Advancing paleoanthropology beyond default nulls

Behav Brain Sci. 2025 Jan 14:48:e3. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X24000931.

Abstract

While we are sympathetic with Stibbard-Hawkes' approach, we disagree with the proposal to switch to a "cognitively modern" null for all Homo species. We argue in favor of a more evidence-driven approach, inspired by recent debates in comparative cognition. Ultimately, parsing the contributions of different genetic and extra-genetic factors in human evolution is more promising than setting a priori nulls.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biological Evolution*
  • Cognition* / physiology
  • Hominidae
  • Humans
  • Paleontology / methods