Definitions;fthefterm
Typesfof…;fdomains
Roots;finfluentialfworks
Disciplinaryfinterrelations
Cognitivefsciencefandfphilosophy
Cognitivefsciencefandfpsychology
Cognitivefsciencefandfsocialfscience/s
Cognitivefanthropology
Cognitivefsciencefandflinguistics
Cognitivefsciencefandfthefarts
Overview
1.1. Definitions;fthefTerm
ProbablyfthefearliestfentryfinfanfOEDfdictionaryfoffthefwordf“cognitive”fisffromf1586fandfsho
wsfitftofcoverffactsfandfprocessesf“pertainingftofthefaction…foffknowing;”fitfseemsftofhavefbeenf
usedfinfthefcontextfoffdiscussionsfaboutfPlatofandfhisftheoriesfoffknowledge,fsofthatfthisflatterfc
oncept,fknowledgefisfpresumablyftheffoundationfoffcognitivefscience.fGeorgefLuger,finfhisf199
4fCognitivefScience:fthefSciencefoffIntelligentfSystemsfdefinesfcognitivefsciencefasfthefstudyfoffi
ntelligenceforfoffmind,fwhichfobviouslyfenlargesfthefsphereftofcontainfmorefthanfknowledgefasf
such.fInftheirf1999fPhilosophyfinfthefFlesh,fGeorgefLakofffandfMarkfJohnsonfdefineftheftermf“
cognitive”fasfbeingf“usedfforfanyfkindfoffmentalfoperationforfstructurefthatfcanfbefstudiedfinfp
recisefterms;”fonefcanfnoticefthatfitfrefersfnotfonlyftofprocessesf(operation),fbutfalsoftofthefsour
cef(structure)foffthosefprocesses,fandfmorefsignificantly,fthatfthefstudyfcanfbefexpressedfinf“pr
ecisefterms,”fwhichfwefwillfreturnftofasfitfpointsfdirectlyftofthefnaturefoffscience.
fffffWefmayfcontinuefourfexplorationfbyflookingfatf“precise”fdictionaryfdefinitions.fThus:fRand
omfHouse,f2006—
“thefstudyfoffthefprecisef(n.b.)fnaturefoffdifferentfmentalftasksfandfthefoperationsfoffthefbrainft
hatfenablefthemftofbefperformed,fengagingfbranchesfoffpsychology,fcomputerfscience,fphiloso
phy,fandflinguistics.”fThefinterdisciplinaryfnaturefoffthefconceptfinvolvesfmanyfmorefdomains
fthanfthefonesflistedfinfthefsecondfpartfoffthefdefinition,fwhilef“precise”fcomesfupfagainfand,fmo
reover,f“tasks”fseemsftofbefreferringftofafdirectfrelationshipfwithfthefexternalfworld,falsofinvol
vingfsomefkindfoffdeterminism,fculturalforfsocialf.f(Noticefthatfourfownfusefoffprobabilityforfpr
esumabilityftermsfandfconstructionsfindicatesfaftendencyftofavoidfthefimperativesfoffprecise).f
ThefAmericanfHeritagefDictionaryf(2006)fleavesfoutf“precise”fandfprefersf“processes”:f“Thefs
tudyfoffthefnaturefoffvariousfmentalftasksfandfthefprocessesfthatfenablefthemftofbefperformed”f
(“performance”fmayfandfmayfnotfbefusedfherefasfafcounterpartforfcorollaryfoff“competence”)
.fAfsimplifiedfviewfisfofferedfbyfWorldfNet:f“theffieldfoffsciencefconcernedfwithfcognition;finclu
desfpartsfoffcognitivefpsychologyfandflinguisticsfandfcomputerfsciencefandfcognitivefneuroscie
ncefandfphilosophyfoffmind.”fOnefmayfwonderfhere—andfelsewhere—
iffsciencefisfcognitionforfcognitionfisfscience,fsofthatfwhatfwefreallyfareftalkingfaboutfisfthefcogni
tionfoffcognition,forfmetacognition.
fffffTheftermfasfsuch—cognitivefscience—
seemsftofhavefbeenfcoinedfinf1973fbyfChristopherfLonguet-
, Higgins,fwhilefcommentingfonfafreportfoffthefstatefoffArtificialfIntelligencefatftheftime,fandfsoo
nfafter,fthefCognitivefSciencefSocietyfwasffoundedfandfthefjournalfCognitivefSciencefwasfpubli
shed.fWikipediafmayfnotfbefoftenfrecognizedfforfreliability,fbutfthefdefinitionfitfoffersfseemsftof
befthefmostfsatisfactory:f“Cognitivefsciencefisfthefinterdisciplinaryfstudyfoffthefcognitivefproce
ssesfunderlyingfthefacquisitionfandfusefoffknowledge.fItfdrawsffromfconvergingfevidencefandf
methodologyfinfdiverseffields,fincludingfpsychology,fneuroscience,fphilosophy,fcomputerfscie
nce,fanthropologyfandflinguistics.”fLetfusfnoticefthatfitfrefersftofbothfthefusefandfthefacquisitio
nfoffknowledgefandfthatfthefemphasisfisfonfinterdisciplinary.f
fffffAfCognitivefSciencefProgramfoffthefUniversityfoffDelawareftakesfthefdefinitionfcloserftofitsfo
riginsfinfthefpastffewfdecades:f“Cognitivefsciencefstudiesfthefhumanfmindfviewedfasfafcomputa
tionalfprocess.”fSo,fhavingfinventedfthefcomputerfandfitsfoperationalfprocesses,fthefhumanfmi
ndfhasfcomeftofnoticefitselffatfworkfinfafmachinefrepresentationfoffitself:fthusfthefbrainfcontem
platesfandfstudiesfitselffbyfmeansfoffsuchfanfartificialfreflectionfoffitsfphysiognomy.fArtificialfin
telligencefhasfbroughtftofthefforegroundftheffactfthat,fsoffar,fthefonlyfpossiblefmodelfoffhumanft
hinkingfasfanfinstrumentfoffinformationfprocessingfisfthefmetaphorfoffbrain-as-
computer,fwhichfthefbrainfitselffhasfcomeftofrecognize;fsofinfthisfkindfoffstudy,finsteadfoffseein
gfthefcomputerfasfafbrain-
likefdevicefforfthefprocessfoff(symbolic)finformation,fthefmindfisfregardedfasfsimilarftofanfinfor
mationfprocessor;fandfthus,fthefstimulus-
responsefbehaviorfoffthefhumanfbeingfisfdeterminedfbyfhisfmindfjustfasfthefinput-
outputfbehaviorforfcomputersfisfdeterminedfbyfvariousfprogrammes;fsoftwarefandfhardwaref
representfthefimagefandfprojectionfoffmindfandfbody.fAndfthisfcreatesfthefradicalffunctionalist
fquestionfasftofwhetherfcognitionfisfindependentfoffitsfneuronalfbasis,forftherefisfafsubtlyfintima
tefconnectionfbetweenfcognitionfandfthisfbasis;fneurosciencefisfstillfinfdoubtfregardingfthisfcom
putationalfmetaphor,fbutftheffieldfisfstillfinfitsfearlyfstages,fandfatfthefsameftimefrapidlyfexpand
ing;fand,foffcourse,fthefnumberfoffquestionsfregardingfthefbasicfcomponentsfoffcognitivefproce
sses,forfwhetherftheyfarefsubsumedfbyfafcommonfmentalfmechanism,forfthefrelationshipfbetwe
enfcognitionfandfthefphysicalfapparatusfincreasesfwithfthefgrowingfnumberfoffanswersfpropos
ed.f
fffffConsequently,fforfafmorefcomprehensivefdefinitionfandfdescriptionfoffcognitivefscience,fonef
hasftofreturnftofanfinternetfsourcef(geog.ucsb.edu)fbyfmeansfoffthefLycosfRetriever:f“Cognitiv
efsciencefisfanfinterdisciplinaryffieldfthatfhasfemergedfinfthefpastffewfdecadesfatfthefintersectio
nfoffafnumberfoffexistingfdisciplinesfincludingfpsychology,flinguistics,fcomputerfscience,fphilos
ophy,fandfneuroscience.fIt…/is/…fthefinterdisciplinaryfstudyfoffthinking,fperception,fandfintel
ligentfbehavior,fasfdeterminedfjointlyfbyfthefnaturefoffthefenvironmentfandfbyfthefinternalfarc
hitecturefoffthefintelligentfagent,fwhetherfhuman,fanimal,forfmachine…fWithfthefadventfoffCo
gnitivefscience…ftheoreticalfinsightsfandfmethodologiesfhavefbeenfsharedfamongfdisciplines,fa
ndfinterdisciplinaryfinteractionfhasfbecomefthefhallmarkfofftheffield.fItfisfaffieldffoundedfonfth
efprinciplefthatfnewfknowledgefshouldfbefdevelopedfatfthefintersectionfamongfdisciplines,fandf
thatfcollaborationfwillfserveftofpreservefandfstrengthenfallfparticipatingfdisciplines.”
1.2.Typesfof…;fDomains