COMPORTAMENTO PARENTAL E O PAPEL DO PAI NO DESENVOLVIMENTO INFANTIL.

This paper aims to discuss the parental care and the role of the father in child development in early years, from the perspective of evolutionary psychology. The parental care was discussed emphasizing its characteristic of interaction, with respect to biological and cultural aspects. In addition to the role of parents in parental behavior, it was discussed the characteristics of children that influence the parental care. In the last section of the article, the focus was on the role of the father in parental care and its influence on child development. It has been concluded that parental care is specific to the behavior of the mother and father, which can be explained by biological and cultural perspectives. In this way, to understand the parental behavior is necessary to consider both the phylogenetic history of human species and also the socio-historical context where the family is inserted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]