Conference on Human Cognitive Specializations, New Iberia Research Center, USL, October 15-19, 1998, New Iberia, Louisiana

这次会议的目标是发展一个更清晰的认知过程，可能是人类物种所独有的。在过去的几十年里，研究动物（特别是猴子和猿）认知能力的研究人员一直专注于确定人类和其他物种之间的相似性。事实上，一个被广泛接受的观点是，这项研究已经明确表明，人类认知没有任何质的不同。然而，有一个新兴的研究表明，人类已经在几个智力领域进化出了专门化，包括与以下相关的领域：（1）语言;（2）自我意识;（3）理解其他个体的信仰、欲望和其他精神状态;（4）理解支配无生命物体运动和相互作用的抽象因果原则。在人类中，这些能力在生命的最初几年出现，并深刻地影响我们获得和使用文化思想，符号和物体的能力，以及我们在社会中发挥作用的能力。 会议将汇集来自各种不同学术背景的研究人员和学生，他们对人类认知专业化有着共同的兴趣。 它将提供一个独特的机会来评估这一领域的理论和研究现状，并帮助制定未来研究的议程，从而更深入地了解人类思维的独特人类特征。

The goal of this conference is to develop a clearer understanding of cognitive processes that may be unique to the human species. During the past several decades, researchers investigating the cognitive abilities of animals (especially monkeys and apes) have focused on identifying the similarities between humans and other species. Indeed, one widely held view is that this research has definitively shown that there is nothing qualitatively different about human cognition. Nevertheless, there is an emerging body of research suggesting that humans have evolved specializations in several intellectual spheres, including those related to (1) language, (2) self-awareness, (3) understanding the beliefs, desires, and other mental states of other individuals, and (4) understanding the abstract causal principles that govern the movement and interactions of inanimate objects. In humans, these abilities emerge within the first few years of life, and profoundly affect our ability to acquire and use cultural ideas, symbols, and objects, and our ability to function in society. The conference will bring together researchers and students from a variety of different academic backgrounds with a common interest in human cognitive specializations. It will provide a unique opportunity to assess the current state of theory and research in this field, and help develop an agenda for future research leading to a deeper understanding of the distinctively human characteristics of the human mind.