Event

BRIDGE Webinar with Willem Frankenhuis, Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology, Radboud University

Thursday, February 1, 2018 11:00to12:30
Willem Frankenhuis

Adaptation to Harsh Environments: Insights from Evolutionary Mathematical Modelling and Empirical Studies

Willem Frankenhuis, Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands

Biologists use mathematical modeling and empirical research to study the evolution of developmental plasticity, and how plasticity adapts individuals to safe as well as harsh environments. Studies on the mental skills and abilities of humans who grow up in harsh environments have, however, focused primarily on deficits, as people from such environments tend to score lower on a variety of cognitive tests (e.g., IQ, delay of gratification). My colleagues and I take a different perspective, by proposing that harsh environments do not exclusively impair cognition. Rather, people also developmentally tailor, or ‘specialize,’ their minds for solving problems relevant in such conditions. These problems might require different skills and abilities from those assessed on conventional tests. This hypothesis predicts that harsh-adapted people may show enhanced performance on tasks that match recurrent problems in their environments, compared with safe-adapted people. In this talk, I will present results of a preregistered study examining whether exposure to, and involvement in, violence enhances people’s (N=126) learning and memory for danger, but not for location, information. The better we understand harsh-adapted minds—including their strengths—the more effective we can tailor education, policy, and interventions to fit their needs and potentials.

About the speaker

Dr. Willem Frankenhuis works at the intersection between evolutionary biology and developmental psychology. His research centers on developmental plasticity—the ability to adjust development based on environmental conditions. His theoretical work uses mathematical modeling to examine how natural selection shapes plasticity mechanisms, across generations, depending on environmental conditions. His empirical work examines how, within generations, these mechanisms use experience to adaptively tailor cognition and behavior to local environmental conditions. Currently, Dr. Frankenhuis’ core activity is the development of a research program focused on the discovery of social-cognitive skills and abilities that are enhanced enhanced in harsh and unpredictable environments.

Dr. Frankenhuis obtained his Psychology BSc. (2005), Psychology MSc. (2006), and Philosophy MA. (2006) from the University of Amsterdam.  In 2012, he obtained my PhD in Biological Anthropology at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), before joining the Cognitive Development Center of the Central European University (CEU) as a post-doctoral researcher (Hungary). In December 2012, he became assistant professor, and January 2018 associate professor, at the Department of Developmental Psychology of the Behavioural Science Institute at the Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. For more information, such as publications, please visit his personal webpage: www.willem.maartenfrankenhuis.nl/

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