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An Enactive-Ecological Approach to Information and Uncertainty
Eros Moreira de Carvalho1, Giovanni Rolla2
1Department of Philosophy, Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Frontiers in Psychology
|May 7, 2020
Summary
This study links ecological psychology's "information for action" with "covariant information" and Shannon's uncertainty minimization. Learning to perceive information for action involves minimizing uncertainty through skilled performance and direct learning.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Sciences
- Neurosciences
- Ecological Psychology
- Enactivism
Background:
- The concept of information acquisition in cognitive systems lacks a universal definition.
- Existing theories include information for action (ecological psychology), covariant information (enactivism), and uncertainty minimization (Shannon).
Purpose of the Study:
- To reconcile different views on information acquisition in cognitive systems.
- To propose that information for action is a form of covariant information.
- To explain learning as uncertainty minimization through skilled performance.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of influential theories of information in cognitive science.
- Theoretical integration of ecological psychology, enactivism, and information theory.
- Review of empirical findings on direct learning and embodied know-how.
Main Results:
- Information for action can be understood as covariant information.
- Learning to perceive covariant information is achieved by minimizing uncertainty via skilled action.
- The cognitive system uses information to minimize uncertainty about achieving goals.
Conclusions:
- Direct learning, a form of ecological rationality, transforms action possibilities into embodied know-how.
- This process aligns with sense-making activities, integrating perception and action.
- The study provides a unified framework for understanding information acquisition and learning in embodied agents.
Keywords:
Shannon-informationecological psychologyenactivisminformation as covarianceinformation for actionuncertaintyMore Related Videos
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