Marco FeniciRühr Universität Bochum

Embodied LanguageNew College, Oxford, September 28th, 2011

False Belief Test

(Baron-Cohen, Leslie, & Frith, 1985)

Embodiment &late Social Understanding Embodied Mind

Relevance of affective and effective systemsModal input

ToM module (Baron-Cohen, 1994)

“Central” cognitionAmodal input

StudyAge

(mos)Method Test

Induced Belief

Onishi & Baillargeon (2005)

15 VoE LC Visual

Surian, Sperber, & Caldi (2007)

13 VoE LC Visual

Southgate, Senju, & Csibra (2007)

25 AL LC Visual

Buttelmann, Carpenter, & Tomasello (2009)

18 AR LC Visual

Scott & Baillargeon (2009)

18 VoE IC Visual

Song, Onishi, Baillargeon,& Fisher (2008)

18VoE

LCCommu-nication

Song & Baillargeon (2008)

15 VoE ICVisual/deduction

Träuble, Marinovic, & Pauen (2010)

15 VoE LCVisual/Tactile

Knudsen (sub.) 12 AR IC Tactile

LC = Location Change IC = Identity Change AR = Active ReactionVoE = Violation of Expectancy AL = Anticipatory Looking

Embodiment &early Social CognitionEarly social cognitive abilities Fast developping ToM module Specific neural system activated by

Multimodal inputamodal input

1. “She said she found a monster under her chair, but [second picture] it was really the neighbor’s dog. What did she say?”

2. “He thought he found his ring, but [second picture] it was really a bottle cap. What did he think?”

Test for Complements (de Villiers & Pyers, 2002)

Embodiment & Syntax Acquisition Embodied Mind

Relevance of affective and effective systemsModal input

de VilliersSyntax as an autonomous representational

level

Vygotsky•Zone of Proximal

Development•Social Embedding•Naïve Participation

(Wertsch, 1979)

Evidence

Future issues

• explanations vs. predictions•Training studies•Vygotskian studies

Summary

Thank you

for your attention