Cognitive sociology is a

sociological Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociology was coined in ...

sub-discipline devoted to the study of the "conditions under which meaning is constituted through processes of reification." It does this by focusing on "the series of interpersonal processes that set up the conditions for phenomena to become “ social objects,” which subsequently shape thinking and thought." Thus, this research aims to sort out the social and cultural contingencies and consequences of human

cognition Cognition is the "mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought, ...

. It has its roots in classical sociological theory, notably Durkheim and

Weber Weber may refer to: Places United States * Weber, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Weber City, Virginia, a town * Weber City, Fluvanna County, Virginia, an unincorporated community * Weber County, Utah * Weber Canyon, Utah * Weber R ...

, and from contemporary sociological theory, notably

Goffman Erving Goffman (11 June 1922 – 19 November 1982) was a Canadian-born American sociologist, social psychologist, and writer, considered by some "the most influential American sociologist of the twentieth century". In 2007, ''The Times ...

and

Bourdieu Pierre Bourdieu (, ; ; ; 1 August 1930 – 23 January 2002) was a French sociologist and public intellectual. Bourdieu's contributions to the sociology of education, the theory of sociology, and sociology of aesthetics have achieved wide influ ...

. Notable authors include but are not limited to,

Eviatar Zerubavel Eviatar Zerubavel (; born November 25th, 1948) is professor of sociology at Rutgers University, a specialist in the sociology of cognition and everyday life, including topics such as time, boundaries, and categorization. Biography Zerubavel i ...

Aaron Cicourel Aaron Victor Cicourel, (August 29, 1928 – July 22, 2023) was an American sociologist. A professor of sociology who spent much of his career at the University of California, San Diego, he specialized in sociolinguistics, medical communication, d ...

, Barry Schwartz, Karen A. Cerulo, and

Paul DiMaggio Paul Joseph DiMaggio (born January 10, 1951, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American educator, and professor of sociology at New York University since 2015. Previously, he was a professor of sociology at Princeton University. Biography A gra ...

. The term 'cognitive sociology' was used already in 1974 by Cicourel. However, in 1997 DiMaggio published what has been referred to as a now classic paper of how cognitive sociology overlaps with the sociology of culture & cognition. Michael W. Raphael provides an overview of cognitive sociology in its current form. Special journal issues on the topic of Cognitive Sociology has been published by the scientific journals Poetics and the European Journal of Social Theory in 2010 and 2007 respectively. Graduate-level courses in cognitive sociology has been organized at the University of Copenhagen by Jacob Strandell in 2014 and 2016 In order to organize this interdisciplinary investigation, scholars have articulated five models of the actor that stress different locations of human

in relation to the

social contract In moral and political philosophy, the social contract is an idea, theory, or model that usually, although not always, concerns the legitimacy of the authority of the state over the individual. Conceptualized in the Age of Enlightenment, it ...

. These models are: # Universal cognitivism stresses "naturalistic explanations of human behavior". This is reflected in the work of

Stephen Park Turner Stephen Park Turner (born March 1, 1951) is a researcher in social practice, social and political theory, and the philosophy of the social sciences. He is Graduate Research Professor in the Department of Philosophy of the University of South Flori ...

Omar Lizardo Omar Lizardo (born 7 September 1974) is an American sociologist who is LeRoy Neiman Term Chair Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He was previously professor of sociology at the University of Notre Dame (2006� ...

and Gabriel Ignatow. # Fuzzy universal cognitivism "emphasizes naturalism in the explanations, but its ontological positions are not as balanced as plural cognitivism". This is reflected in the work of

Jürgen Habermas Jürgen Habermas ( , ; ; born 18 June 1929) is a German philosopher and social theorist in the tradition of critical theory and pragmatism. His work addresses communicative rationality and the public sphere. Associated with the Frankfurt S ...

and

. # Plural cognitivism seeks to formulate a "balanced model of the actor subjected to socio-mental control. Socio-mental control describes how impersonal cognitive norms shape the thinking, learning, and courses of activity individual actors ''are able to undertake'' as a result of institutional reflexivity." Institutional reflexivity is a process described by

in "The Arrangement between the Sexes". This is reflected in the work of

and his students. # Fuzzy individual cognitivism "emphasizes humanism in the explanations, but its ontological positions are not as balanced as plural cognitivism". This is reflected in the work of

Luc Boltanski Luc Boltanski (born 4 January 1940) is a French sociologist, born in Paris. He is Professor at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (Paris), and founder of the Groupe de Sociologie Politique et Morale, known as the leading figure ...

and

Laurent Thévenot Laurent Thévenot (born 1949) is a French sociologist and Professor at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (Paris). Career After initial research on ''social coding'' and ''investments in forms'' which contribute to action coordina ...

as well as Alban Bouvier. # Individual cognitivism investigates the "inner determinants of action with respect to the practical, cognitive, and moral properties of social facts." This is reflected in the work of

Raymond Boudon Raymond Boudon (27 January 1934 – 10 April 2013) was a sociologist, philosopher and Professor in the Paris-Sorbonne University. Career With Alain Touraine, Michel Crozier and Pierre Bourdieu, Raymond Boudon is one of the leading French sociol ...

and Patrick Pharo.{{Cite journal, last=Pharo, first=P., year=2007, title=How is Sociological Realism Possible?: Sociology after Cognitive Science, journal=European Journal of Social Theory, language=en, volume=10, issue=3, pages=481–496, doi=10.1177/1368431007080708

References

Behavioural sciences Branches of cognitive science Subfields of sociology