Does the Embodied Cognition Paradigm Have Implications for Learning?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70232/jrep.v2i1.29Keywords:
Bodily Experiences, Classical Cognitive Science, Embodied Cognition, Embodied Education, LearningAbstract
Cartesian dualism, distinguishing mind from body, has significantly shaped our understanding of cognitive functions, often leading to the perception that these processes exist independently of our physical and bodily experiences. This rigid division has also influenced our approach to educational practices, which tend to be based on a theoretical understanding of cognition. However, emerging theories of embodied cognition are challenging this view by highlighting the fundamental connection between cognitive processes and bodily experiences as well as our physical interactions with the environment. These theories are increasingly supported by neuroscientific research, which recognizes the body as a crucial component of the learning process. Indeed, numerous studies indicate that incorporating bodily experiences into educational settings not only enhances learning, but also makes it more meaningful. When students participate in activities that involve movement and direct engagement with their surroundings, their ability to process and retain information improves, enabling them to translate abstract concepts into tangible forms and internalize them more effectively. This article aims to support a shift in our understanding of cognition away from the rigid dualistic paradigm toward a more holistic perspective of the educational process.
References
Andrä, C., Mathias, B., Schwager, A., Macedonia, M., von Kriegstein, K. (2020). Learning foreign language vocabulary with gestures and pictures enhances vocabulary memory for several months post-learning in eight-year-old school children. Educational Psychology Review, 32(3), 815–850. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09527-z
Barsalou, L. W. (2008). Grounded cognition. Annual Review of Psychology, 59(1), 617-645. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.59.103006.093639
Benzing, V., Heinks, T., Eggenberger, N., Schmidt, M. (2016). Acute cognitively engaging exergame-based physical activity enhances executive functions in adolescents. PloS ONE, 11(12), e0167501. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0167501
Burte, H., Gardony, A. L., Hutton, A., & Taylor, H. A. (2017). Think3d!: Improving mathematics learning through embodied spatial training. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 2(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-017-0052-9
Byrne, E.M., Jensen, E., Thomsen, B.S., Ramchandani, P.G. (2023) Educational interventions involving physical manipulatives for improving children’s learning and development: A scoping review. Review of Education, 11(2), e3400. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3400
Carr, E.W., Kever, A., Winkielman, P. (2018). “Embodiment of emotion and its situated nature”. In Newen A, De Bruin L, Gallagher S (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of 4E Cognition. pp. 528–552.
Clark, A., & Chalmers, D. (1998). The extended mind. Analysis, 58(1), 7-19. https://doi.org/10.1093/analys/58.1.7
Clifton, P. G., Chang, J. S., Yeboah, G., Doucette, A., Chandrasekharan, S., Nitsche, M., Welsh, T., & Mazalek, A. (2016). Design of embodied interfaces for engaging spatial cognition. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 1(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-016-0032-5
De Greeff, J. W., Bosker, R. J., Oosterlaan, J., Visscher, C., & Hartman, E. (2018). Effects of physical activity on executive functions, attention and academic performance in preadolescent children: A meta-analysis. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 21(5), 501-507. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2017.09.595
Dijkstra, K., Kaschak, M. P., & Zwaan, R. A. (2007). Body posture facilitates retrieval of autobiographical memories. Cognition, 102(1), 139–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2005.12.009
Farina, M. (2021). Embodied cognition: dimensions, domains and applications. Adaptive Behavior, 29(1), 73-88. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059712320912963
Fernández-Méndez, L. M., Contreras, M. J., & Elosúa, M. R. (2020). Developmental differences between 1st and 3rd year of Early Childhood Education (preschool) in mental rotation and its training. Psychological Research, 84(4), 1056–1064. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-018-1104-6
Fodor, J. A. (1975). The language of thought. Harvard University Press.
Fodor, J. A. (1983). Representations: Philosophical Essays on the Foundations of Cognitive Science. MIT Press.
Glenberg, A. M., Kaschak, M. P. (2002). Grounding language in action. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 9(3), 558-565. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03196313
Gomez Paloma F., Damiani P., (2021). Manuale delle Scuole ECS. The Neuroeducational Approach, Brescia, Scholè.
Gomez-Paloma, F. (2017). Embodied Cognition as Integrative Background Between Neuroscience and Education Science. In F. Gomez Paloma (a cura di), Embodied Cognition. Theories and Applications In Education Science (pp. 7-30). Nova Publish.
Hostetter, A. B., Alibali, M. W. (2019). Gesture as simulated action: revisiting the framework. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 26, 721–752. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-018-1548-0
Lakoff, G., Johnson, M. (1999). Philosophy in the flesh: The embodied mind and its challenge to western thought. Basic Books.
Mahon, B. Z., & Caramazza, A. (2007). A critical look at the embodied cognition hypothesis and a new proposal for grounding conceptual content. Journal of Physiology-Paris, 102(1-3), 59-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphysparis.2008.03.004
Mavilidi, M. F., Ruiter, M., Schmidt, M., Okely, A. D., Loyens, S., Chandler, P., & Paas, F. (2018). A narrative review of school-based physical activity for enhancing cognition and learning: the importance of relevancy and integration. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2079. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02079
Merleau-Ponty, M. (2003). Phenomenology of perception (C. Smith, Trans.). Routledge & Kegan Paul. (Original work published 1945).
Newell, A., & Simon, H. A. (1972). Human problem solving: The state of the theory in 1970. American Psychologist, 26(2), 145-159.
Norris, E., van Steen, T., Direito, A., Stamatakis, E. (2019). Physically active lessons in schools and their impact on physical activity, educational, health and cognition outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 7, 1819.
Pfeifer, R., Bongard, J. (2007). How the body shapes the way we think: A new view of intelligence. MIT Press.
Pier, E., Walkington, C., Williams, C., Boncoddo, R., Waala, J., Alibali, M. W., Nathan, M. J. (2014). Hear what they say and watch what they do: Predicting valid mathematical proofs using speech and gesture. In J. L. Polman, E. A. Kyza, D. K. O’Neill, I. Tabak, W. R. Penuel, A. S. Jurow. L.
Pires, A. C., González Perilli, F., Bakała, E., Fleisher, B., Sansone, G., & Marichal, S. (2019). Building blocks of mathematical learning: virtual and tangible manipulatives lead to different strategies in number composition. Frontiers in Education, 4, 419770. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00081
Re, A. (2017). Autoconsapevolezza Corporea, in Nuovi sguardi sulle Scienze Cognitive, (a cura di M. Cruciani e E.Tabacchi), Corisco Edizioni, pp. 277-285.
Re, A., Malvica, S. (2023) Oltre il movimento: il contributo cerebellare alle funzioni cognitive, Illuminazioni, 64, aprile-giugno.
Re, A., Malvica, S. (2023). Bodily self-awareness and the onset of ownership illusion. Ricerche Di Psicologia - Open Access.
Shapiro, L. (2012) Embodied cognition. In: Margolis E, Samuels R, Stich S (eds) The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Cognitive Science, pp. 118–146. Oxford University Press.
Shapiro, L. Stolz, S. A. (2019). Embodied cognition and its significance for education. Theory and Research in Education, 17(1), 19-39. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477878518822149 .
Sibilio, M. (2017). Corpo e cognizione nella didattica. In P.G. Rossi, P.C. Rivoltella (Eds.). L’agire didattico. Manuale per l’insegnante (pp. 51-69). La Scuola.
Terlecki, M. S., Newcombe, N. S., & Little, M. (2008). Durable and generalized effects of spatial experience on mental rotation: Gender differences in growth patterns. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 22(7), 996–1013. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.1420
Varela, F. J., Thompson, E., Rosch, E. (1991). The embodied mind: Cognitive science and human experience. MIT Press.
Wilson, A. D., & Golonka, S. (2013). Embodied cognition is not what you think it is. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, Article 58. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00058
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Anna Re
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
