Culture and the Extended Phenotype
The Oxford Handbook of 4E Cognition October 9, 2018 DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198735410.013.41 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that extended mind effects are a special case of niche construction and that hominins' reliance on cognitive tools depends on hyper-plasticity, structured learning environments, and family support. The material record suggests these phenomena increased in the later Pleistocene, driving accelerating change from about 250,000 years ago. |
Abstract
Abstract This chapter takes up the links between Dawkins’s concept of the extended phenotype and that of the extended mind. More specifically, it has three aims: (1) it argues that the extended mind effects are a special case of niche construction; (2) it identifies the cognitive foundations that made it possible for hominins to amplify their cognitive powers with material supports; in particular, the chapter suggests that our reliance on cognitive tools depends on a tripod of (a) human hyper-plasticity, (b) highly structured and enriched learning environments, and (c) family support for skill acquisition long into adolescence; and (3) it situates the extended mind and related phenomena in their evolutionary context, in the deep history of human evolution. Specifically, the material record suggests an increasing footprint of these phenomena in the later Pleistocene. Distributed cognition, the material scaffolding of skill acquisition, and improved learning strategies collectively produced accelerating change, beginning about 250,000 years ago.