Gradual and radical evolution of human cognitive capacity through interaction with environment: Phase transition of brain mechanisms by the establishment of stimulus equivalence
-
- Iriki Atsushi
- RIKEN
-
- Yamazaki Yumiko
- RIKEN
Bibliographic Information
- Other Title
-
- 環境改変との相互作用による人類の認知能力の漸次的・急進的進化
- ―刺激等価性の確立による脳神経機序の相転移―
Abstract
<p>After a specific point in history, hominin evolution accelerated to a level that could not be accounted for by natural selection alone. However, an alternative mechanism has been proposed that is based on a mutual interaction between neural, cognitive, and ecological niches in a positive feedback loop (i.e., Triadic Niche Construction [TNC]). Nevertheless, the trigger events for the cognitive revolution of Homo sapiens and the reasons this event is limited to a single species remain unknown. This paper proposes a shift in the mechanisms underlying TNC from TNC-1 in primates/hominids to TNC-2 in Homo sapiens to answer these questions. As the primate and hominin brains expanded during TNC-1, latent cognitive capabilities were incubated within its domain-specific cognitive neural framework, which advanced to be expressed in a domain-general manner with a simple rewiring among brain areas in TNC-2. This process was quick and inexpensive but one that required a unique set of preconditions to commence. This process was bootstrapped by using the function of stimulus equivalence, which enabled humans to recognize the “self” in a particular time and space in the world, thereby allowing the manipulation of this world in a positive feedback loop.</p>
Journal
-
- JAPANESE PSYCHOLOGICAL REVIEW
-
JAPANESE PSYCHOLOGICAL REVIEW 65 (2), 104-113, 2022
JAPANESE PSYCHOLOGICAL REVIEW
- Tweet
Keywords
Details 詳細情報について
-
- CRID
- 1390861538040634880
-
- ISSN
- 24334650
- 03861058
-
- Text Lang
- ja
-
- Data Source
-
- JaLC
-
- Abstract License Flag
- Disallowed