DOCSLIB.ORG

Embodied Cognition

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Embodied Cognition Trim Size: 170mm x 244mm k Callan wbiea2098.tex V1 - 04/05/2017 8:53 P.M. Page 1 Embodied cognition approaches, by contrast, Embodied Cognition stress the role of the natural and cultural envi- VLAD NAUMESCU AND NATALIE ronment in which cognitive processes take place SEBANZ and assume that our experiences within partic- ular environments are fundamental in shaping Central European University, Hungary cognition. For example, across many cultures, time is conceptualized in terms of space, with past, present, and future represented along a There is no unified theoretical framework going front–back axis that has the self and the present bythenameof“embodiedcognition.”However, time at its center. However, the Yupno, an indige- various lines of thinking and avenues of empirical nousandgeographicallyisolatedgroupfrom research that can be subsumed under this heading Papua New Guinea, point downhill when they converge on the assumption that the body, with its areoutdoorstorefertothepastanduphillto sensorimotor abilities, is central to understanding refer to the future, regardless of their body ori- the nature of cognition. The core claim is that entation. The pointing directions do not follow “aspects of the agent’s body beyond the brain play a single axis; rather, they follow the shape of the asignificantcausalorphysicallyconstitutiverole landscape, revealing a strong influence of the in cognitive processing” (R. Wilson and Foglia nonlinear geography of the Upper Yupno valley 2011). In anthropology, phenomenological and on the Yupno’s representations of time (Nunez practice-oriented approaches have assigned the et al. 2012). body, with its capacity for sensation and action, a Importantly, the environment may shape central role. In cognitive science, this focus marks not only the content of mental representations a departure from the traditional view, which but also the way in which cognitive processes has drawn extensively on the mind-as-computer operate. A central idea in embodied cognition is metaphor and has characterized cognition in k thatcognitiveprocessescanbeoff-loadedonto k terms of abstract symbol manipulation. the environment to reduce cognitive workload. In the traditional cognitive science view, men- Thisisparticularlysalientinthecaseofmemory, tal representations are considered to be detached as in examples such as tying a knot to avoid from perceptual and motor systems as they do forgetting something or jotting down directions not have modality-specific features. For instance, in a notebook. Work on the cognitive processes “dog” is an arbitrary label for a representation that underlying memory has also shed light on how refers to various kinds of dog and does not retain groups of individuals rely on each other to encode any features of the dogs one has encountered. information and on how they recall information Furthermore, in the traditional view, mental or events from the past together. This has led processes operate on inputs of a symbolic nature to a new understanding of memory as socially and produce symbolically encoded outputs. What distributed among individuals and instrumen- happens on the perceptual side and the motor tally distributed between individuals and cultural side is not considered to be directly relevant, and tools. consequently the interaction between processes In a book that set the path for interdisci- of perception, action, and cognition has been plinary dialogue on the topic, Bloch (1998) used neglected. It is assumed that cognition can be the example of Zafimaniry ancestor houses in understood by focusing on processes occurring Madagascar and memories of the war with the within the brain and that these processes could be French to show how memory is stimulated and instantiated across systems that differ fundamen- projected onto spaces, objects, and people. The tally in the ways in which they acquire sensory spatialization of cognitive processes acknowl- information and act on it. edges the functional interaction between people’s The International Encyclopedia of Anthropology.EditedbyHilaryCallan. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Published 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. k Trim Size: 170mm x 244mm k Callan wbiea2098.tex V1 - 04/05/2017 8:53 P.M. Page 2 2 EMBODIED COGNITION mental abilities and the structure of the local from optic flow, the dynamic pattern of infor- environment in which they act and live. From mation that is generated as the agent is moving the medieval cathedrals of memory to the Kabyle toward it. The ecological approach is radically houses in Algeria described by Bourdieu, people embodied because it implies that perception have created and used built spaces to off-load and cognition cannot exist independently of an essential cultural information and structure the agent moving through the environment. The socialization of group members into their cul- concept of “affordance” further illustrates this tures. Such phenomena are not new in human tight link. Affordances are conceived of as action history, but increasingly sophisticated tech- possibilities that depend on the specific relation nologies afford more complex relationships and between an agent’s capabilities and the physical processes of off-loading. properties of objects. For example, the first step If cognitive processes rely heavily on the onastaircasemayaffordsteppingupwardforan environment in which agents do their think- adult but sitting for a small child. The concept of ing, a major goal for cognitive science is to affordance has been adapted to the social realm understand how the availability of particular to include the perception of others’ dispositions technologies shapes cognition (Clark 2008). and abilities and has been extended to situations Cognitive ethnographies have taken up this chal- where multiple agents together form a social unit. lenge to investigate the way cognitive processes Ithasalsobeenusedtodescribethecultural are embedded in complex environments and properties that objects or beings acquire through dynamic interactions that extend in time and ritual manipulation. These may activate specific space. For example, Hutchins’s (1995) work on cognitive mechanisms that lead to their becoming essentialized kinds, also endowed with potential distributed cognition analyzes complex tasks such agency in the social field, such as spirit stones or as the navigation of a ship or plane by looking at animals in sacrificial ceremonies. thedistributionandstorageofknowledgeamong Representationalist approaches in embod- k people and instruments. One advantage of this k ied cognition have also stressed the claim that approach is that it creates a situated understand- cognition is for action (M. Wilson 2002). For ing of cognition that is sensitive to the particular example, Daniel Wolpert (2011) has offered a natural and cultural context in which it unfolds. striking case in point to illustrate the idea that A further advantage is that, by considering the cognition evolved in order to control movement: nature of particular cognitive processes in rela- the sea squirt, a marine invertebrate animal, has tion to the surrounding context, we can gain a brain that allows it to move around and look a deeper understanding of the emergence and for a place to settle down. Once it has come to stabilization of cultural practices. restonasuitablespotonarock,itnevermoves Embodied approaches vary in the extent to again. The first thing it does is to consume its which they consider the environment to be a own brain. This provides a drastic illustration of constitutive part of the cognitive system, as the idea that cognitive processes not only support can be seen in debates on the relation between higher-level,abstractthinking(oratleastprimar- situated cognition, embedded cognition, and ily support it) but also are crucial for guiding our extended cognition (Clark 2008). While less actions. Focusing on the action-guiding function radical versions merely stress the fact that cog- of cognition also leads to a focus on the real-time nition is situated in a particular environment, constraints that arise in interactions with the more radical versions postulate that the cou- environment and with other agents (M. Wilson plings between agents and the environment are 2002). When we catch a ball, drive a car, or play so tight that a meaningful analysis must focus a piece on the piano, there is little time to think on their interaction. Theories of direct percep- andouractionsmustbeperformedundertight tion postulate that information emerges in the temporal constraints. This is especially salient dynamic spatiotemporal interaction between in joint-action contexts where multiple agents agents and their environment, rather than being coordinate their actions in time and space. stored in individual minds. For example, an Others’ actions are among the most important agent can directly perceive the size of an object events our perceptual system needs to make sense k Trim Size: 170mm x 244mm k Callan wbiea2098.tex V1 - 04/05/2017 8:53 P.M. Page 3 EMBODIED COGNITION 3 of. We need to understand and predict others’ observations also highlight the fact that verbal actions to learn from them, to coordinate with language only serves as a supplementary form of them, and to avoid conflict. Since the 1990s, communication in the context of practical skills research within an embodied cognition frame- teaching and learning. work has provided much evidence for the claim The focus on action that the embodied cogni- that observing actions triggers corresponding
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Supported Collaborative Learning at the Workplace
    Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Series Sean P. Goggins Isa Jahnke Volker Wulf Editors Computer- Supported Collaborative Learning at the Workplace CSCL@Work Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning at the Workplace COMPUTER-SUPPORTED COLLABORATIVE LEARNING SERIES Series Editors: Christopher Hoadley, New York University, New York, USA Naomi Miyake, Chukyo University, Aichi, Japan Editorial Board: Michael Baker, CNRS & Université Lumière Lyon, France Carl Bereiter, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Canada Yrjö Engeström, University of Helsinki, Finland Gerhard Fischer, University of Colorado, U.S.A. H. Ulrich Hoppe, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany Timothy Koschmann, Southern Illinois University, U.S.A. Claire O’Malley, University of Nottingham, U.K. Roy Pea, SRI International, U.S.A. Clotilde Pontecorovo, University ‘La Sapienza’, Italy Jeremy Roschelle, SRI International, U.S.A. Daniel Suthers, University of Hawaii, U.S.A. The Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Book Series is for people working in the CSCL fi eld. The scope of the series extends to ‘collaborative learning’ in its broadest sense; the term is used for situations ranging from two individuals performing a task together, during a short period of time, to groups of 200 students following the same course and interacting via electronic mail. This variety also concerns the computational tools used in learning: elaborated graphical whiteboards support peer interaction, while more rudimentary textbased discussion forums are used for large group interaction. The series will integrate issues related to CSCL such as collaborative problem solving, collaborative learning without computers, negotiation patterns outside collaborative tasks, and many other relevant topics. It will also cover computational issues such as models, algorithms or architectures which support innovative functions relevant to CSCL systems.
    [Show full text]
  • Embodied Mind, Situated Cognition, and Expressive Microtiming In
    http://cnmat.berkeley.edu/publications/embodied-mind-situated-cognition-and-expressive-microtiming-african- american-music Embodied Mind, Situated Cognition, and Expressive Microtiming in African-American Music Author(s): Vijay Iyer Source: Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Vol. 19, No. 3 (Spring 2002), pp. 387-414 Published by: University of California Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/mp.2002.19.3.387 Accessed: 30-03-2017 21:59 UTC JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms University of California Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal This content downloaded from 162.233.200.40 on Thu, 30 Mar 2017 21:59:20 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Music Perception © 2002 BY THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Spring 2002, Vol. 19, No. 3, 387–414 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Embodied Mind, Situated Cognition, and Expressive Microtiming in African-American Music V I J AY I Y E R New York City The dual theories of embodied mind and situated cognition, in which physical/temporal embodiment and physical/social/cultural environment contribute crucially to the structure of mind, are brought to bear on issues in music perception.
    [Show full text]
  • Redalyc. Constructivism, the So-Called Semantic Learning
    Scientific Information System Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Juan José Aparicio, María Rodríguez Moneo Constructivism, the So-Called Semantic Learning Theories, and Situated Cognition versus the Psychological Learning Theories The Spanish Journal of Psychology, vol. 8, núm. 2, noviembre, 2005, pp. 180-198, Universidad Complutense de Madrid España Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=17208206 The Spanish Journal of Psychology, ISSN (Printed Version): 1138-7416 [email protected] Universidad Complutense de Madrid España How to cite Complete issue More information about this article Journal's homepage www.redalyc.org Non-Profit Academic Project, developed under the Open Acces Initiative The Spanish Journal of Psychology Copyright 2005 by The Spanish Journal of Psychology 2005, Vol. 8, No. 2, 180-198 ISSN 1138-7416 Constructivism, the So-Called Semantic Learning Theories, and Situated Cognition versus the Psychological Learning Theories Juan José Aparicio1 and María Rodríguez Moneo2 1Universidad Complutense de Madrid 2Universidad Autónoma de Madrid In this paper, the perspective of situated cognition, which gave rise both to the pragmatic theories and the so-called semantic theories of learning and has probably become the most representative standpoint of constructivism, is examined. We consider the claim of situated cognition to provide alternative explanations of the learning phenomenon to those of psychology and, especially, to those of the symbolic perspective, currently
    [Show full text]
  • Situated Cognition
    Roth, W.-M., & Jornet, A. G. (2013). Situated cognition. WIREs Cognitive Science, 4, xxx–xxx. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1242 Article type: Overview Article title: Situated cognition First author: Full name and affiliation; plus email address if corresponding author Wolff-Michael Roth*, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 3N4, Canada [email protected] Second author: Full name and affiliation; plus email address if corresponding author Alfredo Jornet, InterMedia, University of Oslo, 0318 Oslo, Norway Abstract Following the cognitive revolution, when knowing and learning have come to be theorized in terms of representations stored and processed in the mind, empirical and theoretical developments in very different scholarly disciplines have led to the emergence of the situated cognition hypothesis, which consists of a set of interlocking theses: cognition is embodied, fundamentally social, distributed, enacted, and often works without representations. We trace the historical origins of this hypothesis and discuss the evidential support this hypothesis receives from empirical and modeling studies. We distinguish the question of where cognition is located from the question of what cognition is, because the confounding of the two questions leads to misunderstandings in the sometimes-ardent debates concerning the situated cognition hypothesis. We conclude with recommendations for interdisciplinary approaches to the nature of cognition. At the end of the 1980s, just about at the time when the cognitive revolution—based on information processing and the mind as computer metaphor—had become the dominant approach to cognition and learning, a new way of theorizing human performance emerged: situated cognition. There are claims that situated cognition view has grown rapidly over the past decade, including in the areas of cognitive and social neuroscience and (cognitive, social, and developmental) psychology.1 Such claims are substantiated by citation counts.
    [Show full text]
  • Philosophical Antecendents to Situated Cognition
    University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities 1-1-2009 Philosophical antecendents to situated cognition Shaun Gallagher University of Central Florida Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/lhapapers Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons, and the Law Commons Recommended Citation Gallagher, Shaun, "Philosophical antecendents to situated cognition" (2009). Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers. 1424. https://ro.uow.edu.au/lhapapers/1424 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] Philosophical antecendents to situated cognition Abstract In this chapter I plan to situate the concept of situated cognition within the framework of antecedent philosophical work. My intention, however, is not to provide a simple historical guide but to suggest that there are still some untapped resources in these past philosophers that may serve to enrich current accounts of situated cognition. I will include embodied cognition as part of the concept of situated cognition. One often encounters these terms used togetherembodied cognition and situated cognition - and it is clear that situated cognition cannot be disembodied, although some authors emphasize one over the other or provide principled distinctions between them.1 Philosophical thought experiments notwithstanding, however, the often-encountered brain in a vat is, to say the least, in a very odd and artificial situation. Given what seems to be an essential connection between embodiment and situation, I will take the more inclusive and holistic route and view them accordingly.
    [Show full text]
  • Situated Cognition and the Culture of Learning
    Situated Cognition and the Culture of Learning by John Seely Brown, Allan Collins and Paul Duguid Educational Researcher; v18 n1, pp. 32-42, Jan-Feb 1989. Abstract: Many teaching practices implicitly assume that conceptual knowledge can be abstracted from the situations in which it is learned and used. This article argues that this assumption inevitably limits the effectiveness of such practices. Drawing on recent research into cognition as it is manifest in everyday activity, the authors argue that knowledge is situated, being in part a product of the activity, context, and culture in which it is developed and used. They discuss how this view of knowledge affects our understanding of learning, and they note that conventional schooling too often ignores the influence of school culture on what is learned in school. As an alternative to conventional practices, they propose cognitive apprenticeship (Collins, Brown, Newman, in press), which honors the situated nature of knowledge. They examine two examples of mathematics instruction that exhibit certain key features of this approach to teaching. The breach between learning and use, which is captured by the folk categories "know what" and "know how," may well be a product of the structure and practices of our education system. Many methods of didactic education assume a separation between knowing and doing, treating knowledge as an integral, self-sufficient substance, theoretically independent of the situations in which it is learned and used. The primary concern of schools often seems to be the transfer of this substance, which comprises abstract, decontextualized formal concepts. The activity and context in which learning takes place are thus regarded as merely ancillary to learning---pedagogically useful, of course, but fundamentally distinct and even neutral with respect to what is learned.
    [Show full text]
  • An Encounter Between 4E Cognition and Attachment Theory
    May 13, 2016 Connection Science COS_pettersAttachment_4e_cog_revisionv4 To appear in Connection Science Vol. 00, No. 00, Month 20XX, 1{22 An Encounter Between 4e Cognition and Attachment Theory Dean Pettersa∗ aBirmingham City University, UK,; (Received 00 Month 20XX; accepted 00 Month 20XX) This paper explores a constructive revision of the conceptual underpinnings of Attachment Theory through an encounter with the diverse elements of 4e cognition. Attachment relation- ships involve the development of preference for one or a few carers and expectations about their availability and responsiveness as a haven of safety and a base from which to explore. In Attachment Theory, mental representations have been assigned a central organising role in explaining attachment phenomena. The 4e cognition approaches in cognitive science raise a number of questions about the development and interplay of attachment and cognition. These include: (1) the nature of what Bowlby called \internal working models of attachment"; (2) the extent to which the infant-carer dyad functions as an extension of the infant's mind; and (3) whether Bowlby's attachment control system concept can be usefully re-framed in enac- tive terms where traditional cognitivist representations are: (3i) substituted for sensorimotor skill-focused mediating representations; (3ii) viewed as arising from autopoietic living organ- isms and/or (3iii) mostly composed from the non-contentful mechanisms of basic minds?. A theme that cross-cuts these research questions is how representations for capturing meaning, and structures for adaptive control, are both required to explain the full range of behaviour of interest to Attachment Theory researchers. 1. Introduction The infant-caregiver relationship plays a central role not only in social and emotional development, but also in exploration and learning (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978; Bowlby, 1969, 1988).
    [Show full text]
  • “Vygotsky S Neglected Legacy”: Cultural-Historical Activity Theory
    Manuscript accepted for publication in Review of Educational Research “Vygotskys Neglected Legacy”: Cultural-Historical Activity Theory Wolff-Michael Roth1, Yew-Jin Lee2 1University of Victoria, 2National Institute of Education, Singapore All correspondence concerning this paper should be addressed to Wolff-Michael Roth, Lansdowne Professor, Applied Cognitive Science, MacLaurin Building A548, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada V8W 3N4. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: 1-250-721-7885 FAX: 1-250-721-7767 Running Head: Cultural-historical activity theory Cultural-historical activity theory 2 “Vygotskys Neglected Legacy”: Cultural-Historical Activity Theory ABSTRACT: We describe an evolving theoretical framework that has been called one of the best-kept secrets of academia: cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) is the result of proposals Lev Vygotsky first articulated, but which his students and followers substantially developed to constitute much expanded forms in its second and third generation. Besides showing that activity theory transforms how research should proceed regarding language, language learning, and literacy in particular, we demonstrate how it is a theory for praxis, thereby offering the potential to overcome some of the most profound problems that has plagued both educational theorizing and practice. Cultural-historical activity theory 3 Introduction More than seven decades ago, the Russian psychologist Lev S. Vygotsky noted that (educational) psychology was in a state of crisis because of the “atomistic and functional modes of analysis . [that] treated psychic processes in isolation” (Vygotsky, 1986, p. 1). Specifically, he pointed out that the separation of intellect and affect “as subjects of study [was] a major weakness of traditional psychology, since it [made] the thought process appear as an autonomous flow of ‘thoughts thinking themselves,’ segregated from the fullness of life, from the personal need and interests, the inclinations and impulses of the thinker” (p.
    [Show full text]
  • Situated Learning in Adult Education. ERIC Digest No
    ED418250 1998-00-00 Situated Learning in Adult Education. ERIC Digest No. 195. ERIC Development Team www.eric.ed.gov Table of Contents If you're viewing this document online, you can click any of the topics below to link directly to that section. Situated Learning in Adult Education. ERIC Digest No. 195............... 1 THE CONCEPT OF SITUATED LEARNING...............................2 ELEMENTS OF SITUATED LEARNING....................................3 SITUATED LEARNING IN THE ADULT CLASSROOM..................4 REFERENCES.................................................................. 5 ERIC Identifier: ED418250 Publication Date: 1998-00-00 Author: Stein, David Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult Career and Vocational Education Columbus OH. Situated Learning in Adult Education. ERIC Digest No. 195. THIS DIGEST WAS CREATED BY ERIC, THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ERIC, CONTACT ACCESS ERIC 1-800-LET-ERIC In the situated learning approach, knowledge and skills are learned in the contexts that reflect how knowledge is obtained and applied in everyday situations. Situated cognition theory conceives of learning as a sociocultural phenomenon rather than the action of an individual acquiring general information from a decontextualized body of knowledge (Kirshner and Whitson 1997). This Digest presents an overview of the concepts related to applying situated cognition in adult learning. It should be noted that situated learning ED418250 1998-00-00 Situated Learning in Adult Education. ERIC Digest No. 195. Page 1 of 7 www.eric.ed.gov ERIC Custom Transformations Team theory has not yet produced precise models or prescriptions for learning in classroom settings. THE CONCEPT OF SITUATED LEARNING As an instructional strategy, situated cognition has been seen as a means for relating subject matter to the needs and concerns of learners (Shor 1987).
    [Show full text]
  • Situated Cognition and the Culture of Learning
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship Repository I L I N 0 I S UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN PRODUCTION NOTE University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library Large-scale Digitization Project, 2007. Technical Report No. 481 SITUATED COGNITION AND THE CULTURE OF LEARNING John Seely Brown Xerox Palo Alto Research Center and Institute for Research on Learning Allan Collins Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc. Paul Duguid Institute for Research on Learning August 1989 Center for the Study of Reading TECHNICAL REPORTS UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 174 Children's Research Center 51 Gerty Drive Champaign, Illinois 61820 THE LIBRARY OF THE SEP 1 1 1989 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS I'RP 'A CHAMPAIGN CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF READING Technical Report No. 481 SITUATED COGNITION AND THE CULTURE OF LEARNING John Seely Brown Xerox Palo Alto Research Center and Institute for Research on Learning Allan Collins Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc. Paul Duguid Institute for Research on Learning August 1989 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 51 Gerty Drive Champaign, Illinois 61820 The work upon which this publication was based was supported in part by the Personnel and Training Research Programs, Psychological Sciences Division, Office of Naval Research under Contract No. N00014-C-85-0026, Contract Authority Identification Number, NR 667-540 and in part by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement under Cooperative Agreement No. OEG 0087-C1001, with the Reading Research and Education Center. The publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the agency supporting the research.
    [Show full text]
  • Socially Situated Entrepreneurial Cognition: Promising Linkage and Directions in Studying Entrepreneurial Behavior, Practice, A
    Socially Situated Entrepreneurial Cognition: Promising Linkage and Directions in Studying Entrepreneurial Behavior, Practice, and Process Hamid Vahidnia Georgia State University and Texas Tech University Ronald K. Mitchell Texas Tech University J. Robert Mitchell Colorado State University and Western University H. Shawna Chen Brock University FINAL PRE-PUB VERSION The Handbook of Entrepreneurial: Behavior, Practice and Process October, 2017 2 ABSTRACT In this chapter our aim is two-fold. First, we make a case that there exist many commonalities between the major themes and assumptions of practice theories and those of socially situated cognition theories where human thinking and doing, in general, and entrepreneurial thinking and doing, in particular, is concerned. Second, once we establish these commonalities, we offer a few key insights from socially situated cognition theory that, in our view, can provide fruitful future directions to further our understanding of practice-based explanations for entrepreneurial thinking and doing. 3 Most social acts have to be understood in their setting, and lose meaning if isolated.—Asch (1952: 61) INTRODUCTION We begin with the above quotation from Solomon Asch because it highlights the importance of understanding individuals in the situations and contexts within which they exist. In particular, in the field of entrepreneurship, two theories and the associated research are beginning to adopt more fully such a contextualized approach. Specifically, practice theory and socially situated cognition theory (Cacciotti, Hayton, Mitchell & Giazitzoglu, 2016; Dodd, 2014; Keating, Geiger, & McLoughlin, 2014; Mitchell, Randolph-Seng & Mitchell, 2011; Tobias, Mair, & Barbosa-Leiker, 2013) by focusing on practice and action as a way to explain human thinking and doing (e.g., Bourdieu, 1990; Orr, 1996; Smith & Semin, 2004) take context into account explicitly.
    [Show full text]
  • Embodied Cognition As Grounding for Situatedness and Context in Mathematics Education
    RAFAEL E. NÚÑEZ, LAURIE D. EDWARDS and JOÃO FILIPE MATOS EMBODIED COGNITION AS GROUNDING FOR SITUATEDNESS AND CONTEXT IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION ABSTRACT. In this paper we analyze, from the perspective of ‘Embodied Cognition’, why learning and cognition are situated and context-dependent. We argue that the nature of situated learning and cognition cannot be fully understood by focusing only on so- cial, cultural and contextual factors. These factors are themselves further situated and made comprehensible by the shared biology and fundamental bodily experiences of human beings. Thus cognition itself is embodied, and the bodily-grounded nature of cognition provides a foundation for social situatedness, entails a reconceptualization of cognition and mathematics itself, and has important consequences for mathematics education. After framing some theoretical notions of embodied cognition in the perspective of modern cognitive science, we analyze a case study – continuity of functions. We use conceptual metaphor theory to show how embodied cognition, while providing grounding for situ- atedness, also gives fruitful results in analyzing the cognitive difficulties underlying the understanding of continuity. 1. INTRODUCTION An important goal of mathematics education is to understand the think- ing involved in doing and learning mathematics. In recent years, it has become widely accepted that the learning and practice of mathematics are not purely intellectual activities, isolated from social, cultural, and contextual factors (Lave, 1988; Collins et al., 1989; Cobb, 1994; Confrey, 1995). Instead, it has been acknowledged that learning and teaching take place, and have always taken place, within embedding social contexts that do not just influence, but essentially determine the kinds of knowledge and practices that are constructed (Lave and Wenger, 1991; Rogoff, 1990; Walkerdine, 1982).
    [Show full text]