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Reconstructing the evolution of mind

D J Povinelli¹

¹Laboratory of Comparative Behavioral Biology, University of Southwestern Louisiana, New Iberia 70560.

The American Psychologist

|May 1, 1993

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Psychological evolution may not be a gradual chain, but a recent leap in primate mental state attribution. Research on chimpanzees, monkeys, and children supports this new model of cognitive evolution.

Area of Science:

Comparative Psychology
Evolutionary Psychology
Developmental Psychology

Background:

The traditional view posits intellectual continuity, suggesting gradual psychological evolution across species since Darwin.
An alternative model proposes a recent, profound evolution in primate mental state attribution.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore experimental evidence supporting a recent evolutionary development of mental state attribution in primates.
To outline a research agenda for reconstructing the evolution of metacognition.

Main Methods:

Review of recent experimental research involving chimpanzees, rhesus monkeys, and human children.
Integration of findings from developmental, comparative, and social psychology.
Consideration of evolutionary and developmental biology principles.

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Main Results:

Experimental data from chimpanzees, rhesus monkeys, and children align with the model of a recent evolutionary emergence of mental state attribution.
Findings challenge the notion of a purely gradual, unbroken chain of psychological capacities across species.

Conclusions:

The evolution of metacognition, particularly mental state attribution, may represent a significant recent development in primate psychology.
Further research is needed to reconstruct the evolutionary trajectory of metacognition.