Mirror neurons, language, and embodied cognition

Author(s):  
Leonid I. Perlovsky
2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 124-138
Author(s):  
Alexandra V. Shiller

The article analyzes the role of theories of embodied cognition for the development of emotion research. The role and position of emotions changed as philosophy developed. In classical and modern European philosophy, the idea of the “primacy of reason” prevailed over emotions and physicality, emotions and affective life were described as low-ranking phenomena regarding cognitive processes or were completely eliminated as an unknown quantity. In postmodern philosophy, attention focuses on physicality and sensuality, which are rated higher than rational principle, mind and intelligence. Within the framework of this approach, there is a recently emerged theory of embodied cognition, which allows to take a fresh look at the place of emotions in the architecture of mental processes – thinking, perception, memory, imagination, speech. The article describes and analyzes a number of empirical studies showing the impossibility of excluding emotional processes and the significance of their research for understanding the architecture of embodied cognition. However, the features of the architecture of embodied cognition remain unclear, and some of the discoveries of recent years (mirror neurons or neurons of simulation) rather raise new questions and require further research. The rigorously described and clear architecture of the embodied cognition can grow the theoretical basis that will allow to advance the studies of learning processes, language understanding, psychotherapy techniques, social attitudes and stereotypes, highlight the riddle of consciousness and create new theories of consciousness or even create an anthropomorphic artificial intelligence that is close to “strong artificial intelligence.”


Author(s):  
Vijay Iyer

A posited definition of improvisation encompasses such a broad range of human actions that it is helpful to consider both improvisation and rhythm in terms of embodied cognition and a notion of bodily empathy. This suggests a possible (though unstable and inconclusive) connection to action understanding, empathy, and mirror neurons, while acknowledging the latter’s disputed status. With or without mirror neurons, the concept of action understanding offers a reconsideration of improvisation and music cognition with or without bodies (i.e., live or recorded). The relationship of improvisation, rhythm, and embodiment to contemporary theories of expectation, speech, and the evolution of music are considered. Action understanding is posited as the foundation of both music cognition and the perception of improvisation, marking both processes as inherently intersubjective, even whether the other’s body is absent or fantasized (as is the case with recorded music).


2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfonso Caramazza ◽  
Stefano Anzellotti ◽  
Lukas Strnad ◽  
Angelika Lingnau

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-43
Author(s):  
Yvonne Stingel-Voigt

The following article gives a short overview of some functions of vocal sounds in video games. The sound of voices contributes to the realization of fictitious game worlds, since it makes the fictitious world appear significantly more real. I briefly cover the atmospheric and emotional function of the sound of voices as well as how they are utilized in video games for supporting characters. In lieu of discussing dialogues and linguistically conveyed information, I focus on the sound of voices and their influence in generating feelings and moods, and thus how they contribute to a deepening of the immersion of the player. These considerations are based on Michel Chion's concept that sound may have an added value—the recipient assigns a special meaning to a sound, which enriches the audiovisual experience. For this purpose, I analyze a number of games in short case studies in regard to their utilization of vocal sounds with added value. The research is further contextualized through Karen Collins's concept of embodied cognition, as discussed in her seminal work Playing with Sound: A Theory of Interacting with Sound and Music in Video Games and “Making Gamers Cry: Mirror Neurons and Embodied Interaction with Game Sound.”


2013 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 15-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonid I. Perlovsky ◽  
Roman Ilin

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