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Embracing behavioral diversity for a reason

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 July 2026

Ross A. Thompson Open the ORCID record for Ross A. Thompson [Opens in a new window]
Ross A. Thompson*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology (Emeritus), University of California, Davis, CA, USA rathompson@ucdavis.edu https://psychology.ucdavis.edu/people/ross-thompson
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

The authors dismiss two major developmental theories for lacking universal claims, but misrepresentations of attachment theory, joint attention, and sensitivity undermine this critique. Identifying behavioral universals often devolves into debates about exceptional cases and generalizability, and misses the more interesting questions of how behavioral diversity advances species’ adaptive functions. Diversity exists, but it alone is not a developmental theory.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e279
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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