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GROUNDING CONCEPTUAL KNOWLEDGE IN MODALITY-SPECIFIC SYSTEMS - Coggle…
GROUNDING CONCEPTUAL KNOWLEDGE IN MODALITY-SPECIFIC SYSTEMS
1) INTRODUCTION
Human conceptual system has
knowledge
, important in the cognitive activities
In the past, this conceptual representation is not related with the representations in the
modality-specific systems
Now, we propose that conceptual representations are
grounded
in the
specific modalities
What is a concept?
We are more interested in studying the
relevant mechanisms
in producing concepts, rather than its nature
2) TRANSDUCTION VERSUS RE-ENACTMENT
Amodal Approach
(trasduction)
The sensori-motor representation is
trasducted
in an amodal representation outside the sensory systems and usable by all cognitive processes
Modal Approach
(re-enactment)
The sensori-motor representation is captured by adiacent memory systems, which conjunctive neurons can represent it
re-enactmenting
the specific sensory-areas (with bias)
Damasio's convergence zone
theory explains the re-enactment process
Re-enactment process similar to
mental imagery
3) EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FOR RE-ENACTMENT IN THE HUMAN CONCEPTUAL SYSTEM
Direct evidence form behavioral research
Both people who use imagery and who can choose representations use simulation
Example in listing the features of a concept verbally
Manipulation of sensorimotor variables determines different simulation
Modality switching effect
Difficult verification of a property on a particular modality
Also perceptual similarity affect this property verification
Perceptual simulation in language comprehension
Simulation of what I read
Computation of functional affordances of what I read
Bodily states in conceptual processing
When I see an object, I imagine how to use it
Social stimuli activates bodily states that activates emotions
Importance of compatibility between bodily states and cognitive states
Evidence from neuroscience
Neuropsychology
and category-specific deficits caused by lesions in modality-specific areas
Neuroimaging techniques
and involving of modality-specific areas in conceptual processing
What does brain activation in conceptual tasks mean?
Can be
other possibilities
respect than modality-specific representations underlie conceptual knowledge
Amodal symbols reside near modality-specific areas
Amodal symbols are associated with modality-specific representations and serves different roles than modal symbols
Conjunctive neurons in convergence zones have amodal mechanisms
The only plausible
Is amodal mimicry possible?
The amodal theory is able to
explain everything
, has an incredible power of mimic limitated by the
unfalsifiability
But the explanation od modality-specific effects is
not compatible
with amodal theory
Amodal theory assumes that:
Knowledge is separate from modality-specific systems
Knowledge filters out the modality-specific details that produce modality-specific effects
Little empirical evidence for amodal symbols
Even if
amodal processing
can be formalizable and implement conceptual functions, has
little
direct
empirical evidence
3) THEORETICAL ISSUES
Computational power
Attention and integration
Re-enactment is not sufficient for full functionality
Importance of two other mechanisms
Selective Attention
Memory
Integration of similar components in a multimodal representation
Simulators and simulations
Simulators
are collection of modality-specific memories for a category
Simulations
are the small subests of information active from a simulator (the reactivation is never perfect reprise
Achieving a fully functional conceptual system
Types
are simulators /
Tokens
are simulations
Categorical inference
means determining the best fitting simulation in simulator
Productivity
as the ability to embed simulations in one another
Applications of PSS
Abstraction
Simulators contitute abstractions
Property and relation simulators are assembled productively into structured on-line abstractions
Situated cognition
Capacity to represent affordance (an account of abstract concepts)
The
theory of perceptual symbol systems
(PSS) is able to give theorical basis to the modal-specificity hypothesis
Necessity to
develop it
(introducing a powerful attentional mechanism and spatial-temporal framework