On the Evolution of Human Behavior: The Argument from Animals to Man.

Abstract

A sense of wonder is said to lie at the origin of the scientific inquiry. It also appears to have caused the author to write the present book. On the one hand, we are confronted with profound behavioral discrepancies between humans and apes, and yet geneticists tell us that humans and chimpanzees have more than 99 700 of their protein structure in common. This book attempts to solve this biological riddle. To that end, after identifying the main psychobehavioral continuities and discontinuities between humans and primates, hypotheses are presented as to the small evolutionary changes that may have resulted in the development of the vastly more complex behavior of man.In this area, where sterile discussions are rife and at times muddled, it is refreshing to read the short, one page long, introduction. As pointed out therein, "the debate about behavioral biology and ethology has often conducted in terms of oppositions," of unwarranted either-or dichotomies, resulting in what MARY MIDGLEY has termed "rival fatalisms," namely biological vs. cultural determinism.Chapter I gives an interesting historical perspective on the way man and animals have been compared, with comments that help to better understand the nature and the background of the controversies still alive between ethologists and psychologists. The following chapters deal successively with a number of behaviors (instrumental action, constructional use of objects, agonistic and affiliative behavior, conceptual thought and ability for self-recognition). Evidence from recent research in psychology and ethology is marshalled in order to trace phylogenetic progressive trends in the lineage leading to the human ethogram. At the same time, for each behavior, discontinuities are shown to arise and their nature is discussed. Noteworthy is the way the interaction between the developments in various behaviors is stressed."In Quest of Continuity," title of the last chapter, describes well the main emphasis of the book. That chapter makes an attempt at listing both continuity and discontinuity phenomena. These indicate both quantitative and qualitative behavioral changes in the transition from apes to hominids.

Theorizing the Father-Child Relationship: Mechanisms and Developmental Outcomes

“…mammals and birds [Reynolds, 1981], but it is in primates, and in the human species in particular, that play is most highly developed [MacDonald, 1993] in terms of frequency, variety and complexity. Play permits the young brain to remain flexible, enabling it to react to an immense variety of potential stimuli [MacDonald, 1993].…”

Debunking the pyramidal mind: A plea for synergy between reason and emotion

“…According to that view, the architecture of the mind consists of a gradual ascent from “lower” psychological levels through increasingly “higher” psychological levels, up to a vertex that is able to impart order to this hierarchy of functions and, above all, that is able direct coherently the “noblest” functions that define rational self‐consciousness. This “Victorian” picture of the neurocognitive architecture (Reynolds, ), however, is seriously flawed for various reasons.…”

Communication, Conflict, and Culture

“…With the loss of this universal but primitive intelligibility, there was a great gain in efficiency in establishing bonds between the initiated (Englefield, 1977). Gains in efficiency translated into more elaborate mechanisms for assessing and integrating information about the internal and external consequences of personal action sequences (Reynolds, 1981 ).…”