270173 Embodied cognition: the role of perception and action on memory and language (S) (WiSe 2013/2014)

The present course presents a critical and up-to-date discussion on the topic of embodied cognition. The basic idea behind the embodied hypothesis is that perception and action (and also emotion), are central for higher cognitive processes, such as reasoning, language and memory. However, this hypothesis has not been exempt of controversy. The lectures will focused on existing experimental evidence for the role of perception and action on memory and language.
The present seminar has two main objectives. First, students will have learnt by the end of the course, basic concepts about experimental cognitive psychology. For this purpose, the first lectures will consist on an brief introduction to experimental designs and a description of common methodological tools used in field, with an emphasis on the comparison between offline methods (e.g., questionnaires) and online methods (response times, eye-tracking), their costs and their benefits. Second, students will have examined relevant literature and recognized the current contributions and challenges for this approach to cognition. This objective will be addressed in two ways. First, a number of lectures, divided by topic, will present key papers to the students in a comprehensive manner. Second, a number of practical exercises will present participants with experimental hypothesis, for which the students (in small groups) will propose an experiment that could address the given question. The language of instruction is English.

Requirements for participation, required level

A good command of English is highly recommended.

Bibliography

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Kaschak, M. P., Madden, C. J., Therriault, D. J., Yaxley, R. H., Aveyard, M., Blanchard, A. A. & Zwaan, R. A. (2005). Perception of motion affects language processing. Cognition, 94, B79–B89.
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