.5.3; Selection Biases and Limitations;339
6.5.5.4; What Made It Work?;340
6.5.5.5; Evolutionary Education Science;340
6.5.6; Broadening Curriculum-Instruction-Assessment Practices;342
6.5.6.1; Cultures Have Curricula;342
6.5.6.2; An Interdisciplinary Approach to Assessment;342
6.5.7; Conclusion;343
6.5.8; Appendix 13.1: Effects of Covariates on Each Dependent Variable;344
6.5.9; Appendix 13.2: Results of Post-hoc Pairwise Comparisons Between Schools for Each Dependent Variable;346
6.5.10;References;347
7;Index;352