The re-tooled mind: how culture re-engineers cognition
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA. mlwilson@ucsc.edu
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
|January 14, 2010
Summary
Culture profoundly shapes not just what we think, but how we think, by inventing cognitive tools. These culturally transmitted tools become ingrained, re-engineering our cognitive architecture and neural systems.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Neuroscience
- Cultural Psychology
Background:
- Cognitive science aims to uncover universal principles of human cognition.
- Cultural variability complicates this goal, often focusing on cognitive content rather than mechanisms.
- The role of culture in shaping cognitive processes ('how' cognition works) is underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To argue that culture significantly influences the mechanisms of cognition.
- To propose that cognitive tools are invented and culturally transmitted, fundamentally altering cognitive architecture.
- To present evidence for the ubiquitous and transformative nature of cognitive tools.
Main Methods:
- Synthesizing findings from disparate research literatures.
- Analyzing the concept of cognitive tools as culturally transmitted inventions.
- Examining the impact of these tools on cognitive architecture and neural organization.
Main Results:
- Cognitive tools are ubiquitous in everyday cognitive activities.
- These tools lead to significant reorganization of neural systems.
- Cognitive tools are rooted in embodied representations and enabled by voluntary motor control.
- Cultural experience re-tools the developing mind into diverse cognitive phenotypes.
Conclusions:
- Culture profoundly impacts the 'how' of cognition through the development and integration of cognitive tools.
- Cognitive tools represent a fundamental re-engineering of human cognitive architecture.
- Understanding cognitive tools is crucial for advancing the agenda of cognitive science and understanding human diversity.
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