Evolution of parental caregiving

Parental caregiving consists of a set of behaviors that has evolved to a hi gh level among mammals and has been most developed among humans. In this ar ticle, I propose an evolutionary model of 4 changes (3 of them neurobiologi cal) leading to caregiving. Two of the changes, including the emergence of a dyadic preference bond, occurred first among the reptile precursors to ma mmals. The dyadic preference bond is hypothesized to have preceded and faci litated the emergence of mammalian species through the subsequent emergence of mammary glands and live births. Somewhat later, the dyadic preference b ond began to evolve into the complex, multifaceted parental caregiving syst em in humans. The evolutionary model of caregiving suggests a need to expan d attention beyond cognitions, which are of major importance in humans as m echanisms of planning and implementing strategies, to include at least some emotional processes located in older parts of the brain that appear to fol low a different, emotional logic. The model identifies a neurobiological ba sis for the emotional attraction of parent to child and the motivation to n urture. Further research is needed to translate these neurobiological proce sses into psychological models of caregiving.