A Functional Place for Language in Evolution

This chapter first describes behavior as a central driving force in evolution, and then discusses the major influence of the specific kind of behavior called language on human evolution. It introduces the selectionist model application at the behavioral level, and turns to the implications of multidimensional and multilevel approaches to evolution. In the chapter, the ongoing situated act-in-context is taken as the unit of analysis for the selectionist approach of behavior. Contextual behavioral science (CBS) helps to capture the modifications language engenders on human evolution by studying the mechanisms operating at the core of language and symbolic behavior. Based on the comprehension of language and symbolic behavior that relational frame theory brings, contextual behavioral science has a role to play in the study of human evolution and will help predict and influence our future evolution.