Survival of species
Hrdy, S. B. (2009). Mothers and others: The evolutionary origins of mutual understanding . Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-03299-6
Small, M. F. (1998). Our babies, ourselves: How biology and culture shape the way we parent . Anchor Books/Random House. ISBN: 0385483627\
Question
Survival of a species is important. Human primates have the longest period of childhood dependency of any species. How do Hrdy and Small describe the biological needs of human youngsters? Both authors focus on the relationship between mother and infant. Compare and contrast how each of them portrays what in human families makes nurturing human infants successful and what makes it less successful. How does their portraits of family relationships compare to the findings of attachment research? What is the relationship between human fathers and their children according to Hrdy and Small? What are the strengths and/or limitations of their treatment of the roles of human fathers? According to Hrdy, Small and you, what are the contributions of other family members and those outside the family to the survival and development of human children? What have you learned about raising babies from these authors, and where do you think their work is biased and/or incomplete?