Distributed Cognition
Edwin Hutchins, professor of Cognitive Science with the University of California San Diego and author of Cognition in the Wild (MIT Press), proposed in the 1990s a new theory of learning now known as Distributed Cognition.
The main premise of Distributed Cognition is that learning is not merely a mental activity owned by an individual; rather it is distributed over many other components including objects, interaction with other people, tools and cultural artifacts. The main goals of Distributed Cognition are to identify how these components then function together to form the cognitive process and how cognition adapts to the surrounding environment.
Dr. Hutchins states that “…human cognition is not just influenced by culture and society, but that it is in a very fundamental sense a cultural and social process.” (reference) That learning is a process involving more factors than just an individual’s own experiences, thoughts and inner works makes sense to me. We are social creatures, adapting to our environments and cultures more than our environments and cultures adapt to us.
Related Sites:
http://www.learning-theories.com/distributed-cognition-dcog.html
Submitted by: Jill Mason
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