Abstract: Humans have been argued to possess socio-cognitive skills not possessed by other species. These include imitative abilities, the capacity for joint action, joint attention, theory of mind and normative cognition. While some have emphasised the role of alloparenting in the evolution of uniquely human forms of social cognition, others have argued that these abilities arose under selection for collaborative hunting. I argue that we should not think of these as alternative explanations of the same socio-cognitive developmental trajectory, but rather as complementary explanations of different socio-cognitive phenomena, which interact in important ways. In this talk, I will spell out which socio-cognitive phenomena I believe are attributable to hunting, which to alloparenting, and how these coevolve.
Activities > Extra talks > The origins of human social cognition
