The Emergence of Evolutionary Psychology
The Cognitive Revolution Promotes Study of Evolution and Psychology
Nov 14, 2009
Edward Wilson’s theory of sociobiology brought the concept of genetic heritability of behavioral traits back to the fore. In its early days, evolutionary psychology borrowed heavily from sociobiological ideas.
The 1999 book Sex and death: An introduction to philosophy of biology called evolutionary psychology “the modern descendant of sociobiology.” While evolutionary psychology owes much of its development to sociobiology, it was also shaped by shifting trends in the field of psychology.
The Influence of the Cognitive Revolution
By the late 1950s, behaviorism was falling out of vogue and cognitive psychology began gaining favor. The work Noam Chomsky and Donald Broadbent ushered in what would become known as the “cognitive revolution.” Disagreeing with the basic tenets of behaviorism, cognitive scientists studied artificial intelligence and computer systems to understand the operation of human mental faculties.
As Steven Pinker notes in his book, The Blank Slate, one of the core ideas to come from the cognitive revolution was that “[s]omething in the mind must be innate, if it is only the mechanisms that do the learning.”
The Field of Evolutionary Biology is Born
Evolutionary psychology, as the name clearly suggests, is a fusion of evolution and psychology. The evolutionary concepts present in sociobiology were married with the theoretical assumptions of the cognitive revolution in order to form a biological understanding of human behavior as it exists in a modern environment.
Although The Evolution of Human Sexuality, published in 1979 by Donald Symons is often referred to as the first work in the re-emergence of evolution in psychology, it is the work of several other important psychologists in the 1980s and early 1990s that laid the groundwork for what has become evolutionary psychology. These influential contributions included David Buss’ work on mate selection and Leda Cosmides and John Tooby’s work on the generation of culture.
The Founders of Evolutionary Psychology Could Think Logically and Abstractly
Interestingly, many of the scientists involved in the development of evolutionary psychology demonstrated aptitudes for math; William Hamilton derived his kin selection law mathematically, Robert Trivers and David Buss showed precocious talent in mathematics, and Leda Cosmides and John Tooby advocated a study of behavior based on algorithmic forms.
More intriguing is that many of these same scientists have demonstrated artistic ability; Trivers worked as an illustrator, Donald Symons is currently engaged in research regarding fiction, and Buss has held a consistent interest in creative writing since childhood. Perhaps it has been this ability to think both logically and abstractly that has allowed scientists to develop a systematic approach to such a theoretical realm of ideas.
The Future of Evolutionary Psychology
Evolutionary psychology remains a relatively quiet force in psychology. It is sure to grow, however. A 1989 article in Ethology & Sociobiology wrote, “...evolutionary psychology is in its embryonic stages.” While that was written almost twenty years ago, the field is still developing.
Because its methods and implications are controversial, it may take time before evolutionary psychology becomes the pervasive force that its advocates desire. With evolution gaining wider acceptance with each passing year, however, it may not be much longer before psychology textbooks are infused with evolutionary explanations of established psychological theory.
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