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Cooperation and human cognition: the Vygotskian intelligence hypothesis
Henrike Moll1, Michael Tomasello
1Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany. moll@eva.mpg.de
Summary
Human cognitive evolution was driven by social competition, while unique human intelligence stems from social cooperation and cultural interactions. This study supports the Vygotskian intelligence hypothesis by comparing ape and child social-cognitive skills.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Psychology
- Comparative Cognition
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Nicholas Humphrey's social intelligence hypothesis posits social competition as the primary driver of primate cognitive evolution.
- Lev Vygotsky highlighted the social and cultural aspects of human intelligence, emphasizing collaboration, communication, and teaching.
- A proposed extension suggests primate cognition evolved via social competition, while unique human cognition developed through social cooperation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide evidence for the Vygotskian intelligence hypothesis.
- To compare the social-cognitive skills of great apes and young human children in cooperative and communicative contexts.
- To explore the role of cooperative cultural interactions in developing uniquely human cognitive abilities.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of social-cognitive skills between great apes and human children.
- Assessment across various activities requiring cooperation and communication.
- Focus on developmental aspects of cognitive representation in social contexts.
Main Results:
- Evidence supports the Vygotskian intelligence hypothesis, differentiating primate and human cognitive drivers.
- Human children demonstrate advanced social-cognitive skills in cooperative settings compared to great apes.
- Cooperative cultural interactions appear crucial for developing sophisticated cognitive representations.
Conclusions:
- Social competition drove general primate cognitive evolution, while social cooperation uniquely shaped human cognition.
- Participation in cooperative, cultural interactions during development fosters powerful perspectival cognitive representations in children.
- This research underscores the significance of social cooperation in the evolution of human intelligence.
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