On the Problems Solved by Cognitive Processes

Abstract

Cognitive scientists have focused too narrowly on the acquisition of data and on the methods to extract patterns from those data. We argue that a successful science of the mind requires widening our focus to include the problems being solved by cognitive processes. Frameworks that characterize cognitive processes in terms of instrumental problem-solving, such as those within the evolutionary social sciences, become necessary if we wish to discover more accurate descriptions of those processes.