Although building blocks of cognition are commonly viewed in light of evolution (e.g., core systems), processes of developmental change rarely are. Developmental processes, however, can also be analyzed in light of their evolved features, because natural selection shapes developmental mechanisms that “construct” adaptive phenotypes—based on the physical and social environment. In order to study how natural selection shapes ontogenetic change, biologists have used a modeling approach called dynamic optimization. In this talk, I will show how this approach can be applied to the study of cognitive development. In doing so, I will discuss several examples, including the study of developmental plasticity, life history development, and learning and decision problems involving continuous updating based on feedback—such as determining whether another agent is responding contingently to one’s own actions.