Definition
The ways in which humans are different from other animals and why they have come to be so unusual.
Introduction
A central focus in the study of comparative cognition is the question of what it is that makes humans unique. There is no denying that humans stand apart from the rest of the animal kingdom in several key domains. For instance, no other species has mastered advanced technology or has the capacity to so dramatically alter its environment. No other species has mastered the art of travel using vehicles rather than natural affordances. No other species has travelled off the planet in search of other life forms. These facts are observable and uncontestable. However, a much more contested topic in comparative psychology is the extent to which humans are similar or different from other species in terms of their fundamental cognitive capacities, which presumably give rise to such inventions. Although several feats accomplished only by...
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Vonk, J. (2017). Why Humans Are Unique. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2641-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2641-1
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