Mary Jo Loch

EdHD 5003
6-29-09
Behavioral Biology

This paper is about behavioral biology and how it can be applied to a second or foreign

language classroom. The concepts that will be discussed are biologically primary and secondary

abilities, the adaptive value of immaturity, and competition.

Behavioral biology suggests that a lot of social and psychological aspects of human nature

can be explained by evolutionary processes. The same processes that produced our limbs and

internal organs also produced human behavior (Rodgerson). The main mechanism of evolution is

natural selection. Natural selection occurs when individuals differ in inheritable traits that give

some individuals a survival advantage in a given environment (Rodgerson). The advantaged

individuals have better reproductive success and pass their physical traits as well as their behaviors

down to their descendants, while traits which are not as advantageous are not passed down in such

great quantity and are eventually stamped out. Students sometimes exhibit behaviors and

development processes that were advantageous to their distant ancestors and were, therefore, passed

down through the generations.

Geary and Bjorklund describe biologically primary abilities as abilities that children acquire

universally and that children have high motivation to perform (63). These abilities are behaviors

that confer a survival advantage in every culture. Examples include speaking and listening, reading

facial expressions, and exploring and learning about one's surroundings. Biologically secondary

abilities are those that are called for by one's culture. For example, our modern culture asks

children to read, write, add, and multiply (Geary&Bjorklund63). Because these abilities were not

useful to most of our ancestors, they are not really part of our biological inheritance. We should not

expect students to read and write as well as they speak and listen. In the foreign language

classroom, it may be helpful to combine biologically primary and secondary abilities into a task.
For example, in learning the German or Spanish alphabet, students can work in groups to use their

bodies to form letters that are called out by the teacher. This incorporates the biologically primary

abilities of movement and cooperation into an activity that fosters literacy, a secondary ability.

Another aspect of human behavior and development that manifests itself in the classroom is

the adaptive value of immaturity. “Seemingly 'immature' behavior may have been selected as a way

young organisms can negotiate the pre-adult years” (Geary&Bjorklund59). Egocentric attitudes and

attachment behaviors are examples of this. Children relied on their caretakers to help get them

through to the adult years. Attachment keeps children close to caretakers and their egocentrism

keeps them demanding. Caretakers are more likely to invest resources in children who stick nearby

and demand their attention (Geary&Bjorklund59). In a classroom, it is important to remember that

we are the caretakers of children while they are at school. Their “immature” need for attention has

been wired through evolution. It is important not to get upset by their attention seeking and to

invest attention and resources equally in each child. Their evolutionarily wired brains make them

act as if getting attention is part of their fight for survival.

The fight for survival brings us to competition. Because environments have only limited

resources, “individuals must constantly compete against each other for survival” (Charlesworth

2170). This competition behavior still exists in schools in the form of fighting, cheating, and rival

groups of students. Adolescent males become concerned with their social status which they may try

to raise with dominating behavior, classroom disruption, or posturing (Charlesworth2171). These

bad behaviors may be alleviated by taking into consideration each child's self-interest. Competing

behaviors can also be channeled positively into athletics or academics (Geary&Bjorklund63). For

example, in the second language classroom, the teacher might ask the students to play competetive

games in teams. Knowledge of behavioral biology can help solve these and other behavior

problems.
 Works Cited

Charlesworth, W. (1994). Evolutionary theory: Ethological and biosocial approaches to education

and human development. In T. Husen & T. N. Postlewaite (Eds.), International
Encyclopedia of Education (2nd ed ., p.2167-2172). New York: Pergamon.

Geary, D. C. & Bjorklund, D. F. (2000). Evolutionary developmental psychology. Child

Development, 71(1), p.57-65.

Rodgerson, R. (2009). College of Education and Human Development:

Developmental and
Individual Differences in Educational Contexts. University of Minnesota.
Class lecture notes.