Genes, Environments, and Differential Susceptibility: Current Topics in Evolutionary Developmental Psychology

By: Satoshi Kanazawa

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Synopsis: The evolutionary perspective has influenced many subfields of psychology and related social sciences in the last three decades. However, developmental psychology has remained largely immune to evolutionary thinking. What does evolutionary thinking have to offer developmental psychology and the study of child development? This book invites some of the leading figures in evolutionary developmental psychology to discuss cutting-edge research and its significance in related fields. By laying out the utility and importance of evolutionary thinking in developmental science, each chapter shows how the evolutionary perspective both opens new avenues of research by posing novel questions and providing insightful answers to age-old questions and debates. In the process, their overviews pay particular attention to the theoretical and empirical contributions of Jay Belsky, a pioneering developmental psychologist who has paved the way forward for the field. A short tribute and biography follow the chapters to pay homage to his work.