In this article, I examine children's evolved learning mechanisms that make humans the most
educable of animals. These include (1) skeletal perceptual and cognitive mechanisms that …

Play is an integrative process, and the skills acquired in it—overcoming impulses, behavior
control, exploration and discovery, problem-solving, reasoning, drawing conclusions, and …

The atlatl is a handheld, rod-shaped device that employs leverage to launch a dart, and
represents a major human technological innovation. One hypothesis for forager atlatl …

Studies of cultural transmission—whether approached by archaeological or ethnographic
means—have made great strides in identifying formal teaching and learning arrangements …

My main goal in this paper is to propose a reformulation of foundational models in
behavioral research, including Tinbergen's (1963) well-known four levels of analysis …

There is a renewed scientific interest in the role of childhood in human evolution, pointing to
the explorative phase of a human's life history that shapes how children learn and develop …

The development of tool use in early childhood is a topic of continuing interest in
developmental psychology. However, the lack of studies in ecological settings results in …

Research on prehistoric personal ornaments has focused on patterns in materials,
technology and processes of change but struggles to place human thought and action at the …

Although observed in animals from various taxa, object play is not well studied. While
studying object play in managed care belugas (Delphinapterus leucas), we noticed that, in …

Play is thought to serve different purposes at different times during ontogeny. The nature and
frequency of play are expected to change accordingly over the developmental trajectory and …