ERC Consolidator Grant · 2020
Engineering Interdependence - A Window into the Evolution of the Human Mind
The human mind is very similar to that of other great apes, yet also strikingly different, and a vast body of research converges on one conclusion: this gap is fundamentally social. Moreover, it emerges early in ontogeny, reflects the distinctly human neurochemical profile, and is characterized by physiological, hormonal, and behavioural synchronicity. But why did this gap evolve in the first place, and why was it us, rather than any of the other great apes, who diverged so dramatically and evolved this unique socio-cognitive niche? Multiple proposals stress interdependence as the key factor during human cognitive evolution, but testing this idea empirically remains a major challenge for…
From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.