Elsevier

Evolution and Human Behavior

Volume 38, Issue 5, September 2017, Pages 674-684
Evolution and Human Behavior

Review Article
Parent-offspring conflict and the evolution of infant-directed song

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2016.12.005Get rights and content
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Abstract

We present a theory of the origin and evolution of infant-directed song, a form of music found in many cultures. After examining the ancestral ecology of parent-infant relations, we propose that infant-directed song arose in an evolutionary arms race between parents and infants, stemming from the dynamics of parent-offspring conflict. We describe testable predictions that follow from this theory, consider some existing evidence for them, and entertain the possibility that infant-directed song could form the basis for the development of other, more complex forms of music.

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