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Aug 2011
50m 29s

Why the Hominin Cognitive Niche Was and ...

OXFORD UNIVERSITY
About this episode
Tooby and deVore argued that hominin evolution hinged on the exploitation of a unique 'cognitive niche'. We propose that a diversity of evidence indicates this was fundamentally a socio-cognitive niche. Analysis of hunter-gatherer ethnologies confirms unprecedented levels of egalitarian behaviour, cooperation and culture, in comparison to other primates and ... Show More
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Aug 2011
The Social Brain on the Internet
In primates and humans alike, the number of social relationships an individual can have is constrained in part by its social cognitive competences and in part by the time available to invest in face-to-face interaction. I will show that time, in particular, has a significant effe ... Show More
43m 44s
Aug 2011
Metacognition and the Social Mind: How Individuals Interact at the Neural Level
I will review recent research in neuroimaging and computation neuroscience, and present a new paradigm for studying decision making in pairs. Results from this paradigm demonstrate that discussion between the partners is necessary and sufficient for creating an advantage for the ... Show More
38m 25s
Aug 2011
Experiencing Language
The evolutionary relationship between human linguistic capacity and humans' emotional make-up has not, as yet, received focused attention. Was the evolution of language in our lineage possible because early hominines were emotionally different from their ancestors, and, if so, in ... Show More
43m 42s
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