B01 Behavior & System

Elucidation of the "Cultural Evolution" Mechanism of Cognitive Behaviors in Human History through Ethnographic Studies (Behavior & System Group)

This group examines drastic cognitive changes in human history, which are regarded as the “cultural evolution” that accelerated the progress of civilisation. It plans to investigate the following topics based on ethnographic research and studies in specific sociocultural contexts:

①The understanding of the diversity of technical practices and social systems shaped by human cognition.
②Testing existing assumptions from laboratory-based cognitive research and proposing new methodologies.
③Examination of cognitive changes in ethnographic fields caused by modernisation and globalisation.
④Pursue the potential of human cognitive abilities by identifying factors within cultural evolution that have led to technological innovation and complex societies, thereby understanding the significant cognitive shifts, such as the cultural evolution, that facilitated the construction of civilised societies.

In addition to these studies, as a core group within the humanities and social sciences, this project aims to contribute both theoretically and practically through cross-disciplinary studies in the Materia-Mind project, employing the following approaches:

The project will conduct detailed ethnographic research across various contexts, from households to political organisations, among people living in diverse natural environments. The research aims to uncover the unique technical practices and social institutions of different regions and the diversity of humanity as a whole, to elucidate the diverse cognitive abilities that support such technical practices and social institutions. To achieve this, the project will employ a range of methodologies including: Ethnographic research based on observations and interviews, Ecosystem approaches, Experimental studies in sociocultural living spaces, and Direct historical approach using historical and ethnographical documents. These methodologies will provide a multifaceted analysis of cognitive transformations, from individual experiences at the micro level to population dynamics at the macro level. Furthermore, the project will collaborate across disciplines within the Materia-Mind project by organising Unit Studies - integrating kinesiological and ethnographic research into scientific practices. This comparative analysis will transcend differences in subjects, regions, methods, and characteristics, ultimately aiming to investigate "the co-creative relationship between people and objects" as the project's final goal.