The Missing Link in Cognition —— Origins of Self-Reflective Consciousness

----- 认知中缺失的环节：人与动物的自我认知意识

ISBN: 9780195161564 出版年：2012 页码：390 Oxford University Press

How do we develop self-awareness, or a sense of self? One of the most popular theories is that language plays a major role: language and the narrative form allow us to develop a sense of self because this sense is dependent upon representational thought and the psychological manipulation of representations. Some scholars argue against this theory, claiming that more than language and representational thought is needed. Comparing human and animal cognition is a particularly powerful way of examining this disagreement; if animals possess self-awareness without having the representational linguistic capabilities of humans, then the comparison will provide significant evidence for the argument that language and narrative form do not play the only role, and that researchers may have overlooked a cognitive link. This volume will be of great interest to researchers in cognitive, developmental, and ocial psychology.