Commentary

Supporting the weight of the elephant in the room: Technical intelligence propped up by social cognition and language

Publisher DOI

Details

Citation

Thornton A, Happé F & Caldwell CA (2020) Supporting the weight of the elephant in the room: Technical intelligence propped up by social cognition and language. Commentary on: Osiurak, F., & Reynaud, E. (2020). The elephant in the room: What matters cognitively in cumulative technological culture. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 43, E156. doi:10.1017/S0140525X19003236. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 43, Art. No.: e179. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x20000114

Abstract
We consider the evolutionary plausibility of Osiurak and Reynaud's (O&R) arguments. We argue that technical reasoning is not quite the magic bullet that O&R assume, and instead propose a co-evolutionary account of the interplay between technical reasoning and social learning, with language emerging as a vital issue neglected in O&R's account.

Keywords
Physiology; Behavioral Neuroscience; Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology

Journal
Behavioral and Brain Sciences: Volume 43

Status	Published
Publication date	31/12/2020
Publication date online	10/08/2020
Date accepted by journal	10/08/2020
Publisher	Cambridge University Press (CUP)
ISSN	0140-525X
eISSN	1469-1825
Item discussed	Osiurak, F., & Reynaud, E. (2020). The elephant in the room: What matters cognitively in cumulative technological culture. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 43, E156. doi:10.1017/S0140525X19003236