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Goals reconfigure cognition by modulating predictive processes in the brain.

Giovanni Pezzulo1

  • 1Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione, CNR, 00185 Roma, Italy. giovanni.pezzulo@istc.cnr.it http://www.istc.cnr.it/people/giovanni-pezzulo.

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Goals are central to cognition, but simpler organisms also achieve goals in their environment. This work proposes a mechanistic view linking goal achievement to computational neuroscience principles.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Computational Neuroscience
  • Evolutionary Psychology

Background:

  • Huang & Bargh's theory posits goals as central to cognition.
  • Existing theories may overlook goal-directed behavior in simpler organisms.
  • The
  • reconfiguration principle
  • needs a mechanistic explanation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To extend Huang & Bargh's theory by incorporating goal achievement in simpler organisms.
  • To propose a mechanistic account of the
  • reconfiguration principle
  • .

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis integrating evolutionary and computational perspectives.
  • Review of existing literature on goal-directed behavior and computational neuroscience.
  • Theoretical modeling of goal achievement mechanisms.

Main Results:

  • Organisms with simpler brains exhibit innate goal-achievement capabilities in situated interactions.
  • A mechanistic framework for the
  • reconfiguration principle
  • is proposed.
  • This framework bridges H&B's theory with computational neuroscience.

Conclusions:

  • Goal-directed cognition is not exclusive to complex brains.
  • The proposed mechanistic view offers a novel perspective on cognitive architecture.
  • Integrating situated interaction and computational principles enhances understanding of goal pursuit.