Many areas of mainstream psychology have embraced the notions that understanding human behaviour can be improved by integrating developments from evolutionary science; however, evolutionary principles have not been as widely applied among sport researchers or practitioners, especially those examining athlete development and the psychology of competition and performance. In this paper, we discuss the distinction between ultimate and proximate explanations of psychological outcomes, and the relevance of this distinction for exploring issues related to skill acquisition and athlete development. We use three examples—deliberate practice, early sport play and sustained engagement—to highlight the benefits and challenges of applying evolutionary theories to sport contexts. Embracing our species’ evolutionary history has the potential to inform ongoing debates in athlete development and performance, among other areas of sport science.

主流心理学的许多领域都接受了这样一种观念，即可以通过整合进化科学的发展来改善对人类行为的理解;然而，进化原理尚未在体育研究人员或从业者中得到广泛应用，尤其是那些研究运动员发展以及竞争和表现心理学的研究人员或实践者。在本文中，我们讨论了心理结果的最终解释和近似解释之间的区别，以及这种区别与探索与技能获取和运动员发展相关的问题的相关性。我们使用三个例子——刻意练习、早期运动比赛和持续参与——来强调将进化理论应用于运动环境的好处和挑战。拥抱我们物种的进化历史有可能为运动员发展和表现以及运动科学其他领域正在进行的辩论提供信息。