Embodied Cognition
Oxford Handbooks Online May 1, 2012 DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195309799.013.0006
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractEmbodied cognition offers an alternative to cognitivism by arguing that cognition is not merely computational manipulation of static representations. Cognitivism treats the mind as a passive receptor that transforms input representations (e.g., shading) into outputs (e.g., shape) via algorithms, requiring isolated experimental stimuli. Gibson's theory of perception instead holds that information in the optic array directly specifies opportunities for action, allowing active observers to perceive their world relative to their needs without further mental embellishment. Embodied cognition researchers propose this as a new framework for studying the mind, emphasizing the role of the body and environment in shaping cognitive processes.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 8 |
| Key finding | Embodied cognition presents a framework that challenges cognitivism by asserting that perception involves direct detection of environmental information by an active observer, rather than passive computational transformation of representations. |
Abstract
The article explains the history, core concepts, methodological practices, and future prospects of embodied cognition. Cognitivism treats cognition, including perception, as a constructive process in which computational operations transform a static representation into a goal state. Cognition begins with an input representation so that the psychological subject can be conceived as a passive receptor of information. The cognitivist's primary concern is the discovery of algorithms by which inputs such as those representing shading are transformed into outputs such as those representing shape. The experimental methods need to provide an environment that isolates the stimuli that will be relevant to an investigation of the mental process of interest. Gibson's theory of perception explains that information in the optic array sufficed to specify opportunities for action, thus providing observers with an ability to perceive. Gibson explains that perception is the detection of information that, with no further embellishment, suffices to specify features of an observer's world. The active observer could, by collecting and sampling the wealth of information contained within the optic array, know its world in terms relative to its needs. Embodied cognition researchers conceive of themselves as offering a new framework for studying the mind.