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Trial and error in the evolution of cognition
1Institute of Animal Behavior, Rutgers University, Newark NJ 07102, USA.
Behavioural Processes
|June 5, 2014
Summary
Evolutionary epistemology explores how trial-and-error learning shaped animal cognition. Contrasting scientific views, like observation versus conjecture and refutation, mirror these evolutionary processes.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary epistemology
- Animal learning theory
- Philosophy of science
Background:
- Contrasting views of science: presuppositionless observation vs. conjecture and refutation.
- Evolutionary influences on animal behavior and cognitive capacities.
- Trial-and-error processes in biological and scientific development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To illustrate how contrasting scientific conceptions align with evolutionary theories of animal cognition.
- To compare Campbell's and Wächtershäuser's views on the evolution of visual perception.
- To contrast passive Darwinian evolution with active evolutionary roles of animals.
Main Methods:
- Sampling evolutionary epistemology and animal learning research.
- Contrasting Campbell's and Wächtershäuser's hypotheses on visual perception evolution.
- Comparing Darwinian views with Popper, Waddington, and Gottlieb's theories on animal agency.
Main Results:
- Visual perception's evolution linked to locomotion (Campbell) or photosynthesis (Wächtershäuser).
- Animals can actively drive evolutionary novelty, challenging passive Darwinian models.
- Associative learning involves active processing but is constrained by historical factors like modularity.
Conclusions:
- Scientific observation may not be theory-neutral, as even basic descriptions involve theoretical assumptions.
- Animal cognitive evolution and scientific development share trial-and-error mechanisms.
- Behavioral novelty and active processing play crucial roles in both evolution and learning.
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