"Many of the conceptual confusions fundamental to modern cognitivist theory had already been identified and widely recognised before the 'cognitive revolution' of the 1960s. Yet, whenever such confusions were pointed out, they are either fleetingly acknowledged, only to be quickly forgotten, or, more usually, emphatically denied. And, as I have found out to my own… Continue reading Misrepresenting Representation
Tag: pointing
Brain Size and Social Intelligence
There is a double-standard in psychology that claims that humans have unique socio-cognitive skills, and a prominent explanation for this is the Social Intelligence or Social Brain Hypothesis: that human brains are outsized due to the enormous complexity of our social relations. I have noted in previous posts that the skills psychologists assume are human-specific… Continue reading Brain Size and Social Intelligence
Beyond Cognitive Hypocrisy
One thing that make's Frans de Waal's Chimpanzee Politics such an absorbing read, even today, is that it is unafraid to explicitly described chimpanzee behaviour in terms humans would recognise. There's times when this approach less useful than others (comparing Richard Nixon and a chimpanzee's behaviour strictly in terms of their reaction to losing power… Continue reading Beyond Cognitive Hypocrisy
Reheated Chomsky
Chomsky's theory of Universal Grammar has faced near-constant criticism since the 1950s, and recent criticism has been very strong indeed, but Chomksy-ist theory (if not Universal Grammar exactly) remains the primary force in modern psychology and lingustics. How is this? Chomsky originally proposed that there are underlying principles of grammar consistent across all languages, and… Continue reading Reheated Chomsky
Society In Mind 