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Origins of Mind pp 143–159Cite as

The Evolution of Scenario Visualization and the Early Hominin Mind

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Part of the book series: Biosemiotics ((BSEM,volume 8))

Abstract

In this chapter, I argue that scenario visualization—viz., a mental activity whereby visual images are selected, integrated, and then transformed and projected into visual scenarios for the purposes of solving problems in the environments one inhabits—emerged in our hominin past and accounts for certain kinds of vision-related creativity. The kinds of problems with which our hominin ancestors were confronted most likely were of the spatial relation and depth relation types related to basic survival—such as judging the distance between an object and oneself, determining the size of an approaching object, matching an object to any number of associated memories, and anticipating the need for a particular kind of tool to accomplish a task—and so the capacity to scenario visualize would have been useful for their survival. Thus, scenario visualization has been and continues to be relevant for vision-related forms of creative problem-solving.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    I have argued for my scenario visualization view in the past (Arp 2005a, b, 2006, 2008), and not only has it been applauded as “innovative and interesting,” and even “ambitious” (Downes 2008; Jarman 2009; Thomas 2010; O’Connor et al. 2010), it also has been utilized by numerous philosophical psychologists, cognitive scientists, A.I. researchers, and others (Sloman and Chappell 2005; Gomila and Calvo 2008; Weichart 2009; Sugu and Chatterjee 2010; Arrabales et al. 2008, 2010; Rivera 2010; Bullot 2011; Langland-Hassan 2009; Boeckx and Uriagereka 2011). Thus, the view likely has at least initial plausibility. Still, I have critics (Kaufman and Kaufman 2009; Picciuto and Carruthers 2008), and I welcome the continued dialogue concerning the evolution of the human mind. Although I desire to explain the specific ways various researchers have utilized my scenario visualization view, as well as offer numerous responses to my critics, given space limitations here—coupled with the nature of this book--I will stick to the basic plan of explaining and arguing for scenario visualization as a plausible hypothesis associated with the evolution of our mental architecture.

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  1. Independent Scholar, Kansas City, USA

    Robert Arp

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    Liz Swan

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Arp, R. (2013). The Evolution of Scenario Visualization and the Early Hominin Mind. In: Swan, L. (eds) Origins of Mind. Biosemiotics, vol 8. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5419-5_7

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