We can work it out: an enactive look at cooperation

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Developmental Psychology
• Philosophy of Mind

Background:

• Traditional views define cooperation by shared goals and intention-reading.
• This raises questions about cooperation in individuals lacking advanced mentalizing abilities, such as preverbal children or those with autism.
• Existing models may overlook the situated, interactional dynamics of cooperation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To challenge traditional cognitive accounts of cooperation.
• To propose an embodied and enactive perspective on cooperation.
• To reframe cooperation as a property of interaction processes, not just individual attitudes.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of existing theories on cooperation.
• Development of an enactive framework for understanding joint action.
• Focus on interactional dynamics over individual mental states.

Main Results:

• Cooperation is argued to be an intrinsic aspect of interaction, preceding complex communication.
• The focus shifts from intention-reading to the requirements for participating in joint action.
• This perspective accommodates cooperation in diverse developmental contexts.

Conclusions:

• An embodied, enactive approach offers a more comprehensive understanding of cooperation.
• This framework can enhance insights into human social development and atypical social engagement, such as in autism.
• Understanding the basic mechanisms of joint action is key to building more complex cooperative behaviors.