Sentence comprehension affects the dynamics of bimanual coordination: Implications for embodied cognition

Abstract

Recent work in embodied cognition has demonstrated that language comprehension involves the motor system (e.g., Glenberg & Kaschak, 2002). Such findings are often attributed to mechanisms involving simulations of linguistically described events (Barsalou, 1999; Fischer & Zwaan, 2008). We propose that research paradigms in which simulation is the central focus need to be augmented with paradigms that probe the organization of the motor system during language comprehension. The use of well-studied motor tasks may be appropriate to this endeavour. To this end, we present a study in which participants perform a bimanual rhythmic task (Kugler & Turvey, 1987) while judging the plausibility of sentences. We show that the dynamics of the bimanual task differ when participants judge sentences describing performable actions as opposed to sentences describing events that are not performable. We discuss the general implications of our results for accounts of embodied cognition.

Symmetry axiom of Haken–Kelso–Bunz coordination dynamics revisited in the context of cognitive activity

“…Similar outcomes hold when the parallel activity is sentence comprehension (Olmstead, Viswanathan, Aicher, & Fowler, 2009) and when it is memory related . In respect to encoding a list of unrelated words, Shockley and Turvey (2005) found that encoding affects parallel rhythmic coordination (new attractor, more noise), and parallel rhythmic coordination affects encoding.…”

“…Interactions between CogL and the other factors were not statistically significant. Olmstead et al (2009) do not report simple effects of CogL. Nevertheless, we are inclined to interpret the results obtained in Olmstead et al (2009) as illustrated in Table 3.…”

“…The second level is the experimental condition in which participants were asked to make plausibility judgments about performable sentences. Olmstead et al (2009) report a main effect of CogL on RPS and no main effect on attractor stability as measured in terms of SDφ. Interactions between CogL and the other factors were not statistically significant.…”

“…This is summarized in Table 2. Olmstead et al (2009) studied the dynamical consequences of evaluating the plausibility of viewed sentences during bimanual coordination. The sentences described either performable actions or non-performable events.…”

The Effect of the Bodily State on Creative Thinking and the Mechanism

“…)，心理旋转 (Moreau, 2012(Moreau, , 2013)，语言理解 (Olmstead, Viswanathan, Aicher, & Fowler, 2009)，决策 (Borghi & Cimatti, 2010)，判断 (Beilock & Holt, 2007;Beilock, 2009)，情绪 (Glenberg, Havas, Becker, & Rinck, 2010)等，总之大多数的心理过程和心理成分已经被证实有身体基础。人工智能领域的研究者 (Chrisley, 2003;Pfeifer & Iida, 2004;Pfeifer, Lungarella, & Iida, 2007)认为身体与环境的交互作用在人工智 能系统的设计上起着重要作用，他们强调只有具有具身基础的机器人才可以在现实世界里更灵活地发挥 作用。在认知科学领域，具身认知理论也得到越来越多的探索，Lakoff 认为人类认知活动是基于来自身 体经验的知识，比如，我们通过我们熟悉的现实中的物体、运动和场景来理解复杂的抽象的概念，这个 领域大量的研究支持了这个观点 (Dijkstra, Kaschak, & Zwaan, 2007;Eelen, Dewitte, & Warlop, 2013)。 另外， 认知神经科学领域的研究 (Holtzer et al, 2011;Beurskens, Helmich, Rein, & Bock, 2014 (Woods, 1981;Vercruyssen & Simonton, 1988;Vercruyssen, Cann, & Hancock, 1989)对认知活动的影响。伍兹 (Woods, 1981 …”