Abstract
We propose a new theory of human cognitive evolution, which we term Complementary Cognition. We build on evidence for individual neurocognitive specialization regarding search abilities in the modern population, and propose that our species cooperatively searches and adapts through a system of group-level cognition. This paper sets out a coherent theory to explain why Complementary Cognition evolved and the conditions responsible for its emergence. Using the framework of search, we show that Complementary Cognition can be contextualized as part of a hierarchy of systems including genetic search and cognitive search. We propose that, just as genetic search drives phenotypic adaptation and evolution, complementary cognitive search is central to understanding how our species adapts and evolves through culture. Complementary Cognition has far-reaching implications since it may help to explain the emergence of behavioural modernity and provides a new explanatory framework for why language and many aspects of cooperation evolved. We believe that Complementary Cognition underpins our species’ success and has important implications for how modern-day systems are designed.
Highlights
In this article we propose a new theory of human cognitive evolution, which we argue lies at the core of explaining the exceptional adaptiveness of our species
A consequence of this adaptation is that our species navigates cognitive search at the group level
Given the meta-adaptive nature of Complementary Cognition, its emergence represents a significant transition in evolvability, enabling substantially greater capability, speed and flexibility to adapt, than search at the level of genetic evolution, individual cognition, or collaboration of neurocognitively non-specialized individuals alone
Summary
In this article we propose a new theory of human cognitive evolution, which we argue lies at the core of explaining the exceptional adaptiveness of our species. These selection pressures induced a division and specialization in human cognitive search in different but complementary cognitive search strategies. This division and specialization created secondary selection pressures, co-evolving with language and other aspects of cooperation, enabling cooperative search and more effective adaptation across multiple domains.
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