Routines and instincts are similar in terms of function and structure: 1) With respect to function, they economize on scarce decision-making resources, such as cognitive faculties, by making actions, within limits, inflexible vis-à-vis fluctuating environmental stimuli. As inflexible patterns, they are units that can be transferred via inheritance or social learning. 2) With respect to structur...

Frequently, human psychology opposes evolution and learning on the basis of their supposed differences in flexibility. Humans are thought to be more flexibly intelligent than other animals, because they lost most of their instincts. But, as William James proposed, we think that it might turn out that just the contrary is true. Human may have more instincts, more powerful instincts to learn for ...

Last changes: 11/15/10 Word Count: 6776 (main text); 9803 (total w/ footnotes)