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Cited by 4,782Embodied and Extended CognitionCognitive Science and Education ResearchVirtual Reality Applications and Impacts

Six views of embodied cognition

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Wilson, Margaret·2002·Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
DOI 10.3758/bf03196322
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Abstract

The emerging viewpoint of embodied cognition holds that cognitive processes are deeply rooted in the body's interactions with the world. This position actually houses a number of distinct claims, some of which are more controversial than others. This paper distinguishes and evaluates the following six claims: (1) cognition is situated; (2) cognition is time-pressured; (3) we off-load cognitive work onto the environment; (4) the environment is part of the cognitive system; (5) cognition is for action; (6) off-line cognition is body based. Of these, the first three and the fifth appear to be at least partially true, and their usefulness is best evaluated in terms of the range of their applicability. The fourth claim, I argue, is deeply problematic. The sixth claim has received the least attention in the literature on embodied cognition, but it may in fact be the best documented and most powerful of the six claims.

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  • The self that emerges out of this process is fully embodied and revealed not just in internal representations of the self, whether cognitive or neural, but more importantly reflected in neural mechanisms involved in sensory, motor, and affective processing.

    “The self that emerges out of this process is fully embodied (Niedenthal, 2007) and, as such, revealed not just in the internal representations of the self, whether cognitive or neural, but more importantly reflected in neural mechanisms involved in sensory, motor, and affective processing (Wilson, 2002).”

    From Cultural neuroscience of the self: understanding the social grounding of the brain (2010) · cites this paper as Wilson, 2002

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  • The act of cognitive offloading releases resources which otherwise would be necessary to actively hold information in short-term representations.

    “With regard to working memory, the act of cognitive offloading releases resources which otherwise would be necessary to actively hold information in short-term representations.”

    From Consequences of cognitive offloading: Boosting performance but diminishing memory (2021) · cites this paper as Wilson, 2002

  • Embodied cognition suggests that the way we think and make sense of the world depends on our sensorimotor system and bodily interactions with the environment.

    “Embodiment is a central part of embodied cognition, which suggests that the way we think and make sense of the world depends on our sensorimotor system and bodily interactions with the environment (Wilson 2002).”

    From The Cognitive Affective Model of Immersive Learning (CAMIL): a Theoretical Research-Based Model of Learning in Immersive Virtual Reality (2021) · cites this paper as Wilson 2002

  • Cognition is best conceived as a set of processes mediating the adaptive control of bodies in environments (embodied cognition).

    “More recently, these distinctions have been broken down by the recognition that cognition is best conceived as a set of processes mediating the adaptive control of bodies in environments: the concept of embodied cognition [28–33].”

    From Embodied cognitive evolution and the cerebellum (2012) · cites this paper as [31]

  • Even 'offline' and seemingly abstract cognitive processes, such as number representation and metaphor, appear to be 'body based'.

    “Even ‘offline’ and seemingly abstract cognitive processes, such as number representation and metaphor, appear to be ‘body based’ [31,129], and many allegedly abstract, centralized cognitive processes recruit distributed sensory–motor systems that evolved to control bodily movement [31].”

    From Embodied cognitive evolution and the cerebellum (2012) · cites this paper as [31]

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Research works printed but not linked: 7

  1. [2]2. Baddeley, A. (1986). Working memory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  2. [4]4. Ballard, D. H. (1996). On the function of visual representation. In K. A. Akins (Ed.), Perception (pp. 111-131). Oxford: Oxford Uni- versity Press.
  3. [38]38. Hutchins, E. (1995). Cognitionin the wild. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
  4. [51]51. Langacker,R. (1987,1991).Foundationsof cognitive grammar (2 vols.). Stanford: Stanford University Press.
  5. [65]65. Reisberg, D. (Ed.) (1992). Auditory imagery. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
  6. [79]79. Uleman, J., & Bargh, J. (Eds.) (1989). Unintended thought. New York: Guilford.
  7. [82]82. Wertsch, J. V. (1998). Mediated action. In W. Bechtel & G. Graham (Eds.), A companion to cognitive science (pp. 518-525).Malden, MA: Blackwell.

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Authors
Wilson, M.
Affiliations
University of California, Santa Cruz (US)
Corresponding author
Wilson, Margaret
Venue
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2002-12
Volume
9
Issue
4
Pages
625-636
ISSN
  • 1069-9384 (ISSN-L)
  • 1531-5320
DOI
10.3758/bf03196322
OpenAlex
W2023015865
Cited by
4,782
References
111
Citations by year
2026: 455 · 2025: 339 · 2024: 289 · 2023: 266 · 2022: 273 · 2021: 284 · 2020: 282 · 2019: 332 · 2018: 279 · 2017: 265 · 2016: 199 · 2015: 247 · 2014: 248 · 2013: 205 · 2012: 160
FWCI
1.73
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations
  • Psychonomic Bulletin & Review (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Embodied and Extended Cognition
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Cognitive Science and Education Research
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
Keywords
embodied cognition, situated cognition, offloading
MeSH terms
Animals, Attention, Brain, Cognition, Humans, Mental Processes, Problem Solving, Mental Recall, Social Environment

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