Cited by 200Embodied and Extended CognitionAction Observation and SynchronizationCybernetics and Technology in Society

Eroding the Boundaries of Cognition: Implications of Embodiment1

Open access
Anderson, Michael L., Richardson, Michael J., Chemero, Anthony·2012·Topics in Cognitive Science

Abstract

To accept that cognition is embodied is to question many of the beliefs traditionally held by cognitive scientists. One key question regards the localization of cognitive faculties. Here we argue that for cognition to be embodied and sometimes embedded, means that the cognitive faculty cannot be localized in a brain area alone. We review recent research on neural reuse, the 1/f structure of human activity, tool use, group cognition, and social coordination dynamics that we believe demonstrates how the boundary between the different areas of the brain, the brain and body, and the body and environment is not only blurred but indeterminate. In turn, we propose that cognition is supported by a nested structure of task‐specific synergies, which are softly assembled from a variety of neural, bodily, and environmental components (including other individuals), and exhibit interaction dominant dynamics.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1111/j.1756-8765.2012.01211.x

Cites

74 of 74 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

We couldn’t retrieve this paper’s full text, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • These studies show that the dynamic signature of skill development, for instance, of a phenomenological transition from readiness-to-hand to presence-at-hand in tool use, is marked by scale-free correlations across multiple timescales.

    “These studies show that the dynamic signature of skill development, for instance, of a phenomenological transition from readiness-to-hand to presence-at-hand in tool use, is marked by scale-free correlations across multiple timescales .”

    From Toward an Enactive Conception of Productive Practices: Beyond Material Agency (2023) · cites this paper as Anderson et al., 2012

  • Studies on soft assembly in embodied cognitive tasks show that incorporations are not a given but vary with experience.

    “Studies on soft assembly in embodied cognitive tasks show that incorporations are not a given but vary with experience (e.g., Dotov et al., 2010; Anderson et al., 2012; Baber et  al. 2019).”

    From Toward an Enactive Conception of Productive Practices: Beyond Material Agency (2023) · cites this paper as Anderson et al., 2012

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

1 of the 75 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Anderson, M. L., Richardson, M. J., & Chemero, A.
Affiliations
  • Franklin & Marshall College (US)
  • University of Cincinnati (US)
Corresponding author
Anderson, Michael L.
Venue
Topics in Cognitive Science
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2012-07-09
Volume
4
Issue
4
Pages
717-730
ISSN
  • 1756-8757 (ISSN-L)
  • 1756-8765
OpenAlex
W2075742431
Cited by
200
References
75
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 2
FWCI
6.22
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Topics in Cognitive Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Scholarship@Western (Western University) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Embodied and Extended Cognition
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Cybernetics and Technology in Society
Keywords
embodied cognition, embedded cognition, neural reuse, tool use, group cognition
MeSH terms
Animals, Behavior, Brain, Cognition, Environment, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Perception, Psychomotor Performance, Self Concept

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review