Philosophy and Magic share a common root that goes back twenty thousand years to the role of the shaman in the village and his attempt to enact control over the surrounding forces of nature through ritual performance. During Greek and Roman times, philosophy leaves magic and religion as it turns towards language in order to bring understanding. In modern times, philosophy is mired in language games and has lost the practical power it once held to transform lives. In the first section of this thesis we will look at the history of magic and philosophy and how the two have changed over time. In the second section, we will examine the feeling of wonder and how being left speechless after witnessing a magic effect calls back to a simpler time in our lives before the existence of language. Throughout the thesis, we will examine the psychological, anthropological, archetypal, neurological and linguistic links that arise between the two professions. Finally, if magic and philosophy are still to be relevant today, we will look at the role that magic plays in the psyche of an educated society and we will consider how-by learning to think like magicians-philosophers and the practice of philosophy can be stronger and more useful in today's modern world.

This dissertation clarifies the role and relevance of the body in social interaction and cognition from an embodied cognitive science perspective. Theories of embodied cognition have during the past two decades offered a radical shift in explanations of the human mind, from traditional computationalism which considers cognition in terms of internal symbolic representations and computational processes, to emphasizing the way cognition is shaped by the body and its sensorimotor interaction with the surrounding social and material world. This thesis develops a framework for the embodied nature of social interaction and cognition, which is based on an interdisciplinary approach that ranges historically in time and across different disciplines. The theoretical framework presents a thorough and integrated understanding that supports and explains the embodied nature of social interaction and cognition. It is argued that embodiment is the part and parcel of social interaction and cognition in the most general and specific ways, in which dynamically embodied actions themselves have meaning and agency. The framework is illustrated by empirical work that provides some detailed observational fieldwork on embodied actions captured in three different episodes of spontaneous social interaction in situ. Besides illustrating the theoretical issues discussed in the thesis, the empirical work also reveals some novel characteristics of embodied action in social interaction and cognition. Furthermore, the ontogeny of social interaction and cognition is considered, in which social scaffolding and embodied experience play crucial roles during child development. In addition, the issue what it would take for an artificial system to be (socially) embodied is discussed from the perspectives of cognitive modeling and technology. Finally, the theoretical contributions and implications of the study of embodied actions in social interaction and cognition for cognitive science and related disciplines are summed up. The practical relevance for applications to artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction is also outlined as well as some aspects for future work.

Spoken language as a means of communication contains huge amounts of information apart from the linguistic message that is conveyed. It is often the first channel of interaction between people and based on the speaker’s manner of talk, we create a mental image of the speaker as a person, of the speaker’s background, origin and personal qualities. Through five case studies, this dissertation investigates how immigrants to Sweden are judged based on their foreign accents (Cases 1—3) and how the use of an interpreter in court can affect the legal process and the judging of the immigrant (Cases 4—5). Case 1 investigated Swedish students’ attitudes towards immigration and immigrants through a survey-based study and revealed that Swedish students hold predominantly positive attitudes towards immigrations and immigrants. Case 2, using accent imitation, asked if Swedish speakers have a cognitive prototype for British English accented Swedish and found that this was the case. This demonstrated that Swedes have models of accented Swedish accents. Case 3 asked Swedish students to rate their impressions of speakers of nine foreign accented Swedish voices on 18 six-point semantic differential scales. They also rated their impressions of each voice for five social factors. The results suggest that the listeners evaluated the voices based on perceived social desirability, or perceived cultural distance between the listener and the voice’s country of origin. Juxtaposing these findings with those of Case 1 suggests that even among a group who are positive to immigrants and immigration some groups of immigrants are more welcome than others. Case 4 examined discourse disfluencies in a bilingual court hearing and a Swedish-Polish bilingual court hearing in detail. The case showed that most of the dialogue-related difficulties have other sources than the interpreter, even if the interpreter at first glance often appeared to be part of the problem rather than part of the solution. Case 5 examined the interpreter’s role in courtroom dialogue situations through interviews with a court interpreter and a lay judge. The study found that the picture of the interpreter’s role differs between the various actors in the court setting. This, in combination with a lack of knowledge about cultural differences in dialogue strategies, creates complications, can have an impact on the perception of the witness and, ultimately, affect the legal rights of the accused. Furthermore, as the interpreter most frequently speaks foreign accented Swedish, the perception and evaluation of their foreign accented Swedish can further place some immigrant groups at a double legal disadvantage when being judged.

Notre étude est dédiée au développement d'un protocole d'évaluation du langage à visée clinique. Nous examinons les spécificités du traitement du langage oral à travers le filtre des fonctions langagières actualisées par la prosodie. Système composite par excellence, largement négligé tant dans l'étude du traitement du langage que dans les évaluations orthophoniques, la prosodie est cependant en étroite relation avec les composantes du langage et réalise par ce biais l'ensemble des fonctions structurantes du langage. Deux fonctions linguistiques de la prosodie sont ici testées en compréhension : une fonction syntaxique, sous-tendue par le marquage accentuel des frontières de syntagmes réalisé par un accent final et un accent initial, et une fonction pragmatique impliquant la fonction de focalisation initiée par un accent emphatique. Après avoir procédé à la normalisation de notre protocole auprès d'un groupe de sujets contrôles, notre évaluation a été intégrée à la prise en charge longitudinale de deux patients atteints de gliomes de grade II. Dans ce cadre spécifique, nous avons adapté nos épreuves au contexte de la chirurgie éveillée. Les capacités langagières des patients ont été testées en condition pré-opératoire afin d'observer l'impact cognitif de la tumeur et en condition post-opératoire afin d'évaluer les conséquences de l'exérèse. Les résultats soulèvent des questionnements concernant la spécialisation hémisphérique de la prosodie. Ils ont aussi permis de mesurer la sensibilité de notre protocole. L'étude exploratoire réalisée en condition peri-opératoire nous a permis de soulever les contraintes inhérentes à la méthode de stimulation électrique directe.

At least since the time of Aristotle, it has been widely accepted that “man is by nature a social animal”. We eat, sleep, talk, laugh, cry, love, fight and create in ways that integrally depend on others and the social norms that we collectively generate and maintain. Yet in spite of the widely accepted importance of human sociality in underlying our daily activities, its exact manifestation and function is consistently overlooked by many academic disciplines. Cognitive science, for example, regularly neglects the manner in which social interactions and interactively generated norms canalise and constitute our cognitive processes. Without the inescapable ubiquity of dynamic social norms, any given agent simply could not cognise as a human. In this thesis, I aim to use a range of insights – from phenomenology, social psychology, neuroscience, cultural anthropology and gender studies – to clarify the role of sociality for human life. More specifically, the thesis can be broadly separated into three parts. I begin (chapters 1 and 2) with a broad explanation of how human agents are fundamentally tied to worldly entities and other agents in a way that characterises their ontological existence. In chapters 3 and 4, I criticise two recent and much-discussed theories of social cognition – namely, we-mode cognition and participatory sense-making – for failing to make intelligible the social constitution of human existence. In the later chapters (5-7), I then propose foundations for a more satisfactory theory of social cognition, as well as explicating a view of human selfhood as ‘biosocial', such that even the autonomy of biological bodies is socially codified from a human perspective. Taken together, the aforementioned chapters should contribute to calls for a new direction in social cognitive science, whilst also yielding novel insights into the nature of human selfhood.

Submitted by Glauber Assunção Moreira (glauber.a.moreira@gmail.com) on 2018-08-24T18:33:40Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação final.pdf: 8319574 bytes, checksum: bfc7083d5976839ec23a4b05404171d7 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marly Santos (marly@ufba.br) on 2018-08-24T19:33:31Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação final.pdf: 8319574 bytes, checksum: bfc7083d5976839ec23a4b05404171d7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T19:33:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação final.pdf: 8319574 bytes, checksum: bfc7083d5976839ec23a4b05404171d7 (MD5) / O presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar o espetáculo Embodied, de Cristian Duarte, usando como fundamentação teórica a Embodied Cognitive Science, sobretudo no que se refere ao estudo das metáforas, abordado por George Lakoff e Mark Johnson nas publicações de 1999(Philosophy in the Flesh-The Embodied Mind its Challenge to Western Thought) e 2002 (Metáforas da Vida Cotidiana). Relacionar dança e ciência foi a estratégia utilizada para a análise coreográfica, sobretudo porque o livro Philosophy in the Flesh foi um dos pontos de partida para a construção do espetáculo. Embodied sugere relações com o pensamento científico atual. Os padrões organizativos e estruturais da cena mostram-se conectados com as hipóteses filosóficas apontadas pelos autores Lakoff e Johnson, que propõem a mudança paradigmática sobre a natureza da razão, afirmam o conceito de pensamento metafórico, a incorporação da mente (embodied mind) e sugerem, ainda, que o pensamento, assim como as ações, decorrem do sistema sensório-motor, porém se manifestam de maneiras diferentes. A cognição é o espaço onde o corpo, o ambiente e o cérebro estão acoplados densamente. Desta maneira, a metáfora torna-se uma importante ferramenta cognitiva. Nesta pesquisa, são identificadas três metáforas principais usadas pelos dançarinos durante o espetáculo: o corpo-coisa, o corpo-embate e o corpo-pornô. Observa-se que tais metáforas se estabelecem através de manipulações entre um corpo e outro, do campo de forças criado entre os corpos dos dançarinos, caracterizado por relações de polarização, relações diádicas e vetores de ação de movimento que não tem necessariamente continuidade de um corpo para o outro. As metáforas dançadas apontadas na pesquisa atuam o tempo todo durante o espetáculo e se estruturam nos conceitos de experiências e julgamentos subjetivos dos intérpretes. Observa-se que os dançarinos estão sugerindo metáforas como estratégias de pensamento e ação e que eles atuam como agentes metafóricos que compreendem e experimentam uma coisa em relação à outra. A análise buscou examinar possibilidades de relações entre os conhecimentos artísticos e científicos por acreditar serem sutis as interfaces entre essas duas áreas de conhecimento. / This research work aims to analyse the Embodied performance from Cristian Duarte, by using the theoretical foundation of the Embodied Cognitive Science for the study of the metaphors, which have previously been proposed by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson in their publications in 1999 (Philosophy in the Flesh-The Embodied Mind its Challenge to Western Thought) and 2002 (Methaphors we live by). The initiative to carry out a choreographic analysis based on the relationship between dance and science was undertaken in view of the fact that the book Philosophy in the Flesh was one of the starting points for the creation of the performance. Essentially, Embodied suggests relationships between the performance and the current scientific thinking on cognition. Moreover, the organisational and structural patterns of the scenes can be considered connected to the philosophical hypothesis pointed out by the authors, Lakoff and Johnson, who have proposed a paradigm change in the nature of reasoning by surrounding the metaphor concept of thinking with the incorporation of the mind (embodied mind). They suggest that thoughts, as well as actions are produced by the sensory motor system, but manifested in different ways. Cognition is the space where the body, its surroundings, and the mind are tightly joined together. Therefore, the metaphor becomes an important cognitive instrument. In this research work, three main metaphors are used to represent the ballet dancers during the Embodied performance. They are body-thing, body-collision, and body-porno. The research has revealed that the collisions between bodies, and the force field created by them, establish the metaphors that are characterised by polarised relations of actions, which do not necessarily demonstrate continuity from one body to another. In addition, the three metaphors identified in this research, are put into action at every point in time of the performance. They are structured on the basis of the experiences and subjective judgements of the interpreters. Finally, this research demonstrates that the ballet dancers are applying these metaphors as strategies of thoughts and actions. They actually perform as metaphor agents who understand and experiment one thing in relation to another. In conclusion, this analysis has shown the possible relationship between artistic and scientific knowledge, since the interfaces between these two realms of knowledge are analogous.

L'émotion est indissociable des processus cognitifs et joue par conséquent un rôle majeur dans la prise de décision. De ce fait, elle occupe une place de plus en plus importante dans la recherche scientifique actuelle. L'objectif de cette thèse est de révéler l'intérêt que peut présenter une approche émotionnelle, et de prouver que des modèles informatiques dotés d'émotions artificielles peuvent dans certains cas s'avérer plus performants que leurs équivalents purement cognitifs. Partant de ce constat, deux modèles de l'émotion ont été réalisés sous différentes perspectives d'étude. Ils soulignent l'impact de l'ajout d'une dimension émotionnelle dans l'élaboration d'une décision rapide, efficace et adaptée. Le premier modèle développé utilise un graphe de représentation de stratégies afin de résoudre un exercice de mathématiques proposé à des élèves de CM2, intitulé "problème des Cascades". L'émotion y est représentée en tant que valuation des arêtes au sein du graphe, la dynamique de ce dernier étant assurée par un algorithme fourmi. Les tests effectués sur deux versions, l'une émotionnelle et l'autre purement cognitive, montrent que l'utilisation d'un modèle émotionnel permet une résolution plus efficace et adaptative. Par ailleurs, un second modèle, nommé GAEA vise à simuler un robot équipé de capteurs et effecteurs, et plongé dans un environnement proie-prédateurs au sein duquel il doit survivre. Son comportement est déterminé par son programme interne, évoluant grâce à un algorithme de programmation génétique linéaire manipulant une population d'individus-programmes. Les résultats sont prometteurs et indiquent une évolution de la population vers des individus au comportement de plus en plus adapté, et dont l'activité interne est analogue à l'émergence de réactions émotionnelles pertinentes.

<p>Uppsatsen presenterar två studier som med den socialpsykologiska modellen ’teorin om planerat beteende’ (Ajzen, 1991) undersöker hur väl en webbaserad måltidsplaneringstjänst lyckas med att få dess användare att regelbundet äta varierat.</p><p>Tjänsten bestod huvudsakligen av en sökbar receptdatabas på 250 recept, en kalender för att planera in recepten i, och en inköpslista som genererades automatiskt utifrån recepten i kalendern. Tjänsten byggdes under tiden som uppsatsen skrevs, och författaren deltog som interaktionsdesigner i detta projekt.</p><p>I  uppsatsen presenteras  två sekventiella studier för att mäta användarnas intention till beteendet. I vardera studie presenteras först webbtjänsten och den funktionalitet den hade vid tiden för testet. Detta följs av en hypotes om tjänstens påverkan över användarnas vilja att äta varierat. I vardera studie genomfördes sedan ett användartest av tjänsten, där 13 respektive 15 personer fick använda webbsidan och svara på enkätfrågor. Enkäterna mätte attityd, subjektiv norm, upplevd beteendekontroll och intention till beteendet att regelbundet äta varierat, och en mätning gjordes före och en efter användartestet av tjänsten.</p><p>Testen visade på signifikanta ökningar för användarna givet att de skulle använda tjänsten; för upplevd beteendekontroll i den första studien; för subjektiv norm i den andra studien, och för intention i båda studierna.</p><p>Uppsatsen presenterar också interaktionsdesignsbeslut tagna för att anpassa tjänsten efter resultaten av mätningarna av användarnas intention. Avslutningsvis lyfter författaren fram forskningsfrågor för framtida studier i ämnet att förjupa sig i.</p> / <p>This report used the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991); a model from social psychology, to determine how well an online meal planning service succeeds in making its users regularly eat varied.</p><p>The service consisted mainly of a searchable recipe database of 250 recipes, a calendar to schedule the recipes, and a shopping list that was generated automatically from the recipes in the calendar. The service was being constructed during the time that this report was written, and the author participated as an interaction designer in this project.</p><p>The report consists of two sequential studies to measure the users’ intention to the behavior of interest. In each study are first presented the meal planning service and its current functionality by the time of the testing; followed by a hypothesis about the effect it should have on the user's intent to regularly eat varied. In each study were then held a user testing of the product, where 13 and 15 people, respectively, were using the website and answering survey questions. The questionnaires were measuring attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and intention to the behavior to regularly eat varied, and these measurements were made once before and once after the user test of the product.</p><p>The tests showed significant increases for the users given that they would use the service; for perceived behavioral control in the first study; for subjective norm in the second study, and for intention in of both studies.</p><p>The report also presents interaction design decisions made to adapt the service due to the results of the measurements of the users' intention. Finally, the author presents his proposals for future research work in this domain.</p>

Percevoir son espace d'évolution est une activité déterminante dans l'élaboration des relations spatiales que nous tissons avec notre environnement. En neurosciences comportementales, l'étude de ces relations a généralement été abordée selon deux perspectives théoriques. L'une d'elle s'attache à décrire les relations au monde au travers des processus de perception directe impliquant notamment la notion d'affordances (i.e. de possibilités d'actions naturellement offertes par l'environnement) ; tandis que d'autres s'intéressent d'avantage aux aspects cognitifs de la perception avec la mise en place de processus de représentation spatiale. Cette dernière reflète notamment l'existence d'état(s) représenté(s) qu'il est possible de décrire à travers de la combinaison d'espaces stables appelés référentiels spatiaux. L'objectif de ce travail de thèse vise à mieux comprendre la contribution du référentiel égocentré (i.e. corporel) dans la perception de l'espace géocentré (i.e. gravitaire). La question a notamment été abordée autour de deux axes de recherche interrogeant d'une part (i) l'origine de l'influence égocentrée préalablement observée dans le noir sur la perception géocentrée, et d'autre part (ii) la présence du phénomène égocentré dans un contexte visuel plus enrichi suite à l'ajout d'un flux optique. Pour ce faire quatre études centrées autour d'un paradigme d'estimation des possibilités de franchissement d'obstacles hauts ont été réalisées. Pris dans leur ensemble, les résultats expérimentaux soulignent le caractère particulièrement puissant et complexe du phénomène égocentré corporel observé sur la perception de l'espace gravitaire. Ces résultats, discutés en termes d'interpénétrabilité entre référentiels spatiaux offrent un support d'étude intéressant sur la manière dont les référentiels sont utilisés dans les processus de représentation spatiale.

LES CARTES SENSORIMOTRICES DE LA PAROLE : Corrélats neurocognitifs et couplage fonctionnel des systèmes de perception et de production des voyelles du Français --- La parole est construite sur un jeu de correspondances entre représentations sensorielles et articulatoires, notamment lors de l'acquisition du langage les premières années de vie. Par l'utilisation de l'imagerie par résonance magnétique fonctionelle, l'objectif premier de nos travaux était de déterminer, chez l'adulte, un possible couplage fonctionnel des systèmes de perception et de production des voyelles du Français, considérées comme unités élémentaires de la parole. En parallèle, nos travaux devaient permettre de clarifier les structures cérébrales liées au contrôle moteur orofacial de mouvements simples supralaryngés et, à l'aide de la technique de stimulation magnétique transcrânienne, de déterminer une possible implication causale des régions sensorielles et motrices lors de la perception de la parole. Nos travaux ont permis de souligner l'implication des régions sensorielles et motrices aussi bien lors de la réalisation des gestes orofaciaux que lors de la production et de la perception des voyelles. La mise en évidence d'un effet d'adaptation pour ces régions motrices, auditives et somatosensorielles lors de l'écoute ou de la réalisation répétée d'une même voyelle ou d'un même geste suggère de plus l'existence de boucles sensorimotrices communes, impliquées dans des mécanismes adaptatifs de contrôle en ligne des gestes de parole perçus et produits. Enfin, nous avons pu démontrer le rôle causal et fonctionnel des régions sensorielles et motrices de la voie dorsale lors de la catégorisation de sons de parole. Pris ensemble, nos travaux soulignent la nature distribuée sensorimotrice des représentations cérébrales des unités de parole. Mots clés: perception et production de la parole, voyelles, contrôle moteur orofacial, interactions sensorimotrices, représentations et cartes neurocognitives, IRMf, TMS.