Our research project focuses on the changing relations between the cognitive and social sciences. We are especially interested in the new opportunities for interdisciplinary encounters between cognitive and social scientists, pertaining to the recent turn in the cognitive sciences toward a more interactive, co-operative and cultural account of human cognition. We conduct case studies in which we address cognitive and social scientific research programs on social coordination, collaborative remembering and agent-based modelling. Our theoretical framework draws on mechanistic philosophy of science and we aim to adjust the notion of mechanistic interfield integration to the relations between the cognitive and social sciences. Through our case studies, we aim to answer the following questions: Do these distinct research programs produce knowledge that can be brought together to deepen our understanding of cognitive and social phenomena? Is it possible to resolve conceptual discrepancies between their theories and models? Do their methods complement (rather than compete with) each other? Is it possible to amalgamate evidence that these research programs have produced by using different methods?

2021