Distributive cognition has a great number of causes reflected in both human and animal behaviours. These behaviours are all examples of niche construction. This essay will deal more closely with the causes of distributive cognition in human beings which can be considered examples of niche construction. In studying these causes of distributive cognition we can look more closely at epistemic actions and non-communicative use of language which are displayed in human beings. In understanding distributive cognition we need to realise that the theories regarding distributive cognition must be consistent with what we know about we know about evolution and must involve the sorts of things of things that can evolve and it is this reason that directly relates it to niche construction. Niche construction can be seen in human seen clearly in how the in attaining a more effective metabolic system a niche is constructed in the brain by it getting larger. In addition I will look at a case of niche construction in human beings which is not a case of distributive cognition, such as in the development of the sickle-cell allele in humans when they make arrangements to grow yams.
Firstly, we need to understand what distributive cognition is. Distributive cognition can develop in each individual from our biological and social inheritance. It is characterised by genes that are constrained by physiological design, which in turn constrains cognition. Therefore we can see why distributive cognition could evolve in the ancestors of our species. Most of our mental cognition can only work at a certain speed and therefore it is more beneficial for us to adopt strategies that don¡¦t necessarily aim for what we want (i.e. our goals) but rather ma ...