The Shape of Thought

How Mental Adaptations Evolve

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Other Sciences, Philosophy & Social Aspects, Health & Well Being, Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book The Shape of Thought by H. Clark Barrett, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: H. Clark Barrett ISBN: 9780190463601
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: January 16, 2015
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: H. Clark Barrett
ISBN: 9780190463601
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: January 16, 2015
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

The Shape of Thought: How Mental Adaptations Evolve presents a road map for an evolutionary psychology of the twenty-first century. It brings together theory from biology and cognitive science to show how the brain can be composed of specialized adaptations, and yet also an organ of plasticity. Although mental adaptations have typically been seen as monolithic, hard-wired components frozen in the evolutionary past, The Shape of Thought presents a new view of mental adaptations as diverse and variable, with distinct functions and evolutionary histories that shape how they develop, what information they use, and what they do with that information. The book describes how advances in evolutionary developmental biology can be applied to the brain by focusing on the design of the developmental systems that build it. Crucially, developmental systems can be plastic, designed by the process of natural selection to build adaptive phenotypes using the rich information available in our social and physical environments. This approach bridges the long-standing divide between "nativist" approaches to development, based on innateness, and "empiricist" approaches, based on learning. It shows how a view of humans as a flexible, culturally-dependent species is compatible with a complexly specialized brain, and how the nature of our flexibility can be better understood by confronting the evolved design of the organ on which that flexibility depends.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The Shape of Thought: How Mental Adaptations Evolve presents a road map for an evolutionary psychology of the twenty-first century. It brings together theory from biology and cognitive science to show how the brain can be composed of specialized adaptations, and yet also an organ of plasticity. Although mental adaptations have typically been seen as monolithic, hard-wired components frozen in the evolutionary past, The Shape of Thought presents a new view of mental adaptations as diverse and variable, with distinct functions and evolutionary histories that shape how they develop, what information they use, and what they do with that information. The book describes how advances in evolutionary developmental biology can be applied to the brain by focusing on the design of the developmental systems that build it. Crucially, developmental systems can be plastic, designed by the process of natural selection to build adaptive phenotypes using the rich information available in our social and physical environments. This approach bridges the long-standing divide between "nativist" approaches to development, based on innateness, and "empiricist" approaches, based on learning. It shows how a view of humans as a flexible, culturally-dependent species is compatible with a complexly specialized brain, and how the nature of our flexibility can be better understood by confronting the evolved design of the organ on which that flexibility depends.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Without Copyrights: Piracy, Publishing, and the Public Domain by H. Clark Barrett
Cover of the book The Invention of Greek Ethnography by H. Clark Barrett
Cover of the book Cities and Stability by H. Clark Barrett
Cover of the book A Gentleman of Color by H. Clark Barrett
Cover of the book Imperial Cults and the Apocalypse of John by H. Clark Barrett
Cover of the book Kingship and Memory in Ancient Judah by H. Clark Barrett
Cover of the book Choosing Our Religion by H. Clark Barrett
Cover of the book Schoenberg's Correspondence with American Composers by H. Clark Barrett
Cover of the book The Conflict in Ukraine by H. Clark Barrett
Cover of the book International Differences in Well-Being by H. Clark Barrett
Cover of the book Do You Make These Mistakes in English? by H. Clark Barrett
Cover of the book A Brief History of Mathematical Thought by H. Clark Barrett
Cover of the book The Simple Flute by H. Clark Barrett
Cover of the book Peripheral Neurology by H. Clark Barrett
Cover of the book Golden Fetters : The Gold Standard and the Great Depression, 1919-1939 by H. Clark Barrett
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy