ArticleTopics in cognitive science2022
The Tools of Enculturation.
Article in Topics in cognitive science, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Where Mathematical Symbols Come From.Topics in cognitive science · 2026Article
- "Scientific or democratic?" Bridging the implementation gap of citizen science through the study of social-symbolic objects.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- "But my horse is well cared for": A qualitative exploration of cognitive dissonance and enculturation in equestrian attitudes toward performance horses and their welfare.Animal welfare (South Mimms, England) · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
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Abstract
We propose an account of cognitive tools that takes into account the process of enculturation by which tools are integrated into our cognitive systems. Drawing on work in cultural evolution and developmental psychology, we argue that cognitive tools are complex entities consisting of physical objects, representational systems, and cognitive practices for the physical manipulation of the tool. We use an extensive case study of spatial navigation to demonstrate the core claims. The account we provide is contrasted with conceptions of cognitive tools that simplify cognition, in particular that they offload cognitive work, or that the tools themselves are temporary developmental scaffolds or props. Enculturation results in transformed cognitive systems, and we can now think and act in new ways with cognitive tools.
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