{"id":6,"url":"https://pm.philipcastiglione.com/papers/6.json","title":"Why Brains Are Not Computers, Why Behaviorism Is Not Satanism, and Why Dolphins Are Not Aquatic Apes","read":false,"authors":"Louise Barrett","year":2015,"auto_summary":"The paper \"Why Brains Are Not Computers, Why Behaviorism Is Not Satanism, and Why Dolphins Are Not Aquatic Apes\" by Louise Barrett critiques the dominant cognitive psychology perspective that likens the brain to a computer, processing sensory inputs to produce motor outputs. This view, Barrett argues, disconnects the brain from the body and environment, leading to a misunderstanding of both human and nonhuman cognition. She advocates for a more embodied, enactive approach to understanding cognition, which recognizes the interconnectedness of brain, body, and environment.\n\nBarrett critiques the anthropocentric bias in comparative psychology, which often attributes human-like cognitive abilities to other species, thereby neglecting the unique ways different species interact with their environments. She points out that this bias is reinforced by cognitive psychology's reliance on computational-representational theories of mind, which assume that cognitive processes are brain-bound and species-neutral.\n\nThe paper highlights the limitations of anthropomorphism in scientific research, arguing that it can both obscure the unique cognitive abilities of nonhuman species and lead to an overestimation of human cognitive capacities. Barrett suggests that a 4E cognition approach—embodied, embedded, enactive, and extended—offers a more accurate framework for understanding cognition across species. This perspective views cognition as emerging from the dynamic interactions between an organism's brain, body, and environment, rather than being confined to internal brain processes.\n\nBarrett provides examples of how nonhuman species, such as Portia spiders and New Caledonian crows, solve problems in ways that do not rely on human-like cognitive processes. She emphasizes the importance of considering an organism's embodiment and ecological niche in understanding its cognitive abilities. The paper also discusses how humans extend their cognitive capacities through the use of environmental resources and technologies, suggesting that much of what is considered uniquely human cognition is actually distributed across brain, body, and environment.\n\nIn conclusion, Barrett argues that adopting a 4E perspective can lead to a less anthropocentric understanding of both human and nonhuman cognition, highlighting the diversity and uniqueness of cognitive processes across species. This approach challenges the traditional view of cognition as a purely brain-based phenomenon and underscores the importance of considering the broader system in which cognitive processes occur.","notes":{"id":5,"name":"notes","body":null,"record_type":"Paper","record_id":6,"created_at":"2024-12-10T03:51:30.851Z","updated_at":"2024-12-10T03:51:30.851Z"},"created_at":"2024-12-10T03:51:22.790Z","updated_at":"2024-12-10T03:51:38.211Z"}