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Thoughts in space: the impact of environmental surround on cognitive processing
Jennifer A Stevens1, Vanessa Duffie, Peter M Vishton
1The College of William and Mary, PO Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA, 23185-8795, USA, jastev@wm.edu.
Cognitive Processing
|August 18, 2015
Summary
Embodied cognition links motor states to all human processing. The environment and space-time factors, within a potentiated state, are critical for embodied thought simulation.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- The embodied cognition perspective posits that motor states are integral to all human cognitive processing.
- This view suggests that cognitive functions are deeply intertwined with the body's physical interactions with the world.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the embodied cognition perspective and supporting experimental evidence.
- To propose the significance of environmental surrounds and space-time dynamics in embodied cognition.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on embodied cognition.
- Analysis of experimental evidence supporting the motor state's role in cognition.
- Conceptual development of the 'potentiated state'.
Main Results:
- The motor state is a pervasive characteristic of human processing, supported by experimental data.
- Environmental surrounds and the spaces they afford are critical variables for embodied cognition.
- Cognitive processes, particularly those grounded in motor simulation, necessitate both time and space.
Conclusions:
- Embodied cognition is supported by evidence linking motor states to cognitive functions.
- The environment and the concept of a 'potentiated state' are crucial for understanding how embodied thought occurs.
- Future research should consider the interplay of space, time, and environmental factors in embodied cognition.
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