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Automated Microbial Cultivation and Adaptive Evolution using Microbial Microdroplet Culture System MMC

Automated Microbial Cultivation and Adaptive Evolution using Microbial Microdroplet Culture System MMC

Published on: February 18, 2022

Two cognitive transitions underlying the capacity for cultural evolution.

Liane Gabora¹, Cameron Smith²

¹Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Fipke Centre for Innovative Research, 3247 University Way, Kelowna, BC Canada, V1V 1V7, liane.gabora@ubc.ca.

Journal of Anthropological Sciences = Rivista Di Antropologia : JASS

|December 20, 2018

Summary

Human cultural evolution arose from two cognitive shifts: detailed memory enabling self-triggered recall (STR) and contextual focus (CF) for creative thought. STR and CF together drove cumulative cultural evolution.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Science
Evolutionary Anthropology
Computational Neuroscience

Background:

Human cumulative culture is uniquely adaptive and open-ended.
Previous theories lack a clear cognitive mechanism for cultural evolution's origins.

Observation:

Two distinct cognitive transitions likely underpin human cultural evolution.
The first transition involved enhanced associative memory, leading to self-triggered recall (STR).
The second transition involved contextual focus (CF), enabling cognitive flexibility.

Findings:

STR facilitated representational redescription and a stream of thought, enabling early Homo-specific culture.
CF allowed shifts between convergent and divergent thinking, crucial for cognitive modernity and behavioral innovation.
Computational models show STR and CF significantly increase cultural fitness and diversity, with CF dependent on STR.

Implications:

This two-stage model provides a neuro-cognitive framework for understanding human uniqueness.
The findings offer insights into the evolution of creativity, problem-solving, and complex cognition.
The study highlights the interplay between memory, attention, and cultural transmission in human evolution.