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The evolution of core social knowledge

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 May 2026

Robert Seyfarth
Robert Seyfarth*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA seyfarth@upenn.edu
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Core social knowledge is not limited to humans; it has evolved in other species. A comparative, evolutionary perspective prompts one to ask: what, exactly, has been favored by natural selection? A rigid, intuitive theory that matches each species’ society, or a more general tendency to search for social patterns, leaving the details and theory to emerge during development?

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Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e47
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© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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