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Other cases that appear likely to support distributed cognition include the complex coordination of group movement found in fish schools and bird flocks. The wide range of complex, highly coordinated, and sophisticated social behavior makes them an excellent place to explore the possibility that cognitive processes are distributed over individual animals in a manner that meaningfully shifts the unit of information storage and processing from the individual animal to the group. Distributed Cognition: The Scope of Comparative ExamplesĬheng suggests eusocial insects as a good starting point for consideration of (socially) distributed cognition. Following Cheng’s lead of offering a “ showcase to start a dialog” ( p. 2) about the directions that situated cognition might take the field of comparative cognition (and be taken by it), I offer some thoughts on several directions that a comparative approach to situated cognition might lead. I agree with Cheng that exploring situated cognition from a comparative perspective is likely to be productive, both for our understanding of animal cognition and for our understanding of situated cognition. He distinguishes “conservative” versions of situated cognition, preserving the essence of cognition in representations and operations on those representations, in contrast to “liberal” versions, which accommodate the extension of cognition beyond the central nervous system by reframing the nature of cognition in one of several ways (see also Wilson, 2002). Cheng provides an excellent review of some cases of nonhuman cognition that can be understood in the framework of situated cognition. Many examples of empirical support for this approach have been explored in the domain of human cognition.

The conceptual foundation of cognition extending beyond the central nervous system has been extensively explored in philosophy of mind and by those in the cognitive sciences with a more philosophical bent. As he points out, this idea comes in a variety of forms that have developed in very different research traditions.

Brown at target article provides a good overview of the various ways in which cognition has been considered to extend beyond the boundaries of the brain. Brown, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Villanova University, Villanova, PA 19085.Ĭorrespondence concerning this article should be addressed to Michael F.

Keywords: situated cognition, distributed cognition, comparative cognition, hybrid intelligence, extended phenotypeĪuthor Note: Michael F. Examination of the evolutionary history and function of situated cognition is identified as a contribution that comparative analysis can provide. The analogy of the extended phenotype is suggested as relevant to comparing conservative and liberal versions of situated cognition. Hybrid machine–animal intelligence is offered as another possible case of situated cognition. Additional phenomena that can be framed in terms of distributed cognition are identified. This commentary endorses Cheng’s message that situated cognition should be considered more broadly in the field of comparative cognition and that our understanding of situated cognition would profit from a comparative perspective.

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