Developing Higher Cognition Through Predictive Processing

Danaja Rutar

Summary:  Predictive processing is an influential theoretical framework in cognitive science that promises to provide a unifying account of all perception, action and cognition. Whilst it has already successfully explained many facets of perception and action, crucially, it is lacking a coherent theoretical account of cognitive development and higher cognition and, even more ambitiously, the development of higher order thought. In this paper, I investigate to what extent predictive processing in its current form is even suitable for explaining development and higher thought. I suggest that as things stand, predictive processing cannot sufficiently explain the development of higher order as the internal models it proposes lack two crucial ingredients that characterise higher thought: compositionality and generativity. I propose how these two core features can be addressed within predictive processing. Lastly, I elaborate on the reciprocal relationship between pedagogical practices and predictive processing: pedagogical practices are crucial for model building and predictive processing offers a theoretical framework for understanding psychological mechanisms involved in pedagogical settings.