Integrating developmental psychology, dynamic systems theory and evolutionary theory

Abstract
The main goal of the project is to study whether evolutionary psychology is consistent with theories and empirical findings in developmental psychology. Ploeger, Van der Maas and Raijmakers (submitted) argue that the assumptions of evolutionary psychology as defined by Tooby and Cosmides (1992) are inconsistent with empirical findings in developmental psychology. However, this does not mean that evolutionary theory is of no interest for developmental psychology. It is proposed to integrate developmental psychology, evolutionary theory and dynamic systems theory to solve the inconsistencies between theory and empirical findings. The proposed integration means that self-organization, an important concept of dynamic systems theory, has to be applied to both evolutionary and developmental processes. It has been shown in several simulation studies that individual-based models of population dynamics introduce self-organization (or self-structuring) of individuals which influence the evolutionary process importantly. For example, phenomena that are difficult to explain in classical evolution theory, such as altruism, arise spontaneously in these models. The proposal of integrating developmental psychology, evolutionary theory and dynamic systems theory is new. Another innovation is the application of recent models in evolutionary theory to developmental psychology. The project is relevant for the programme since it expands the insight in the evolutionary basis of human behaviour, it stimulates the adoption of evolutionary approaches in developmental psychology, and it promotes collaboration between scientists working in the field of developmental psychology, evolutionary biology and dynamic systems theory.

Abstract for laymen
The main goal of the project is to study whether evolutionary psychology is consistent with theories and empirical findings in developmental psychology. Evolutionary psychology is a new approach in psychology that states that psychologists should know about scientific findings in evolutionary biology. The line of reasoning is that the neo-Darwinian approach is accepted by a broad range of scientists, so (psychological) theories should be consistent with it. Evolutionary psychologists derived several assumptions from evolutionary theory that are relevant for psychology. For example, during evolution people have had to deal with very different problems, and different solutions were created and selected by natural selection. Because the environment constantly changed, ad hoc solutions were likely, resulting in domain-specific modules in the brain. This assumption is interesting for developmental psychology, since one of the basic questions in this field is whether children develop domain-specific or domain-general mechanisms. A domain-general mechanism refers to a mechanism that plays a role in a wide range of domains. In contrast, domain-specific mechanisms influence only one single domain, and are controlled by one region of the brain. There is ample evidence for both domain-specific (e.g., fear of snakes) and domain-general (e.g., working memory) mechanisms. Thus, the assumption of evolutionary psychology that only domain-specific mechanisms are likely is inconsistent with empirical facts. In this project, it will be studied whether applying the concept of self-organization, an important aspect of dynamic systems theory, will help.