Folk Knowledge and Academic Learning

Synonyms

Evolved modules; Primary abilities; Skeletal knowledge

Definition

Folk abilities are universal forms of cognitive competence and thinking biases. They have an inherent basis but their mature expression is dependent on evolutionarily appropriate developmental experiences. These experiences result from infants’ and children’s attentional, social, and motivational biases that help them to create social relationships, explore their environment, and learn the nuances of the social groups and ecologies in which they are living. Academic competences, in contrast, are largely found in cultures with formal schooling and modern or developing economies. Academic competencies are built from folk systems with educational instruction and are important for children’s later entry into modern economies (Geary 2005, 2007).

Theoretical Background

As shown in Fig. 1, folk domains can be organized around the areas of folk psychology, folk biology, and folk physics (Gelman 1990, 2003; Wellman and...