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Cognition in motion: Functional internal models as an evolutionary scaffold in cognitive control

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2025

Malte Schilling Open the ORCID record for Malte Schilling [Opens in a new window]  and
Benjamin Risse Open the ORCID record for Benjamin Risse [Opens in a new window]
Malte Schilling*
Affiliation:
Autonomous Intelligent Systems Group, Computer Science Department, University of Münster, Münster, Germany malte.schilling@uni-muenster.de
Benjamin Risse
Affiliation:
Computer Vision & Machine Learning Systems Group, Institute for Geoinformatics & Institute for Computer Science, University of Münster, Münster, Germany b.risse@uni-muenster.de
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

We argue that cognitive evolution is rooted in the development of distributed functional internal models within hierarchical, decentralized, and multimodal sensorimotor loops. Based on an embodied cognition perspective, we emphasize how these models initially evolved to support adaptive behavior and can be flexibly recruited for higher cognitive functions. This perspective complements the proposed sensory-driven and vision-centric account.

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 48 , 2025 , e95
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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