Functionality, parsimony, discovery, avoiding hamartia: How evolutionary perspectives are changing psychology

EvoS Journal: The Journal of the Evolutionary Studies Consortium
Volume 2, Issue 1, 2010

Title
Functionality, parsimony, discovery, avoiding hamartia: How evolutionary perspectives are changing psychology

Author(s)
Brooke N. Gentle & Aaron T. Goetz

Abstract
Evolutionary psychology offers an important perspective to scientific psychology. Evolutionary psychology, in its short existence, has added an abundance of knowledge to the social sciences, let alone psychology. The study of human cognition and behavior remains incomplete without an evolutionary perspective. Here, we argue that evolutionary psychology uniquely provides a complete understanding of scientific psychology because it explains the functions of our psychological traits, provides us with the most parsimonious explanation of many psychological phenomena, predicts undocumented phenomena, and possibly allows us to avoid the downfalls of some of our contemptible evolved psychological mechanisms.

DOI
https://doi.org/10.59077/GZQE1063

How to cite this article:
Gentle, B. N., & Goetz, A. T. (2010). Functionality, parsimony, discovery, avoiding hamartia: How evolutionary perspectives are changing psychology. EvoS Journal: The Journal of the Evolutionary Studies Consortium, 2(1), 24-31.

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