relationship between developmental psychology and evolutionary theory

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In what ways was 20th century developmental psychology, particularly that of Piaget, influenced by evolutionary theory ?

-- Don Kelly (inokishi@hotmail.com), April 26, 2002

Answers

Paiget was. of course, trained as a biologist, and the concept of epigenesis comes originally from developmental biology. Another connection is that Piaget's theory of development was influenced by James Mark Baldwin's, and Baldwin was keenly interested in the relationship between mental development and evolution (see, e.g., his _Mental Developemnt in the Child and Race_, and his article "A new factor in evolution").

-- Christopher Green (christo@yorku.ca), April 27, 2002.

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