The MacroCognitive Framework

Klein, Klein, and Klein (2000) published the first paper on macrocognition, pointing out the differences between the way people think in natural versus controlled settings. Klein et al. (2003) presented an account of macrocognition that identified the key functions and processes that emerge once we step out of the laboratory.

We are currently defining macrocognition as the cognitive adaptation to complexity. Leading figures in psychology such as George Miller and Alan Newell have encouraged researchers to get out of the laboratory and study the way people actually think under complex conditions, but to no avail. We initiated the field of macrocognition to support researchers who want to understand the nature of thinking in natural settings.