Theoretical analysis uncovers circular reasoning in comparative cognition models, suggesting a functional selectionist approach unifies environmental causes and observable behavior.
We highlight the persistent problem of using hypothetical constructs as explanations of behavior.We discuss the abandonment of parsimony and the tautologies inherent to explanatory constructs in recent and ongoing topics in the field.Cognitive terms may be useful labels that aid communication, but progress stalls when they replace the environment as causes of behavior.We champion a functional selectionist perspective that unifies cognition and behavior, and we conclude that comparative cognitive psychologists are positioned to adopt such a stance.
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Leising et al. (2024) studied this question.
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