JTW's Evolutionary Origins - Authors: Laughlin Jr., Charles D.; Mc Manus, John; D'Aquili, Eugene G.HOME The Problem of Cooridinating Cognitive Function in Social Groups"The task of social adaption is to cooridinate the physiological systems of the members to enable an adaptive, collective response to the environment that is too complex, intense, or effective for the individual to achieve."(Lauglin, McManus, & D'Aquili, 1990, pp.68) "... the problem of cooridinating cognitive functions of conspecifics reaches a critical stage among human groups. The human brain is capable of modeling an environment sufficiently complex and remote from the immediate stimulus field that the "cognized" world of individuals in a group can potentially become maladaptively discrepant. If this discrepancy becomes too great, the processes of cognition may become antithetical to adaptive social action. In tacit recognitionof the potentially atomizing effects of discrepant cognition, human societies everywhere expend a great deal of effort controlling the development of the "cognized" reality of their members. The role of ritual in enculturation is often directed to that end." (Laughlin, McManus, & D'Aquili, 1990, pp.69)
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