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Updated: Apr 5, 2026

Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects
Published on: November 30, 2018
Situated cognition.
Wolff-Michael Roth1, Alfredo Jornet2
1University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.
The situated cognition hypothesis proposes that cognition is embodied, social, and distributed, challenging traditional views of the mind. This perspective emphasizes how external factors and interactions shape cognitive processes.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Philosophy of Mind
- Embodied Cognition
Background:
- The cognitive revolution theorized knowledge as internal mental representations.
- Recent interdisciplinary developments challenge this view.
- The situated cognition hypothesis emerged from these diverse fields.
Purpose of the Study:
- To trace the historical origins of the situated cognition hypothesis.
- To discuss empirical and modeling evidence supporting situated cognition.
- To clarify debates by distinguishing the location and nature of cognition.
Main Methods:
- Historical analysis of cognitive science.
- Review of empirical studies on cognition.
- Examination of computational modeling approaches.
- Conceptual analysis of cognition's locus and essence.
Main Results:
- Cognition is characterized as embodied, social, distributed, and enacted.
- Evidence suggests cognition can operate without internal representations.
- Distinguishing the 'where' from the 'what' of cognition resolves key debates.
Conclusions:
- The situated cognition hypothesis offers a robust alternative to traditional cognitive models.
- Interdisciplinary collaboration is crucial for understanding cognition.
- Future research should integrate diverse approaches to cognition.

