Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Vygotsky's Cognitive Development in Cultural Context01:22

Vygotsky's Cognitive Development in Cultural Context

107
Lev Vygotsky, a pioneering Russian psychologist, developed a theory of cognitive development that centers on the influence of social and cultural factors. Unlike Jean Piaget, who emphasized the child's direct interaction with the physical world as key to development, Vygotsky argued that cognitive growth is an interpersonal process that unfolds within a cultural context. For Vygotsky, a child's learning cannot be separated from their social environment, which includes the values,...
107
Evolutionary Psychology01:20

Evolutionary Psychology

305
Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the...
305
Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching III: Evaluation and Documentation01:20

Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching III: Evaluation and Documentation

1.8K
Evaluation of the teaching process enables the nurse to determine if the patient's learning needs were met and if training was effective. If the expected outcomes are not met, the care plan is revised, and additional education or reinforcement is provided. Nurses can ask questions after the session or obtain feedback to assess the patient's understanding of the topic.
Nurses can use several methods to evaluate patient outcomes. For example, oral questions can assess cognitive learning,...
1.8K
Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development01:30

Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development

58
Social-emotional experiences and cultural influences play significant roles in shaping gender development. During middle childhood, from ages 6 to 11, peer groups become dominant in reinforcing gender norms. Children in this age group often align with same-gender peer groups, which actively encourage behaviors that conform to traditional gender roles. For instance, boys may be discouraged from engaging in activities perceived as feminine, reinforcing culturally dictated norms about masculinity...
58
Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development from Childhood into Adulthood01:25

Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development from Childhood into Adulthood

157
Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development emphasizes the role of thinking in a child's learning process, suggesting that children are naturally curious about their environment. His approach to development is discontinuous, proposing that cognitive abilities progress through distinct stages, each with unique characteristics. Central to Piaget's theory is schemata—mental structures that allow individuals to understand and interpret the world.
Schemata: Building Blocks of...
157
Cognitive Learning01:21

Cognitive Learning

421
Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
421

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

EHS editorial 2025.

Evolutionary human sciences·2026
Same author

Pseudo-specificity, pseudo-modules, and pseudo-models in paranoia.

Trends in cognitive sciences·2025
Same author

Skewed sex ratios and violence against women in Pakistan.

Evolutionary human sciences·2025
Same author

Pseudosocial cognition and paranoia.

Trends in cognitive sciences·2025
Same author

Ancient DNA reveals a two-clanned matrilineal community in Neolithic China.

Nature·2025
Same author

Having a monk in the family and all-cause mortality: a seven-year prospective cohort study.

Evolutionary human sciences·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 19, 2025

Eye-tracking Technology and Data-mining Techniques used for a Behavioral Analysis of Adults engaged in Learning Processes
10:43

Eye-tracking Technology and Data-mining Techniques used for a Behavioral Analysis of Adults engaged in Learning Processes

Published on: June 10, 2021

5.4K

The cultural evolution of teaching.

Eva Brandl1, Ruth Mace2, Cecilia Heyes3

  • 1Lise Meitner Research Group BirthRites, Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany.

Evolutionary Human Sciences
|August 17, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Human teaching is not a cognitive instinct but a culturally evolved trait. Children learn teaching skills through social interaction, utilizing general cognitive abilities rather than innate teaching adaptations.

Keywords:
Cultural evolutioncognitive gadgetssocial learningteaching

More Related Videos

Problem-Solving Before Instruction PS-I: A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities
10:26

Problem-Solving Before Instruction PS-I: A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Published on: September 11, 2021

4.0K
Project-Based Learning Guidelines for Health Sciences Students: An Analysis with Data Mining and Qualitative Techniques
13:44

Project-Based Learning Guidelines for Health Sciences Students: An Analysis with Data Mining and Qualitative Techniques

Published on: December 9, 2022

3.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 19, 2025

Eye-tracking Technology and Data-mining Techniques used for a Behavioral Analysis of Adults engaged in Learning Processes
10:43

Eye-tracking Technology and Data-mining Techniques used for a Behavioral Analysis of Adults engaged in Learning Processes

Published on: June 10, 2021

5.4K
Problem-Solving Before Instruction PS-I: A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities
10:26

Problem-Solving Before Instruction PS-I: A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Published on: September 11, 2021

4.0K
Project-Based Learning Guidelines for Health Sciences Students: An Analysis with Data Mining and Qualitative Techniques
13:44

Project-Based Learning Guidelines for Health Sciences Students: An Analysis with Data Mining and Qualitative Techniques

Published on: December 9, 2022

3.6K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Evolutionary Anthropology
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Human teaching is crucial for cultural transmission.
  • Previous theories proposed teaching as a cognitive instinct shaped by genetic evolution.
  • This perspective suggested a fixed developmental trajectory for teaching abilities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To challenge the view of human teaching as a cognitive instinct.
  • To propose that human teaching is a culturally evolved trait, a cognitive gadget.
  • To investigate the cognitive mechanisms and developmental pathways underlying human teaching.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesized evidence from psychological experiments in industrialized societies.
  • Analyzed naturalistic and experimental research from small-scale societies.
  • Examined evidence for cumulative cultural evolution in teaching practices.

Main Results:

  • Domain-general cognitive processes (e.g., reinforcement learning, executive function) are vital for teaching.
  • Significant cross-cultural variation exists in adult teaching practices and child development of teaching.
  • Teaching exhibits characteristics of cumulative cultural evolution, with gradual functional changes across generations.

Conclusions:

  • Human teaching is best understood as a culturally evolved cognitive gadget, not a genetically determined instinct.
  • Learning to teach involves participation in social interactions that shape practices.
  • General cognitive mechanisms, not specialized teaching adaptations, underpin human teaching.