Evolutionary Perspectives on Prospective Cognition

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Authors
Thom, James M.
Clayton, Nicola S.
Publication Date
2016
Journal Title
Seeing the future: Theoretical perspectives on future-oriented mental time travel
ISBN
9780190241537
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Section
(VI) Chapter 14
Language
English
Type
Book or Book Chapter
This Version
AM
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Citation
Thom, J. M., & Clayton, N. S. (2016). Evolutionary Perspectives on Prospective Cognition. Oxford University Press, Seeing the future: Theoretical perspectives on future-oriented mental time travel. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190241537.003.0014
Description
This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Oxford University Press via https://doi.org/ 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190241537.003.0014
Abstract
Niko Tinbergen (1963) described four complementary questions to be asked of any animal’s behaviour in order to understand it. Two of the questions seek proximate explanations for behaviour: What are the material causes of behaviour? And how does the behaviour develop within the lifetime of an individual? These are questions of mechanism and ontogeny, and they are the primary focus of many psychologists and neuroscientists. While other chapters in this volume will explore at length the proximate causes of prospective cognition , we will direct our attention to the other two questions, which concern the ultimate, evolutionary causes of prospection: function and phylogeny.
Keywords
cognition, evolution, mental time travel, corvids, primates
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190241537.003.0014
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/253200