Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 June 2015
Parenting, conceptualized as a specific form of teaching, may inform mentalistic, culture-based, and functional definitions. Combined brain-imaging, hormone-measurement, and cognitive-behavioral analyses indicate the importance of mentalization circuits. These circuits appear to function according to culture, and cross animal species. Further, these approaches shed light on sex differences through work on fathers as well as mothers, are affected by psychopathology, and may be amenable to treatment in ways that may be applied to optimize teaching.
Target article
How to learn about teaching: An evolutionary framework for the study of teaching behavior in humans and other animals
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Author response
Much to learn about teaching: Reconciling form, function, phylogeny, and development