The Social Brain,Language, and Goal-Directed Collective Thinking: A Social Conception of Cognition and Its Implications for Understanding How We Think,Teach, and Learn

In recent years, researchers in evolutionary psychology and anthropology have proposed that the distinctive nature of human cognition is the product of our evolution as social beings; we are born with “social brains” that enable us to manage complex social relationships in ways other animals cannot. I suggest that the concept of the social brain is potentially useful for understanding the dynamic, iterative relationship between individual and collective thinking, and the role of language in mediating that relationship. However, I argue that its current conceptualization is too narrow and individualistic; the concept should be redefined to take account of the distinctive human capacity for thinking collectively. I suggest that Vygotskian sociocultural theory offers a framework for this reconceptualization, which would then enable us to achieve a better understanding of the relationship between “intermental” (collective) activity and “intramental” (individual) intellectual activity and development. I use this theoretical base to propose three explanations for the observed effects of collaborative learning on individual learning and development.