Chapter 4
Are abstract concepts grounded in bodily mimesis?
In this chapter I address the role of mental simulations for processing and representing abstract concepts, suggesting that abstract concepts are grounded in mimetic schemas: dynamic, concrete and preverbal representations that have been observed in early childhood development. The analysis is based on recordings of gesture and speech of a congenitally blind child gathered over the course of three years. The child displayed an early preference for using mimetic strategies to explain abstract concepts but drifted toward more language-centered strategies as she grew older. Through behavioral data collected in a case-study, I provide empirical evidence to support the hypothesis that embodied mental simulation play a crucial role in abstract concepts’ cognitive grounding.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.How do concepts get their meaning?
- 2.1Are abstract concepts amodal?
- 2.2Mental simulations: Meaning construction inside and outside the body
- 2.2.1Concepts and language
- 2.2.2Concepts and sensory perception
- 2.2.3Concepts and action
- 2.2.4Concepts and emotion
- 2.3Experiential evidence for mental simulations
- 3.Are abstract concepts grounded in bodily mimesis?
- 3.1Situated cognition – concepts in context
- 3.2Bodily mimesis, mimetic schemas and concepts
- 3.3Mimesis vs. mental simulation
- 3.4Finding mimesis
- 4.Method
- 5.Analysis
- 5.1Gestures
- 5.2Mimetic behavior
- 6.Results
- 6.1To mime or not to mime: Explanations of abstract concepts
- 6.1.1Cross-modality
- 6.1.2Representation
- 6.1.3Volition
- 6.1.4Communicative function
- 6.2Intersubjectivity
- 7.Discussion
- 8.Conclusions
-
Notes
-
References
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