Geary D C
University of Missouri at Columbia.
Am Psychol. 1995 Jan;50(1):24-37. doi: 10.1037//0003-066x.50.1.24.
An evolution-based framework for understanding biological and cultural influences on children's cognitive and academic development is presented. The utility of this framework is illustrated within the mathematical domain and serves as a foundation for examining current approaches to educational reform in the United States. Within this framework, there are two general classes of cognitive ability, biologically primary and biologically secondary. Biologically primary cognitive abilities appear to have evolved largely by means of natural or sexual selection. Biologically secondary cognitive abilities reflect the co-optation of primary abilities for purposes other than the original evolution-based function and appear to develop only in specific cultural contexts. A distinction between these classes of ability has important implications for understanding children's cognitive development and achievement.
本文提出了一个基于进化的框架，用于理解生物和文化对儿童认知及学业发展的影响。该框架的实用性在数学领域得到了阐释，并为审视美国当前的教育改革方法奠定了基础。在此框架内，存在两种一般类型的认知能力，即生物原发性认知能力和生物继发性认知能力。生物原发性认知能力似乎主要通过自然选择或性选择进化而来。生物继发性认知能力反映了原发性能力为除基于进化的原始功能之外的其他目的而被挪用的情况，并且似乎仅在特定文化背景中发展。这种能力分类之间的区别对于理解儿童的认知发展和成就具有重要意义。
