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Characterization of the Sense of Agency over the Actions of Neural-machine Interface-operated Prostheses
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Symbolic Activity and Agency
Konstantin Mochalov1, Alexey Voskresensky2
1Department of Philosophy, Bashkir State Medical University, Ufa, Russia. kostja.mochalov@gmail.com.
Integrative Psychological & Behavioral Science
|April 21, 2025
Summary
Symbolic activity, through pleromatization and schematization, transforms stimulus-response associations, enabling agency. This internal process allows free, purposeful behavior by generating and selecting action variants, not external stimuli.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Psychology
- Philosophy of Mind
Background:
- Symbolic activity is crucial for human freedom and agency.
- It allows transcending immediate reality through abstract thought.
- Symbolic activity transforms stimulus-response (S-R) associations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the mechanisms of symbolic activity and agency.
- To explain how symbolic activity enables free and purposeful behavior.
- To elucidate the roles of pleromatization and schematization in agency.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of symbolic activity and agency.
- Examination of two-stage models of free behavior.
- Exploration of pleromatization (sign field expansion) and schematization (route organization).
Main Results:
- Symbolic activity liberates behavior from direct external stimuli.
- Pleromatization creates a field of potential meanings and action variants.
- Schematization organizes this field into concrete paths (point-like signs) for action realization.
- Two-stage models show internal motives replace external causes, maintaining determinism within freedom.
Conclusions:
- Agency arises from internal motives generated by symbolic activity, not external stimuli.
- The interplay of field-like and point-like signs facilitates the transition from possibility to action.
- Symbolic activity provides a framework for free, purposeful behavior within a determined system.
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