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Principles of representation: why you can't represent the same concept twice
Louise Connell1, Dermot Lynott
1School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester; Department of Psychology, Lancaster University.
Topics in Cognitive Science
|June 5, 2014
Summary
Concepts cannot be represented identically twice due to online perception, language influence, and the passage of time. These factors continuously alter cognitive representations in both humans and synthetic systems.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Embodied Cognition
- Philosophy of Mind
Background:
- Embodied theories of cognition require precise assumptions about concepts and representations.
- Formalization and testing of embodied cognition necessitate understanding representational stability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline reasons why concepts cannot be represented identically twice.
- To explore the dynamic nature of cognitive representations.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical analysis of representational change.
- Examination of factors influencing concept representation.
Main Results:
- Online perception influences offline representations by directing attention to modality-specific systems.
- Language acts as a facilitator and modifier of offline representations.
- Temporal accumulation of experience dynamically shifts concept content and its representations.
Conclusions:
- Representational content is inherently unstable due to perceptual, linguistic, and temporal factors.
- Implications for embodied cognition research in human and artificial systems.
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