Place and Environment in the Ongoing Evolution of Cognitive Neuroscience.
Journal of cognitive neuroscience October 1, 2020 Louis N Irwin, Brian A Irwin
Cognitive science is increasingly influenced by embodied, embedded, extended, and enactive perspectives alongside traditional computational assumptions. Neuroscience has advanced understanding of brain function within classical frameworks, but newer alternative perspectives can enrich interpretations of many findings. These frameworks highlight how an animal's cognitive requirements are shaped by its environment, how biology and ecology coevolve to shape cognition, and how cognition extends beyond the brain. The embodied cognition paradigm reveals the central role of 'place' in the cognitive landscape, offering insights for cognitive scientists and philosophers. The concept of place applies to cognitive function, species comparisons, ecologically relevant experimental designs, and approaches to the 'hard problem' of consciousness.