A network-level perspective on technological cognition.

Abstract

Federico et al. (2025) propose a comprehensive neurocognitive model of technological cognition, i.e. the brain's capability to generate and interact with technology. We situate their framework within the Affordance Competition Hypothesis, extending the notion of affordances from physical tools to technological devices. We highlight how specific aspects of technological cognition may rely on the interactions between parietal and temporal networks together with their interplay with the social brain. Understanding how these networks interact offers a promising path to explain how technological cognition emerges depending on the characteristics of the adopted tool and of the context in which it is used.