Embodied cognition and linguistic comprehension

Weiskopf, Daniel A.

doi:10.1016/j.shpsa.2010.07.005

Cited by 50 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 38 publications

(39 reference statements)

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“…The ACE has generated considerable debate, with authors questioning the results and interpretation (e.g., Arbib, Gasser & Barrès, 2014; Mahon & Caramazza, 2008; Weiskopf, 2010). Our goal is to address a broader issue: Once researchers have defined an arena for scientific inquiry, there is a strong tendency for other researchers to focus on that arena.…”

Section: Classic Topics In Cognitive Sciencementioning

confidence: 99%

The poverty of embodied cognition

et al. 2016

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In recent years, there has been rapidly growing interest in Embodied Cognition, a multifaceted theoretical proposition that (1) cognitive processes are influenced by the body, (2) cognition exists in the service of action, (3) cognition is situated in the environment, and (4) cognition may occur without internal representations. Many proponents view embodied cognition as the next great paradigm shift for cognitive science. In this article, we critically examine the core ideas from embodied cognition, taking a “thought exercise” approach. We first note that the basic principles from embodiment theory are either unacceptably vague (e.g., the premise that perception is influenced by the body) or they offer nothing new (e.g., cognition evolved to optimize survival, emotions affect cognition, perception-action couplings are important). We next suggest that, for the vast majority of classic findings in cognitive science, embodied cognition offers no scientifically valuable insight. In most cases, the theory has no logical connections to the phenomena, other than some trivially true ideas. Beyond classic laboratory findings, embodiment theory is also unable to adequately address the basic experiences of cognitive life.

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Section: Classic Topics In Cognitive Sciencementioning

confidence: 99%

The poverty of embodied cognition

et al. 2016

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“…For example, upon reading a verb like “to throw,” the amodal semantic representation of the verb is activated in the mental lexicon, corresponding to activation in left temporal lobe (see Indefrey and Levelt, 2004; Indefrey and Cutler, 2005). Activating this amodal representation leads to a cascade of spreading activation, and may cue the generation of an explicit motor image of throwing (see also Weiskopf, 2010). On this account, the activations in premotor cortex do not contribute to language understanding; they result from it.…”

Section: Activation Of Sensori-motor Cortices: Functional or Epiphenomentioning

confidence: 99%

Flexibility in Embodied Language Understanding

Willems¹,

Casasanto²

2011

Front. Psychology

121

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Do people use sensori-motor cortices to understand language? Here we review neurocognitive studies of language comprehension in healthy adults and evaluate their possible contributions to theories of language in the brain. We start by sketching the minimal predictions that an embodied theory of language understanding makes for empirical research, and then survey studies that have been offered as evidence for embodied semantic representations. We explore four debated issues: first, does activation of sensori-motor cortices during action language understanding imply that action semantics relies on mirror neurons? Second, what is the evidence that activity in sensori-motor cortices plays a functional role in understanding language? Third, to what extent do responses in perceptual and motor areas depend on the linguistic and extra-linguistic context? And finally, can embodied theories accommodate language about abstract concepts? Based on the available evidence, we conclude that sensori-motor cortices are activated during a variety of language comprehension tasks, for both concrete and abstract language. Yet, this activity depends on the context in which perception and action words are encountered. Although modality-specific cortical activity is not a sine qua non of language processing even for language about perception and action, sensori-motor regions of the brain appear to make functional contributions to the construction of meaning, and should therefore be incorporated into models of the neurocognitive architecture of language.

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“…El emparejamiento de acciones y palabras parece favorece el desarrollo del lenguaje si bien es un asunto que está abierto a una mayor indagación (O'Neill, Topolovec y Stern-Calvancante, 2002; Tare, Chiong, Ganea y DeLoache, 2010). Lo que parece aceptado es que el aprendizaje del lenguaje puede verse favorecido si se relaciona con su información sensomotriz, con las acciones que reclama (Weiskopf, 2010), lo cual recuerda propuestas como los Juegos Didácticos Activos de B. J. Cratty (1995), la Educación Vivenciada de Lapierre y Aoucouterier (1985), el Total Physical Response para el aprendizaje de los idiomas de Asher (1966), o los recientes estudios de Glenberg (2004) sobre el aprendizaje activo de la lectura.…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

“…La idea de aprendizaje corporizado (embodiment) está siendo cada vez más popular entre los filósofos, neurocientíficos, antropólogos y psicólogos (Borghi y Cimatti, 2010;Rowland, 2010;Wellsby y Pexman, 2014;Weiskopf, 2010). La separación entre procesos de bajo nivel, como la percepción y la acción, y de alto nivel como el lenguaje y el pensamiento, está siendo cuestionada (Jirak, Menz, Buccio, Borghi y Binkofski, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Movimiento y lenguaje: Análisis de las relaciones entre el desarrollo motor y del lenguaje en la infancia. [Movement and language: Analysis of the relationships between motor and language development in children].

Ruíz-Pérez¹,

Ruiz-Amengual²,

Linaza-Iglesias³

2016

Rev. int. cienc. deporte

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El estudio del desarrollo del lenguaje y del desarrollo motor ha tenido procesos paralelos e independientes, considerándose al segundo un ámbito secundario que nada tenía que ver con el primero. Las últimas décadas han revitalizado el estudio del desarrollo motor y los enfoques postcognitivos y encarnados (embodiment) han mostrado el papel que el cuerpo y la motricidad juegan en el desarrollo humano, e investigadores que antes estuvieron preocupados por otros ámbitos, han dirigido su atención a comprobar la veracidad de estas hipótesis. En el presente trabajo se ha realizado un análisis del estado del arte, revisando investigaciones que han explorado las relaciones existentes entre el desarrollo motor y del lenguaje, con especial atención a los estudios que relacionan los problemas de coordinación motriz y los problemas de desarrollo del leguaje, llegando a la conclusión de que son más las razones para considerar dichas relaciones que para rechazarlas.Palabras clave: competencia motriz; encarnación; desarrollo del lenguaje; trastornos del desarrollo; infancia. ResumenCorrespondencia/correspondence: Luismi Miguel Ruiz Pérez Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. España Email: luismiguel.ruiz@upm.esThe study of language and motor development has had parallel and independent processes. Recently the study of motor development has been revitalized. The post-cognitive and embodiment approaches of cognition have shown that the body and sensomotor behavior are very relevant in the process of human development, and the researchers who were concerned about other areas of development, have turned their attention to check the accuracy of these hypotheses. This paper has reviewed the relationships between motor and language development, with special attention given to those studies about motor co-ordination problems and specific language problems, and concluded that there are more reasons to consider such relationships than to reject them.Key words: motor competence; language development; embodiment; developmental disorders; children. AbstractRecibido 17 de Febrero de 2016 / Aceptado: 27 de Julio de 2016

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Embodied cognition and linguistic comprehension

Cited by 50 publications

References 38 publications

The poverty of embodied cognition

The poverty of embodied cognition

Flexibility in Embodied Language Understanding

Movimiento y lenguaje: Análisis de las relaciones entre el desarrollo motor y del lenguaje en la infancia. [Movement and language: Analysis of the relationships between motor and language development in children].

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