Improving Psychology by Integrating Key Ideas from Biology and Cognitive Science

What is it about?

This article shows how integrating key ideas from biology and cognitive science can spur progress in psychology by resolving false conflicts, highlighting what is missing from current explanations in the field, and clarifying what is needed for a comprehensive explanation of behavior. The article discusses how to integrate an influential framework in biology called Tinbergen’s 4 Questions with a key framework in cognitive science called Marr’s 3 Levels, and shows that this integration can spur progress in psychology.

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Photo by David Matos on Unsplash

Photo by David Matos on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The proposed integration may help psychology move past stagnant and unproductive debates (such as “evolved vs. learned” and “biological vs. cultural”) and toward a more comprehensive science of the mind.