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The evolution of cognitive control.

Dietrich Stout1

  • 1Department of Anthropology, Emory University.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cognitive science explores cognitive control mechanisms, suggesting evolution and comparative evidence reveal distinct internal self-regulation and external action control. Human evolution shows complex hierarchical action control emerged over time.

Keywords:
AcheuleanBrain evolutionExecutive functionOldowanPaleolithic archelogyPrefrontal cortexSocial brain

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Neuroscience
  • Evolutionary Psychology

Background:

  • Identifying natural categories of cognitive function is a key challenge in cognitive science.
  • The unity versus diversity of cognitive control mechanisms is of particular interest.
  • Evolutionary history offers an underutilized resource for understanding cognitive control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the biological basis for the fractionation of cognitive control using evolutionary, neuropsychological, and neuroscientific evidence.
  • To investigate the dissociable mechanisms of cognitive control in primate evolution.
  • To examine the emergence of distinctively human cognitive control functions through the archeological record.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of primate brain evolution.
  • Review of neuropsychological and neuroscientific evidence.
  • Examination of the archeological record for evidence of cognitive control elaboration.

Main Results:

  • Primate brain evolution shows separable mechanisms for external action control and internal self-regulation.
  • Most real-world behaviors integrate both external action control and internal self-regulation.
  • Archeological evidence indicates a gradual emergence of complex hierarchical action control in human evolution.

Conclusions:

  • Evolutionary history provides a biological foundation for fractionating cognitive control mechanisms.
  • Cognitive control is a complex system involving both specialized and integrated functions.
  • Distinctly human cognitive abilities, such as hierarchical action control, evolved over time.