{"title":"Not without cost: The philosophical and psychological drawback of hybrid effort models.","authors":"Malte Hendrickx","doi":"10.1017/S0140525X26106098","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X26106098","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Haueis and Colaço argue that motivational/computational models of effort should incorporate metabolic factors. But metabolic and motivational accounts predict the same behavioral patterns, making their contributions hard to distinguish empirically. Moreover, philosophy provides independent reasons favoring motivational accounts: effort is unified across domains and normatively significant in ways metabolic factors cannot capture.</p>","PeriodicalId":8698,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral and Brain Sciences","volume":"49 ","pages":"e463"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149103768","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The problem is perfectionism: Egalitarianism <i>is</i> equality but not perfect equality.","authors":"Karl Widerquist, Grant S McCall","doi":"10.1017/S0140525X26105901","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X26105901","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article argues that Duncan Stibbard-Hawkes and Christopher von Rueden's article, \"Egalitarianism is Not Equality,\" makes an important point about egalitarianism, but it misidentifies its target. The problem is not outcome-versus-process definitions, as the authors suggest but perfectionist-versus-substantive definitions. The solution they propose qualifies as a good substantive definition.</p>","PeriodicalId":8698,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral and Brain Sciences","volume":"49 ","pages":"e451"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149103812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Liye Zou, Peng Wang, Jun Yin, Kim Ouwehand, Fred Paas
{"title":"Metabolic reality of cognitive load.","authors":"Liye Zou, Peng Wang, Jun Yin, Kim Ouwehand, Fred Paas","doi":"10.1017/S0140525X26106050","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X26106050","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Haueis and Colaço argue that metabolic constraints should prune and generate cognitive models. Cognitive load theory offers an applied framework for testing these constraints. Working memory load can be viewed as the behavioral expression of local ATP limits. Primary-secondary knowledge, embodied offloading, and instructional efficiency map onto bioenergetic trade-offs. Extending CLT to human-AI symbiosis further shows how shared systems can support dynamic load balancing and testable metabolic predictions.</p>","PeriodicalId":8698,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral and Brain Sciences","volume":"49 ","pages":"e485"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149069049","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"What the func? Multiple realizability need not be vague.","authors":"Olivia Guest, Mark Blokpoel, Iris van Rooij","doi":"10.1017/S0140525X26106128","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X26106128","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Multiple realizability (MR) is not necessarily unclear nor does it purely operate at the computational level. To understand potential relationships between MR and other constraints, such as metabolic, we formalize possible meanings of function in cognitive science. We build on these to formalize MR, thus resolving its apparent vagaries. Importantly, MR formalisms meaningfully guide and constrain theory building.</p>","PeriodicalId":8698,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral and Brain Sciences","volume":"49 ","pages":"e462"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149069109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Relating metabolic constraints with human-level cognitive architecture.","authors":"Frank van der Velde","doi":"10.1017/S0140525X26106335","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X26106335","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Metabolic constraints are important for brain modeling. But to be useful, they have to be integrated with an understanding of the architecture of human-level cognition. Otherwise, they could even lead modeling in the wrong direction.</p>","PeriodicalId":8698,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral and Brain Sciences","volume":"49 ","pages":"e481"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149069034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Francis Mollica, Andrew Perfors, Brett K Hayes, Yoshihisa Kashima
{"title":"Cooperative goals must be selected by groups before tinkering begins.","authors":"Francis Mollica, Andrew Perfors, Brett K Hayes, Yoshihisa Kashima","doi":"10.1017/S0140525X26106499","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X26106499","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>While the target paper's proposal dovetails nicely with prominent perspectives on cultural evolution, there are also substantial gaps. In the commentary, we will argue that the target paper's proposal does not adequately take the role of cooperative selection into account.</p>","PeriodicalId":8698,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral and Brain Sciences","volume":"49 ","pages":"e405"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148987782","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cong Liu, Chunhui Shan, Haixin Dong, Chengqiang Jin
{"title":"Beyond social tinkering: Toward a mechanistic and multilevel theory of cultural complexity.","authors":"Cong Liu, Chunhui Shan, Haixin Dong, Chengqiang Jin","doi":"10.1017/S0140525X26106396","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X26106396","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chater and Christiansen argue that cultural complexity arises through social \"tinkering.\" While compelling, this framework remains mechanistically underspecified. Integrating recent empirical and theoretical advances, this commentary proposes that cultural complexity emerges from interactions among transmission dynamics, cognitive constraints, social network structure, and environmental pressures and calls for a formalized, testable multilevel theory.</p>","PeriodicalId":8698,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral and Brain Sciences","volume":"49 ","pages":"e403"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148987827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kyle G Ratner, Diego Padilla-Garcia, Qianqian L Cui, Mariana Torres
{"title":"The fundamental attribution error as Institutional Stance neglect.","authors":"Kyle G Ratner, Diego Padilla-Garcia, Qianqian L Cui, Mariana Torres","doi":"10.1017/S0140525X26105652","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X26105652","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Social psychology tells us that perceivers tend to prioritize person-based explanations of behavior and fail to recognize the causal influence of social roles and other situational information. This cognitive bias seems to occur automatically but cultural factors matter. We explain the relevance of landmark social psychology contributions for understanding the Institutional Stance and its interplay with the Mentalistic Stance.</p>","PeriodicalId":8698,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral and Brain Sciences","volume":"49 ","pages":"e384"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148987976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The cognitive scaffolding of tinkering: Directed innovation and strategic social transmission.","authors":"Shen Tian, Björn Lindström","doi":"10.1017/S0140525X2610661X","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X2610661X","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The social-tinkering account describes how cultural complexity emerges from directed innovation and social transmission but leaves the cognitive mechanisms underspecified. We highlight how individual innovation can be decomposed into a coordinated set of cognitive processes that leverage structured representations of the environment. These shared representations also turn observation into inference, supporting both richer transmission and richer learning from others. The synergy between directed innovation and social transmission paves the way for broader social tinkering.</p>","PeriodicalId":8698,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral and Brain Sciences","volume":"49 ","pages":"e416"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148988031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Social tinkering generates complexity, but also system-scale fragility and collective delusions.","authors":"Don Ross","doi":"10.1017/S0140525X26106426","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X26106426","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The hypothesis that human culture emerges through deliberate, decentralized social tinkering rather than random variation is persuasive. However, the hypothesis is ambiguous about the stability of the resulting structures. Expanding scale may increase fragility and normative conflict, and networks of socially constructed coordination spaces may amplify imaginative disconnection from reality. Consequently, system-scale risks arise that exceed the grasp of governable tinkering.</p>","PeriodicalId":8698,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral and Brain Sciences","volume":"49 ","pages":"e408"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148988046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}