Goals reconfigure cognition by modulating predictive processes in the brain.
I applaud Huang & Bargh's (H&B's) theory that places goals at the center of cognition, and I discuss two ingredients missing from that theory. First, I argue that the brains of organisms much simpler than those of humans are already configured for goal achievement in situated interactions. Second, I propose a mechanistic view of the "reconfiguration principle" that links the theory with current views in computational neuroscience.
Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione, CNR, 00185 Roma, Italy. giovanni.pezzulo@istc.cnr.it http://www.istc.cnr.it/people/giovanni-pezzulo.
Giovanni
G
Pezzulo
D001519:Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment / Q000502:physiology*; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology*