Sunday, April 20, 2014

Embodiment; thoughts, feelings and behaviors grounded in the interaction of the body with the environment

Embodied cognition has become a topic of research in social and cognitive psychology having as base arguments for the theory that the motor system influences our cognition just as the mind influences our body actions.

An example is a study that showing that participants holding a pencil in their teeth and thus engaging their muscles in a smile, show to comprehend pleasant sentences faster than unpleasant ones. On the other hand, while holding a pencil between the nose and upper lip and thus engaging muscles in a shows the reverse effect. (Source: Glenberg, A.; Havas, D.; Becker, R.; & Rinck, M. (2010) - Grounding language in bodily states: the case for emotion. )
 

An exciting hypothesis for this theory that cognition is embodied, when the most common definition refers to the straight-forward claim that the states of the body modify states of the case for emotion. (Source: Borghi, A. M.; Cimatti, F. (2010) - Embodied cognition and beyond: Acting and sensing the body. )

In such case, this theory becomes increasingly interested - embodiment based on the assumption that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are grounded in bodily interaction with the environment.