Rapprochement: embodied representations for cognitive discoveries
Abstract
The embodied approach to discourse comprehension is based on assumptions that are dramatically different from those of cognitive, or information-processing, theories. Nonetheless, the two can be brought together in a scientifically fruitful way: Embodiment provides an explanatory base for facts uncovered through cognitive research. This article begins with a critical appraisal of current cognitive theories and an argument for why the embodiment approach is necessary for theories of language comprehension. Then, multiple examples of rapprochement are developed. The first is how principles of embodied cognition enhance vocabulary learning. The second is a proposal for how the structure-building inferences necessary for comprehension are made. A third, speculative, rapprochement considers language development, disorders, and document models.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Embodied and Extended Cognition
Action Observation and Synchronization
Child and Animal Learning Development
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Discourse Processes
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Volume
- 63
- Issue
- 6-7
- Pages
- 1–19
- Publication date
- 17 April 2026
- Language
- EN