Rich or lean? A phenomenological alternative for explaining early social cognition
Stefano Vincini, Valentina Fantasia
Rivista Internazionale di Filosofia e Psicologia August 31, 2022 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.4453/rifp.2022.0011 via DOAJ
Summary
The pairing hypothesis, a 4E-Cognition perspective rooted in phenomenology, accounts for data on early socio-cognitive development from cognitivist-nativist research. Close examination of this data expands the range of findings the pairing hypothesis can explain, supporting the idea that engagement between cognitivism and 4E-Cognition can advance cognitive science.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | The pairing hypothesis can account for cognitivist-nativist data on early social cognition, broadening its explanatory scope and suggesting that interaction between cognitivism and 4E-Cognition can progress cognitive science. |
Abstract
In philosophy and cognitive science, the tension between cognitivism and the 4E-Cognition approach is both deep and polarizing. A lack of serious engagement with the theoretical and empirical work generated by the opposing framework seems problematic on both sides. In this paper, we closely discuss data on early socio-cognitive development produced by an influential nativist current of thought in the cognitivist paradigm. We consider these data from the point of view of a 4E-Cognition perspective called “the pairing hypothesis”, which originates in phenomenological philosophy. We show that a close examination of these cognitivist-nativist data strengthens the phenomenological 4E-Cognition perspective by significantly expanding the range of findings it can account for. By addressing the debate between rich and lean explanations in early social cognition, we corroborate the idea that careful interaction between cognitivism and the 4E-Cognition approach can lead to progress in cognitive science.