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The evolution and development of infant social relationship reasoning: a Tinbergenian analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 May 2026

Tobias Grossmann Open the ORCID record for Tobias Grossmann [Opens in a new window]
Tobias Grossmann*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA tg3ny@virginia.edu
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Thomas (in press) proposes that infants possess core systems for reasoning about social relationships. Using Tinbergen’s four questions – phylogeny, ontogeny, mechanism, and function – I critically evaluate this claim, focusing on infants’ sensitivity to saliva-sharing cues. I argue that integrating evolutionary, developmental, neural, and adaptive perspectives, particularly those linked to cooperative breeding, provides a fuller account of relational reasoning’s origins.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e33
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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