Early developmental steps entrench long-evolved components in later capacities

Evidence

Some components are generatively entrenched (Wimsatt, 2007), meaning that they have a long evolutionary history, occur early in children’s development, and are crucial because later processes are generated through the earlier ones. For example, infants who are deprived of a social environment through abuse or neglect are at risk for failing to develop abilities that depend on their earlier achievements. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 393

Categorization

Category: Definitional Content

• DEFINE: Defines ‘generative entrenchment’ with a concrete developmental consequence.

Related

• Early deprivation blocks abilities that normally build on earlier developmental achievements. (similarity 0.91)