The CEU Department of Cognitive Science cordially invites you to a talk (as part of its Departmental Colloquium series) by Christopher Frith (UCL) Date: Wednesday, April 9, 2014 - 17:00 - 18:30 Location: Department of Cognitive Science, CEU, Frankel Leó út 30-34., Room 303. (note the venue change!) How the brain creates culture It is characteristic of human culture that we learn about the nature of the world from our predecessors and pass such knowledge on to our descendants. However, learning about the world from observing the behaviour of others is wide spread throughout the animal kingdom. There are two features of human interactions that are critical for the development of the cumulative culture that is uniquely human. First, there is the largely automatic and unconscious process by which humans mimic each other, generating alignment of behaviour and cognition that enhance group-oriented behaviour. Second, there is the deliberate and conscious process, which allows humans to discuss with each other the nature of the world and how the mind works. Such discussions have top-down effects on behaviour and experience. These effects can result in cultural consensus on topics such as how actions are controlled, leading to ideas about responsibility for action which are critical for social cohesion. It is this uniquely human ability, to reflect and report on our experiences, which enables the development of cumulative culture. There is preliminary evidence that this metacognitive ability depends upon the anterior frontal cortex (Brodmann area 10), one of the most recently evolved regions of the human brain. However, brain plasticity is such that the acquisition of the various new skills emanating from cumulative culture will, in their turn, influence the development and functioning of the human brain. We're looking forward to see you there (Frankel Leo u . 30-34)! Cognitive Science Events at CEU: http://cognitivescience.ceu.hu/events _______________________________________________ Subscribe by sending an empty mail to seminars-subscribe(a)cdc.ceu.hu Unsubscribe by sending an empty mail to seminars-unsubscribe(a)cdc.ceu.hu