Embodied decision making in athletes and other animals

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Sports Science
• Embodied Cognition

Background:

• Decision-making is often viewed as a central cognitive process.
• Recent research suggests a more integrated perspective on decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize key insights into embodied decisions.
• To propose an "affordance competition" framework for understanding embodied decisions.
• To discuss implications for understanding the mind and athlete behavior.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and synthesis of studies on embodied decisions.
• Conceptualization of embodied decisions as parallel affordance specification and selection.
• Discussion of research on action selection, motor processes, and motivational factors.

Main Results:

• Embodied decisions involve a dynamic interplay between perception, action, and motivation.
• The "affordance competition" model offers a unified framework for embodied decision-making.
• Research highlights the situated and embodied nature of cognitive processes.

Conclusions:

• Decision-making is fundamentally embodied and situated, not solely a central cognitive function.
• The affordance competition framework provides a valuable lens for future research.
• Understanding embodied decisions is crucial for advancing cognitive science and sports psychology.