Towards a bottom-up perspective on animal and human cognition
Abstract
Over the last few decades, comparative cognitive research has focused on the pinnacles of mental evolution, asking all-or-nothing questions such as which animals (if any) possess a theory of mind, culture, linguistic abilities, future planning, and so on. Research programs adopting this top-down perspective have often pitted one taxon against another, resulting in sharp dividing lines. Insight into the underlying mechanisms has lagged behind. A dramatic change in focus now seems to be under way, however, with increased appreciation that the basic building blocks of cognition might be shared across a wide range of species. We argue that this bottom-up perspective, which focuses on the constituent capacities underlying larger cognitive phenomena, is more in line with both neuroscience and evolutionary biology.
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During early development, emotional understanding is likely to take the bottom-up route.
“This is why during early development, emotional understanding is likely to take the 'bottom-up' route (de Waal and Ferrari, 2010).”
From Connecting minds and sharing emotions through mimicry: A neurocognitive model of emotional contagion (2017) · cites this paper as de Waal and Ferrari, 2010
The innate tendency to imitate precedes emotional understanding and empathy development in humans.
“This evidence has fostered the theory that the innate tendency to imitate precedes emotional understanding and empathy development in humans (de Waal and Ferrari, 2010;Meltzoff and Decety, 2003a).”
From Connecting minds and sharing emotions through mimicry: A neurocognitive model of emotional contagion (2017) · cites this paper as de Waal and Ferrari, 2010
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Self-citationThe human brain in numbers: a linearly scaled-up primate brain
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- Authors
- de Waal, F. B. M., & Ferrari, P. F.
- Affiliations
- University of Parma (IT)
- Venue
- Trends in Cognitive Sciences
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2010-05
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 201-207
- ISSN
- 1364-6613 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2121287440
- Cited by
- 370
- References
- 14
- Citations by year
- 2026: 26 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 59 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 37 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 28 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 27
- FWCI
- 2.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Trends in Cognitive Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
- Social Sciences › Cultural Studies › Language and cultural evolution
- Keywords
- bottom-up approach, comparative cognition, animal cognition, human cognition, cognitive evolution, theory of mind, culture, language, future planning, evolutionary neuroscience, evolutionary biology
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Brain, Cognition, Humans
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