Intercorporeality and aida: Developing an interaction theory of social cognition

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Social Psychology
• Phenomenology

Background:

• The central debate in social cognition revolves around theory of mind (ToM), with established theories including theory-theory and simulation theory.
• Phenomenological insights introduce a second-person perspective, focusing on embodied interactions to form interaction theory (IT).

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and elaborate on interaction theory (IT) as a framework for understanding social cognition.
• To integrate phenomenological concepts like Merleau-Ponty's intercorporeality and Kimura's aida into IT.
• To highlight the role of sensory-motor, perceptual, and non-conceptual aspects in social understanding.

Main Methods:

• Examining phenomenological notions of intercorporeality and aida.
• Analyzing embodied interaction as an emergent system for interpersonal coordination.
• Focusing on the sensory-motor and perceptual dimensions of social cognition.

Main Results:

• Interaction theory (IT) offers a third position in the social cognition debate, complementing theory-theory and simulation theory.
• Intercorporeality and aida emphasize the importance of embodied, non-conceptual processes in social understanding.
• Detailed social understanding emerges from the autonomous coordination of embodied interactions.

Conclusions:

• Interaction theory (IT) provides a robust framework for social cognition, integrating embodied and phenomenological perspectives.
• Embodied skills, particularly synchronizing with others, are crucial for achieving nuanced social understanding.
• The study underscores the significance of sensory-motor coordination in interpersonal dynamics and social cognition.