Citation

Boyer P, Bergstrom B. Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 2011; 35(4): 1034-1041.

Affiliation

Departments of Psychology and Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.08.010

PMID

20832423

Abstract

Evidence for developmental aspects of fear-targets and anxiety suggests a complex but stable pattern whereby specific kinds of fears emerge at different periods of development. This developmental schedule seems appropriate to dangers encountered repeteadly during human evolution. Also consistent with evolutionary perspective, the threat-detection systems are domain-specific, comprising different kinds of cues to do with predation, intraspecific violence, contamination-contagion and status loss. Proper evolutionary models may also be relevant to outstanding issues in the domain, notably the connections between typical development and pathology.

Language: en