Cognitive science stands at a transformative moment, with researchers increasingly recognizing how cultural contexts shape human thinking. In a groundbreaking study exploring cognitive research dynamics in Nigeria, scholars challenge long-standing assumptions about universal mental processes and illuminate the rich intellectual landscapes of underrepresented regions.
Our understanding of human cognition has predominantly emerged from narrow research perspectives centered in Western academic environments. This limitation means we’ve been viewing complex mental processes through an overly simplified lens, missing crucial insights about how diverse cultural experiences fundamentally shape cognitive development. The research emerging from Nigeria offers a promising pathway to broaden our comprehension of human intellectual potential.
By centering African researchers and participants, this study does more than document regional cognitive patterns. It represents a profound methodological shift—challenging researchers to recognize knowledge production as a collaborative, culturally embedded practice. Readers curious about how societal contexts influence thinking, learning, and problem-solving will find this exploration both intellectually rigorous and deeply illuminating.
Abstract
Cognitive science has matured into an established discipline, and its development has advanced our understanding of the human brain and cognitive processes. Despite these advancements and popularity, the limited established norms in the field have been in favor of cognitive universals, which is the idea that cognitive processes are consistent and shared across all humans irrespective of their sociocultural or environmental variations. This has limited the chances of improving and understanding variations in cognitive development, particularly among individuals from the majority of the world’s population, and may have increased oversight into the unique characteristics of cognitive adaptations shaped by sociocultural and environmental factors. The objective of this paper is to draw insights from a 2-day workshop organized on broadening cognitive science in Nigeria. Inspired by the discussions from the workshop, we identified critical challenges and opportunities at the researcher, participant, and process levels, offering practical strategies for advancing cognitive science in underrepresented regions. We discussed the challenges facing cognitive science research and strategies to solve these challenges in Nigeria, particularly focusing on emerging themes from our workshop. We then discussed pathways for future directions and concluded with final thoughts.