Situated Social Cognition

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The Zulu people of South Africa have a saying "Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu" (A person is a person through people"). This is more than just a proverb, however, as it forms the bedrock of my approach to the study of psychology. By investigating the social behavior of our non-human primate cousins in relation to our own, we can discover how the actions of others help shape the social worlds in which they live. The intensely social nature of primate life is one of its defining characterisics, and is thought to have shaped both the size and structure of the brain, and the particular ways in which we think and act in the world. Research in this area has usually considered social cognition to be an abstract, 'disembodied' process that take places solely inside the head. Recent work in neurobiology, robotics and cognitive science, however, emphasizes that physical, bodily engagement with the world, and with other individuals, can and should be considered as part and parcel of any cognitive process.This, in turn, means that cognition can be considered as visible, public and social, and not simply as invisible, hidden and private. We can see the mental activity of other animals roll out in front of us, as we observe their patterns of behaviour over time. With a focus on behaviour in its natural social setting, the aim here is to test predictions regarding the manner in which social interactions both scaffold and shape life history processes, cognitive development and social life, and assess the influence of emotional and perceptual mechanisms on social understanding and group structure. In this way, we can explore how the various kinds of 'social niches' inhabited throughout the lifespan influence psychological functioning, as well as highlight both the interesting similarities between human and non-human primates, and pinpointing where some of the equally interesting differences may lie. By challenging long-held paradigms about cognition and socialization in primates, this work paves the way for a new kind of cognitive and social psychology, with the potential to enhance individual social experience by understanding more about the skills needed to navigate our complex social landscapes