ABSTRACT

Cognitive Evolution provides an in-depth exploration of the history and development of cognition, from the beginning of life on Earth to present-day humans. Drawing together evolutionary and comparative research, this book presents a unique perspective on the evolution of human cognition. Adopting an information processing perspective – that is, from inputs to outputs, with all the mental processes in between, Boles provides a systematic overview of the evolutionary development of cognition and of its sensation, movement, and perception components.

The book is supported by long-established evolutionary theories and backed up by a wealth of recent research from the growing field of cognitive evolution and cognitive neuroscience to provide a comprehensive text on the subject. Cognitive Evolution is an essential read for advanced undergraduates and postgraduate students of cognitive and evolutionary psychology.

chapter |3 pages

Introduction

section Section I|84 pages

Introduction to evolution

chapter 1|12 pages

Life begins

chapter 2|10 pages

Life gets complicated

chapter 3|12 pages

Vertebrates to early mammals

chapter 4|21 pages

Later mammals through primates

chapter 5|27 pages

Humans

section Section II|60 pages

Sensation and movement

chapter 6|17 pages

The mechanical and chemical senses

chapter 7|16 pages

Vision

chapter 8|12 pages

The origins of motion

chapter 9|13 pages

Bipedalism

section Section III|135 pages

Perception and cognition

chapter 10|17 pages

Praxis and handedness

chapter 11|22 pages

Tools and planning

chapter 12|19 pages

Spatial perception

chapter 13|14 pages

Pattern recognition

chapter 14|16 pages

Memory

chapter 15|21 pages

Language

chapter 16|15 pages

Consciousness

chapter 17|9 pages

A summary in nine firsts