Natural pedagogy
Abstract
We propose that human communication is specifically adapted to allow the transmission of generic knowledge between individuals. Such a communication system, which we call 'natural pedagogy', enables fast and efficient social learning of cognitively opaque cultural knowledge that would be hard to acquire relying on purely observational learning mechanisms alone. We argue that human infants are prepared to be at the receptive side of natural pedagogy (i) by being sensitive to ostensive signals that indicate that they are being addressed by communication, (ii) by developing referential expectations in ostensive contexts and (iii) by being biased to interpret ostensive-referential communication as conveying information that is kind-relevant and generalizable.
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The communication of generic information may be too important to be anything other than biologically primary.
“The communication of generic information may be too important to be anything other than biologically primary.”
From An Evolutionary Upgrade of Cognitive Load Theory: Using the Human Motor System and Collaboration to Support the Learning of Complex Cognitive Tasks (2012) · cites this paper as Csibra and Gergely (2009)
Demonstrating physical manipulation to reach a goal (natural pedagogy) is a biologically primary skill that does not need to be part of a formal curriculum because we engage in it automatically.
“The act of demonstrating physical manipulation is a complex act but we do not need to make it part of any formal curriculum because we engage in that natural pedagogy automatically.”
From An Evolutionary Upgrade of Cognitive Load Theory: Using the Human Motor System and Collaboration to Support the Learning of Complex Cognitive Tasks (2012) · cites this paper as Csibra and Gergely (2009)
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- Authors
- Csibra, G., & Gergely, G.
- Affiliations
- Central European University (AT)
- Corresponding author
- Csibra, Gergely
- Venue
- Trends in Cognitive Sciences
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2009-04
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 148-153
- ISSN
- 1364-6613 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4234313254
- Cited by
- 1,648
- References
- 45
- Citations by year
- 2026: 89 · 2025: 88 · 2024: 161 · 2023: 104 · 2022: 139 · 2021: 119 · 2020: 101 · 2019: 136 · 2018: 132 · 2017: 102 · 2016: 83 · 2015: 99 · 2014: 76 · 2013: 73 · 2012: 60
- FWCI
- 10.50
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Trends in Cognitive Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
- Social Sciences › Cultural Studies › Language and cultural evolution
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Language Development and Disorders
- Keywords
- natural pedagogy, social learning, cultural knowledge transmission, ostensive communication, referential communication, infant communication, generalization, observational learning
- MeSH terms
- Child Development, Communication, Concept Formation, Humans, Infant, Learning, Social Behavior, Social Perception, Teaching
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