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Articles, Chapters, and Other Peer-Reviewed Publications:
The following articles are provided as examples of the work being done in the field of applied evolutionary educational psychology. By no means is this list exhaustive, but rather is a small sample of the depth and breadth of existing research. Importantly, the content reflects a variety of viewpoints and perspectives. AEPS seeks to share a diversity of perspectives and does not endorse any single viewpoint.
2025
Murray, J.L., Gruskin, K., Hall, C., Sykes, I., Woodward, J., McCarthy, M., & Schlomer, G.L. (2025). Stress-Adapted Teachers Pave the Way for Stress-Adapted Students: A Potential Benefit of In-Group Bias in K-12 Educational Contexts. Social Psychology of Education, 29, 199. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-025-10158-x
Gruskin, K., Caserta, A. J., Colodny, J., Dickinson-Frevola, S., Eisenberg, E., Geher, G., Griffin, M., McCarthy, A., Santos, S., Thach, S., & Tamayo, N. (2025). Evolutionary Mismatches Inherent in Elementary Education: Identifying the Implications for Modern Schooling Practices. Encyclopedia, 5(3), 105. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia5030105
Gruskin, K., Griffin, M., Bansal, S., Dickinson-Frevola, S., Dykeman, A., Groce-Volinski, D., Henriquez, K., Kardas, M., McCarthy, A., Shetty, A., Staccio, B., Geher, G., & Eisenberg, E. (2025). Stakeholders’ roles in evolutionizing education: An evolutionary-based toolkit surrounding elementary education. Behavioral Sciences, 15, 92. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15010092
Lillard, A. S., Jiang, R. H., & Tong, X. (2025). Perfect timing: sensitive periods for Montessori education and long-term wellbeing. Frontiers in Developmental Psychology, 3, 1546451. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.721943
2024
Gray, P. (2024). Editorial: What is self-directed education and why is now the time for it to take wings? On the Horizon: The International Journal of Learning Futures, 32, 56–59. https://doi.org/10.1108/oth-10-2024-128
Lespiau, F., & Tricot, A. (2024). Reasoning more efficiently with primary knowledge despite extraneous cognitive load. Evolutionary Psychology, 22(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/14747049241252694
Murray, J., & Schlomer, G. L. (2024). In search of hidden talents: Stress-adapted students, classroom characteristics, and academic achievement. The Journal of the Evolutionary Studies Consortium, 14(Sp. Iss. 1), 28-41. https://doi.org/10.59077/NULJ7668
Xu, K.M., Coertjens, S., Lespiau, F. Ouwehand, K., Korpershoek, H., Paas, F. & Geary, D.C. (2024). An evolutionary approach to motivation and learning: Differentiating biologically primary and secondary knowledge. Educational Psychology Review, 36, 45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09880-3
2023
Alipour, M., Aminifar, E., Geary, D. C., & Ebrahimpour, R. (2023). Framing mathematical content in evolutionarily salient contexts improves students’ learning motivation. Learning and Motivation, 82, 101894. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09880-3
Gray, P. (2023) Self-Directed education—Unschooling and democratic schooling. In Geogre Noblit (Ed.) Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. New York: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.80
Gray, P., Lancy, D. F., & Bjorklund, D. F. (2023). Decline in independent activity as a cause of decline in children’s mental wellbeing: Summary of the evidence. Journal of Pediatrics, 260, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2023.02.004
2022
Bjorklund, D.F. (2022). Children's evolved learning abilities and their implications for education. Continuing Education, 34, 2243-2273. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-022-09688-z
Lespiau, F., & Tricot, A. (2022). Using primary knowledge in unpopular statistics exercises. Educational Psychology Review, 34(4), 2297-2322. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-022-09699-w
Nairne, J.S. (2022). Adaptive education: Learning and remembering with a stone-age brain. Continuing Education, 34, 2275-2295. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-022-09696-z
Sweller, J. (2022). The role of evolutionary psychology in our understanding of human cognition: Consequences for cognitive load theory and instructional procedures. Educational Psychology Review, 34, 2229-2241. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09647-0
Volk, A.A., Dane, A.V., Al-Jbouri, E. (2022). Is adolescent bullying an evolutionary adaptation? A 10-year review. Continuing Education, 34, 2351-2378. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-022-09703-3
2021
Gray, P., Riley, G., & Curry-Knight, K. (2021). Former students’ evaluations of experiences at a democratic school: Roles of the democratic processes, staff, and community of students. Other Education: The Journal of Educational Alternatives, 10, 4–25.
2020
Gray, P. (2020). Risky play: Why children love and need it. In J. Loebach, S. Little, A. Cox, & P. E. Owens (Eds.), Fostering the inclusion of youth in the public realm: Design processes, practices, and policies for the creation of youth-inclusive public outdoor environments (pp. 39–51). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429505614-5
2019
Gray, P. (2019). Evolutionary functions of play: Practice, resilience, innovation, and cooperation. In P. K. Smith & J. Roopnarine (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of play: Developmental and disciplinary perspectives (pp. 84–102). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108131384.006
Lespiau, F., & Tricot, A. (2019). Using primary knowledge: An efficient way to motivate students and promote the learning of formal reasoning. Educational Psychology Review, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09482-4
2018
Gruskin, K., & Geher, G. (2018). The evolved classroom: Using evolutionary theory to inform elementary pedagogy. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, 12(4), 336–347. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000111
2017
Gray, P. (2017). What exactly is play and why is it such a powerful vehicle for learning? Topics in Language Disorders, 37, 217–228. https://doi.org/10.1097/tld.0000000000000130
2016
Gray, P. (2016). Children’s natural ways of learning still work—even for the three Rs. In D. C. Geary & D. B. Berch (Eds.), Evolutionary perspectives on child development and education (pp. 63–93). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29986-0_3
Gray, P. (2016). Mother Nature’s pedagogy: How children educate themselves. In H. Lees & N. Noddings (Eds.), Palgrave international handbook of alternative education (pp. 49–62). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-41291-1_4
2015 and beyond
Gray, P. (2015). Rousseau’s errors: They persist today in educational theory. Issues in Early Education, 3, 23–28. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0008.9212
Gray, P., & Riley, G. (2015). Grown unschoolers’ evaluations of their unschooling experiences: Report I on a survey of 75 unschooled adults. Other Education, 4, 8–32.
Riley, G., & Gray, P. (2015). Grown unschoolers’ experiences with higher education and employment: Report II on a survey of 75 unschooled adults. Other Education, 4, 33–53.
Gray, P., & Riley, G. (2013). The challenges and benefits of unschooling according to 232 families who have chosen that route. Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning, 7, 1–27.
Ellis, B. J., Del Giudice, M., Dishion, T., Figueredo, A. J., Gray, P., Griskevicius, V., Hawley, P. H., Jacobs, W. J., James, J., Volk, A. A., & Wilson, D. S. (2012). The evolutionary basis of risky adolescent behavior: Implications for science, policy, and practice. Developmental Psychology, 43, 598–623. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026220
Gray, P. (2012). The value of a play-filled childhood in development of the hunter-gatherer individual. In D. Narvaez, J. Panksepp, A. Schore, & T. Gleason (Eds.), Evolution, early experience and human development: From research to practice and policy (pp. 252–370). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199755059.003.0022
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