"Platek, Keenan, and Shackelford are leaders of the new generation of social and evolutionary neuroscientists. They have assembled a valuable collection of papers which integrate this blossoming field. Their book should be on the desk of any serious student of cognition and the brain who wants a thorough review of the empirical literature seen through a Darwinian lens."
-- Simon Baron-Cohen, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology, University of Cambridge

Since Darwin we have known that evolution has shaped all organisms and that biological organs-including the brain and the highly crafted animal nervous system-are subject to the pressures of natural and sexual selection. It is only relatively recently, however, that the cognitive neurosciences have begun to apply evolutionary theory and methods to the study of brain and behavior. This landmark reference documents and defines the emerging field of evolutionary cognitive neuroscience. Chapters by leading researchers demonstrate the power of the evolutionary perspective to yield new data, theory, and insights on the evolution and functional modularity of the brain.