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Children's Evolved Learning Abilities and Their Implications for Education.

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Title: Children's Evolved Learning Abilities and Their Implications for Education.
Authors: Bjorklund, David F. (AUTHOR)
Source: Educational Psychology Review. Dec2022, Vol. 34 Issue 4, p2243-2273. 31p. 1 Diagram, 1 Chart.
Subjects: Learning ability, Parent-teacher relationships, Physical education teachers, Teaching methods, Physical activity, Social learning, Educators
Abstract: In this article, I examine children's evolved learning mechanisms that make humans the most educable of animals. These include (1) skeletal perceptual and cognitive mechanisms that get fleshed out over the course of development, mainly through play; (2) a high level of plasticity that is greatest early in life but that persists into adulthood; (3) remarkable social-learning capabilities; and (4) dispositions toward exploration and play. I next examine some evolutionary mismatches—conflicts between psychological mechanisms evolved in ancient environments and their utility in modern ones—specifically with respect to modern educational systems. I then suggest some ways educators can take advantage of children's evolved learning abilities to minimize the effects of evolutionary mismatches, including (1) following developmentally appropriate practices (which are also evolutionarily appropriate practices), (2) increasing opportunities for physical activities, (3) increasing opportunities to learn through play, and (4) taking advantage of stress-adapted children's "hidden talents." I argue that evolutionary theory informs teachers and parents about how children evolved to learn and can result in more-enlightened teaching methods that will result in a more enjoyable and successful learning experiences for children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Educational Psychology Review is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Educational+Psychology+Review%22">Educational Psychology Review</searchLink>. Dec2022, Vol. 34 Issue 4, p2243-2273. 31p. 1 Diagram, 1 Chart.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Learning+ability%22">Learning ability</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parent-teacher+relationships%22">Parent-teacher relationships</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Physical+education+teachers%22">Physical education teachers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teaching+methods%22">Teaching methods</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Physical+activity%22">Physical activity</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+learning%22">Social learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educators%22">Educators</searchLink>
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  Data: In this article, I examine children's evolved learning mechanisms that make humans the most educable of animals. These include (1) skeletal perceptual and cognitive mechanisms that get fleshed out over the course of development, mainly through play; (2) a high level of plasticity that is greatest early in life but that persists into adulthood; (3) remarkable social-learning capabilities; and (4) dispositions toward exploration and play. I next examine some evolutionary mismatches—conflicts between psychological mechanisms evolved in ancient environments and their utility in modern ones—specifically with respect to modern educational systems. I then suggest some ways educators can take advantage of children's evolved learning abilities to minimize the effects of evolutionary mismatches, including (1) following developmentally appropriate practices (which are also evolutionarily appropriate practices), (2) increasing opportunities for physical activities, (3) increasing opportunities to learn through play, and (4) taking advantage of stress-adapted children's "hidden talents." I argue that evolutionary theory informs teachers and parents about how children evolved to learn and can result in more-enlightened teaching methods that will result in a more enjoyable and successful learning experiences for children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Educational Psychology Review is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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              Text: Dec2022
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