Although my developmental texts do not use the phrase embodied cognition, it is implied when it discusses the work of the late Esther Thelen. I actually find a number of the ideas quite fascinating.
For Thelen's views on embodied cognition see:- The dynamics of embodiment: A field theory of infant perseverative reaching. E Thelen, G Schöner, C Scheier, LB Smith - Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2001 - Cambridge Univ Press Jeff Nagelbush [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ferris State University Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:03:11 -0500 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [email protected] Subject: [tips] Embodied cognition Always a little skeptical of the "newest in psychology," I came across this article on the front page of the Boston Globe's Ideas section on Sunday: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/01/13/dont_just_stand_there_think/ It's about "embodied cognition" and claims that "a growing body of new research suggests" that physical movement is linked to cognition in a variety of ways. For example, "...a study...found that subjcts (all non-Chinese speakers) shown a series of Chinese ideographs while either pushing down or pulling up on a table in front of them will say they prefer the ideographs they saw when pulling upward over the ones they saw while pushing downward." An interesting thought, but I can't help but wonder if it's just the newest fad. (Should I be jumping up and down while writing that?) A search of the literature turned up 92 articles on "embodied cognition." Many seemed a bit obscure, such as: An embodied cognitive analysis of social situativity. Clark, Kevin Michael; Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, Vol 66(2-A), 2005. pp. 486. And At the root of embodied cognition: Cognitive science meets neurophysiology. Garbarini, Francesca; Adenzato, Mauro; Brain and Cognition, Vol 56(1), Oct 2004. pp. 100-106. [Journal Article] There were also several that were skeptical of the whole thing. None of the textbooks I use for Human Development, Child Psychology or Social Psychology include the concept, but I don't teach a brain or cognition course, so perhaps they do include this. Anybody have any insight into this topic? Beth Benoit Granite State College Plymouth State University New Hampshire --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) _________________________________________________________________ Put your friends on the big screen with Windows Vista® + Windows Live™. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/shop/specialoffers.mspx?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_CPC_MediaCtr_bigscreen_012008 --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
