The extended body: a case study in the neurophenomenology of social interaction

Authored by Tom Froese, Thomas Fuchs

Date Published: 2012-06

DOI: 10.1007/s11097-012-9254-2

Sponsors: European Union Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science

Platforms: Mathematica

Model Documentation: Other Narrative Mathematical description

Model Code URLs: Model code not found

Abstract

There is a growing realization in cognitive science that a theory of embodied intersubjectivity is needed to better account for social cognition. We highlight some challenges that must be addressed by attempts to interpret `simulation theory' in terms of embodiment, and argue for an alternative approach that integrates phenomenology and dynamical systems theory in a mutually informing manner. Instead of `simulation' we put forward the concept of the `extended body', an enactive and phenomenological notion that emphasizes the socially mediated nature of embodiment. To illustrate the explanatory potential of this approach, we replicate an agent-based model of embodied social interaction. An analysis of the model demonstrates that the extended body can be explained in terms of mutual dynamical entanglement: inter-bodily resonance between individuals can give rise to self-sustaining interaction patterns that go beyond the behavioral capacities of isolated individuals by modulating their intra-bodily conditions of behavior generation.

Tags

Social Cognition dynamical systems theory Embodied intersubjectivity Enaction