2007/04/20 by Nigel Barber · 3 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · Environmental Science · #Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior #Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation #Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
paper · doi:10.1177/1069397106298926
openalex publication_date 2007/04/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
This article argues that social science can be conducted beneath the umbrella of natural science and evolutionary theory. Evolutionary social science makes four key causal assumptions: (a) that modern societies owe their character to an interaction of hunter—gatherer adaptations with the modern environment, (b) that some changes in societies reflect change in individuals, (c) that historical changes and cross-societal differences can be due to similar adaptational mechanisms, given (d) that different social contexts (e.g., food scarcity, single parenthood) modify psychological development through adaptive mechanisms. This approach is illustrated by cross-national data on violent crime and single parenthood.