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Toward a deeper understanding of embodiment.
1University of Victoria.
Summary
This study explores embodied cognition, debating if thought relies on sensorimotor representations or abstract symbolic systems. It reviews evidence for sensorimotor influence but argues alternative explanations exist for cognitive operations.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Neuroscience
- Philosophy of Mind
Background:
- The debate on embodied cognition questions whether conceptual knowledge is grounded in sensorimotor experiences.
- Two opposing views exist: embodied cognition (concepts tied to sensorimotor systems) and symbolic cognition (abstract, independent thought).
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the role of embodied conceptual representations in cognitive functions like language and object identification.
- To present arguments for and against the necessity of sensorimotor grounding in cognition.
Main Methods:
- Review of empirical evidence demonstrating sensorimotor influences on cognition.
- Analysis of existing data through the lens of symbolic cognition, offering alternative explanations to embodiment.
Main Results:
- Sensorimotor representations demonstrably influence cognitive processes.
- Examples previously cited as evidence for embodied cognition can be explained by non-embodied mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- While sensorimotor systems influence cognition, they may not be the sole or necessary foundation for conceptual representations.
- Abstract representations of behavioral goals, independent of direct sensorimotor coding, provide evidence for non-embodied cognitive mechanisms.
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