A summary of David Gearys Principles of evolutionary educational psychology Principles of Educational Evolutionary Psychology Secondary knowledge has grown out of folk knowledge There is a gap between secondary knowledge and folk knowledge ID: 1026888
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1. Evolutionary Educational PsychologyA summary of David Geary’s Principles of evolutionary educational psychology
2. Principles of Educational Evolutionary PsychologySecondary knowledge has grown out of folk knowledge. There is a gap between secondary knowledge and folk knowledgeSchools exist to bridge that gapChildren are innately motivated towards developing their folk knowledgeThe way children acquire folk knowledge is insufficient for the way they acquire secondary knowledge
3. Folk knowledgeSecondary knowledge200,000BCBedrock of folk psychology, biology and physics. Non-formal number counting.Aristotle and others: classification of animals + plants, physics, four elementsBiblical morals, communication with and influencing others’ behavioursEuclidean geometryRoman numerals – formal counting systemArabic numerals, algebraAlchemyAtomic theoryLinnaeus’ taxonomy20CQuantum mechanicsNewtonian mechanics “Today, there is an ever-widening gap between folk knowledge and scientific and technological advances and an accompanying need to acquire novel academic competencies”
4. Cooptation: the adaptation (typically through instruction) of evolved cognitive systems for culturally specific usesi.e. when a primary system e.g. folk psychology, is utilised to produce a secondary system
5. Folk PsychologyCommunication, language, social relationships, theory of mindReading, writing, stories, poems, dramas reflecting nuances of social relationshipsCooptationPrimarySecondary
6. Folk BiologyClassification of animals and plants. Living things have “innards”. Offspring will have the same “essence” as their parents.Systematic taxonomies. Anatomy. Behavioural ecology. CooptationPrimarySecondary
7. Folk PhysicsMotion, trajectories, behaviour of simple objectsNewtonian mechanics, engineering, quantum mechanicsCooptationPrimarySecondary
8. Inferential biases/misconceptions examplesFolk biology: classification focusses on differences between species. Short-term time-frame. Helps predict behaviour of plants and animals. Study of natural selection: focusses on differences within species. Time-frame of many thousands of years.Helps understand processes of speciation.Folk Physics: Impetus - an object in flight has a force acting on it. Reasonable explanation for everyday situationsNewton’s three laws, predict movements of complex bodies.
9. Widened gap“As with biology, the knowledge base of the physical sciences is exponentially larger than the knowledge base of folk physics and in some cases (e.g., quantum mechanics) the accompanying conceptual models bear little resemblance to the naïve concepts of folk physics.”
10. Motivation“Children are innately curious about and motivated to actively engage and explore social relationships and the environment – biases that are directed toward information and activities associated with folk knowledge.”
11. “A burning desire to master algebra or Newtonian physics will not be universal, or even common.”Those who do dedicate their lives to a specific area have individual differences related to:Ability to acquire secondary competenciesIntellectual curiosityWillingness to engage in long and tedious trainingDegree to which the underlying folk systems are elaborated
12. For most people, motivation to study secondary areas will be more related to the primary area which underlies it.E.g. reading is secondary but many people will read stories for pleasure as they relate to primary areas.Children’s natural curiosities and interests will be unlikely to lead them to secondary knowledge.
13. The need for instruction – primary/secondary gapSecondaryPrimaryPrehistoryModern eraPrimary/secondary gap
14. Primary/Secondary Gap SizeNeed for instruction
15. John Sweller, Instructional Implications of David C. Geary’s Evolutionary Educational Psychology
16. Biologically primaryBiologically secondayKnowledge is acquired “easily and unconsciously”Conscious effortIntrinsic motivationExtrinsic motivationLimited instruction requiredExplicit instruction requiredLong term memory important in knowledge acquisitionLong term memory important in knowledge acquisitionWorking memory limitations are limitedStrong working memory limitationsProblem solving does not seem to applyProblem solving/generate and test model essential