Depuis plus de trente années, des recherches en didactique de la physique ont montré dans un grand nombre de pays que les élèves rencontrent des difficultés d'apprentissage en électricité et ce, quel que soit le niveau scolaire. Ces difficultés s’expliquent notamment par un certain nombre de conceptions qui viennent entraver la compréhension des phénomènes électriques. Pour palier ces difficultés, les didacticiens, et de fait les enseignants, utilisent des analogies plus ou moins adaptées et performantes. Pour réaliser notre travail de recherche, nous étudions une analogie innovante entre les domaines mécanique (domaine source) et électrique (domaine cible), cette analogie a la particularité d'être instrumentée, ce qui permet d'expérimenter dans le domaine source. Notre travail de recherche s’intéresse aux conditions d’efficacité de cette analogie pour l'apprentissage des élèves. La revue bibliographique dans les domaines de la didactique de la physique, l'ergonomie et la cognition incarnée a permis, dans un premier temps, d'établir un ensemble de conditions auxquelles doit répondre l'analogie pour être efficace. Notre travail a permis de montrer que cette analogie possède les critères requis pour être considérée comme une analogie potentiellement efficace. Dans un second temps, nous avons vérifié l'impact de la mise en oeuvre de cette analogie avec des élèves de terminale scientifique. Pour cela nous avons réalisé des questionnaires et des entretiens avec les élèves. Les résultats aux questionnaires mettent en évidence une efficacité moindre que celle que laissait supposer l'étude sur le potentiel didactique de l'analogie. C'est par le biais d'entretiens auprès des enseignants et d'enregistrements de cours qu'une très grande disparité d'utilisation de l'analogie a été repérée. L'étude des données recueillies permet de mieux comprendre les raisons qui expliquent la faible utilisation de l'analogie. Ces résultats ont permis la conception d'une première version d'un guide d'utilisation à destination des enseignants. / For over thirty years, research in didactics of physics have shown in many countries that students encounter learning difficulties in electricity and that, regardless of the grade level. These difficulties can be especially explained by a number of misconceptions that prevent the understanding of electrical phenomena. To overcome these difficulties, researchers in didactics and teachers use analogies which are more or less adapted and powerful. To achieve our research, we study an innovative mechanical analogy between mechanical domain (source domain) and electrical domain (target domain). This analogy has the feature of being instrumented, which allows to experiment in the source domain. Our research focusses on the conditions of effectiveness of this analogy for student learning. The literature review in physics, science education, ergonomics and embodied cognition allowed, firstly, to establish a set of conditions to be met by the analogy to be effective. Our work has shown that this analogy has the necessary criteria to be considered an effective analogy. Secondly, we tested the impact of the implementation of this analogy with scientific 12th grade students. For this, we made tests and interviews with students. The test results show a lower efficiency than suggested by the study of the potential of the analogy. Through interviews with teachers and course records, we note a great disparity of use of the analogy. The study of collected data allows to better understand the reasons of the low use of the analogy. These results allowed to design a first version of a manual for teachers.

O presente trabalho visa motivar e defender o disjuntivismo epistemológico, a tese de que a percepção é estado factivo e racionalmente fundado. Essa variação de disjuntivismo é apresentada como uma dissolução do paradoxo cético da subdeterminação. Diante do problema cético do sonho, o disjuntivismo epistemológico é tomado conjuntamente com uma concepção enactivista da percepção, cuja tese central é que estados perceptuais são constituídos pelas ações do agente no ambiente. A conjunção dessas duas teses promove uma concepção corporificada da racionalidade, segundo a qual estados percpetuais racionalmente fundados são obtidos pelo exercício de habilidades do indivíduo no ambiente. Essa tese é ameaçada pela intuição supostamente plausível de que indivíduos em cenários céticos poderiam ser racionais, ainda que não possuíssem meios corpóreos para interação com seu em torno. Argumenta-se contra essa intuição pela crítica à maneira como cenários céticos são concebidos. Por fim, aplica-se o enactivismo radical ao autoconhecimento, promovendo um meio termo entre um modelo perceptual de autoconhecimento e um modelo racionalista. / This work is intended to motivate and defend epistemological disjunctivism, the view that perception is a factive and rationally grounded state. This version of disjunctivism is presented as a dissolution of the underdetermination skeptical paradox. Facing the dream skeptical problem, epistemological disjunctivism is taken in conjunction with an enactive conception of perception, whose core thesis is that perceptual states are constituted by one’s actions in the environment. The conjunction of these two theses promotes an embodied notion of rationality, according to which rationally grounded perceptual states are achieved by the exercise of one’s abilities in the environment. That view is threatened by the apparently plausible intuition that individuals in skeptical scenarios could be rational even if they lacked the bodily means to interact with their surroundings. This intuition is defeated by a critique to the way skeptical scenarios are conceived. Lastly, radical enactivism is applied to self-knowledge, attaining a middle ground between the perceptual and the rationalist models of self-knowledge.

O presente trabalho buscou investigar as contribuições da utilização de tecnologias touchscreen para o desenvolvimento do pensamento matemático. Mais especificamente, propôs uma investigação de singularidades no desenvolvimento dos hábitos do pensamento em atividades de Modelagem Geométrica implementadas a partir do uso da tecnologia touchscreen. No que se refere ao desenvolvimento de hábitos do pensamento, propostos por Paul Goldenberg, é entendido como uma ação que contribui diretamente para o desenvolvimento do pensamento matemático. A escolha de trabalhar com Modelagem Geométrica é explorada neste trabalho com a finalidade de possibilitar aos sujeitos envolvidos o estudo de fenômenos reais a partir do uso de ferramentas matemáticas. Quanto à interação touchscreen, nos baseamos na teoria da Cognição Corporificada que parte do princípio de que corpo e mente estão diretamente relacionados, ou seja, no gesto com a mão os estudantes tornam evidentes as suas intenções e pensamentos. Para realização da pesquisa, a metodologia escolhida foi o estudo de casos múltiplos (dois), mas com apenas uma unidade de análise. Configura um estudo exploratório, em virtude da escassez de estudos na área por tratar-se da integração de uma nova tecnologia ao ensino Como suporte tecnológico, a escolha pelo Sketchometry, software de geometria dinâmica disponível para smartphones, se justifica, visto que este possui um importante destaque no desenvolvimento da proposta de pesquisa, uma vez que, através do seu uso, é possível que os sujeitos elaborem e construam modelos geométricos de forma corporificada (interação touchscreen), o que é uma ação necessária para a compreensão do fenômeno investigado. Ao final da tese, mostramos que, no uso da tecnologia touchscreen, é possível identificar singularidades no desenvolvimento do pensamento do sujeito. Notou-se que a singularidade no desenvolvimento do pensamento está no início da implementação de um modelo geométrico. O aluno segue um caminho guiado por movimentos espontâneos e, desta forma, estabelece a construção e funcionamento de seu modelo. / The present work has aimed to investigate the contributions of the use of touchscreen technologies for the development of mathematical thinking. More specifically, it has proposed an investigation of singularities in the development of habits of thought in Geometric Modeling activities implemented through the use of touchscreen technology. With regard to the development of habits of thought, proposed by Paul Goldenberg, it is understood as an action that contributes directly to the development of mathematical thinking. The choice of working with Geometric Modeling has been explored in this work with the purpose of enabling the subjects involved to study real phenomena that can be investigated, assimilated and better understood from the use of mathematical tools. As for the touchscreen interaction, the work was based on the theory of Embodied Cognition which assumes that body and mind are directly related, which means that, students make evident their intentions and thoughts in gesture with the hand. The methodology chosen to carry out the research was the study of multiple cases (two), but with only one unit of analysis. The study has benn configured as an exploratory one, due to the scarcity of studies in the area, since it is the integration of a new technology in teaching As technological support, the choice of Sketchometry, dynamic geometry software available for smartphones, has been justified, because it has an important emphasis in the development of the research proposal, since, through its use, it is possible for the individuals to elaborate and construct geometric models of an embodied form (touchscreen interaction), which is a necessary action for the understanding of the investigated phenomenon. At the end of the thesis, it has been shown that it is possible to identify singularities in the development of the subject's thinking in the use of touchscreen technology. It has been noted that the uniqueness in the development of thought is at the beginning of the implementation of a geometric model. The student follows a path guided by spontaneous movements and establishes the construction and functioning of his/her model.

Ce travail a pour objet d’étude l’émergence d’effets d’affordance dans la schizophrénie. En effet, les troubles de l’action, observés chez les patients schizophrènes, pourraient être la conséquence d'un déficit de l’intégration sensorimotrice, ne permettant pas le couplage entre perception et action. En lien avec les théories de la cognition incarnée et située, nous avons fait l’hypothèse que l’enrichissement de la situation puisse permette l’émergence de ce lien dans cette population. Pour ce faire, nous avons décliné 5 expériences qui utilisent le paradigme SRC (Stimulus-Response-Compatibility). L’expérience 2 se focalise sur l’intégration visuo-spatiale, tandis que les 4 autres portent sur l’effet de potentialisation des actions lors de la perception d’objets manipulables (Tucker & Ellis, 1998), selon différentes conditions: sans amorçage (expérience 1), avec amorçage renforçant le sentiment de propriété des objets (expérience 3) ou les buts de l’action (expérience 4) et avec amorçage moteur (expérience 5). Nos résultats mettent en évidence l’émergence d’un effet de compatibilité visuo-spatiale (expérience 2) et sensorimotrice (expérience 1), dans le groupe de témoins. Toutefois, cet effet n’est pas retrouvé lorsque l’amorçage est incongruent avec les objets présentés (expériences 3 et 4) ou lorsqu’il implique un amorçage moteur (expérience 5). Dans le groupe de patients schizophrènes, bien que l’effet de compatibilité visuo-spatiale soit mis en évidence (expérience 2), l’effet de compatibilité sensorimotrice n’est retrouvé que lorsque la perception des objets est précédée d’une préparation motrice (expérience 5). Ces résultats sont discutés à la lueur des connaissances issues des théories de la cognition incarnée et située, et des travaux centrés sur les troubles de l’action retrouvés dans la schizophrénie. / This thesis studies the emergence of affordance effects in schizophrenia. Indeed, the disorders of action present in schizophrenic patients might be the consequence of deficit in sensorimotor integration, making difficult the link between perception and action. Related to the embodied cognition framework, we hypothesized that the enhancement of context would allow the emergence of this link in this population. Then, we planned 5 experiments using the SRC paradigm (Stimulus-Response-Compatibility). Experiment 2 emphasizes visuo-spatial integration. The four others focus on the effect of potentiation of actions during perception of handling objects (Tucker & Ellis, 1998), depending on different experimental conditions: without priming (experiment 1), with priming reinforcing feeling of being owner of objects (experiment 3) or reinforcing the aims of action (experiment 4) and with motor priming (experiment 5). In the control group, our results show emergence of visuo-spatial (experiment 2) and sensorimotor (experiment 1) compatibility effects. However, this effect is not present when priming is not congruent with presented objects (experiment 3 and 4) or in case of motor priming (experiment 5). In patients, despite of the presence of visuo-spatial compatibility effect (experiment 2), the sensorimotor compatibility effect is present only when perception of objects is preceded by a motor preparation (experiment 5). These results are discussed in reference to the theories of embodiment, and from studies focused on disturbances of action in schizophrenia.

In this thesis I employ insights from Conversation Analysis and Embodied Cognition Theory to examine the discursive practices of a group of interactants who operate in what I describe as a group cognitive system. While studies on embodied cognition have been done on both individuals and groups involved in various concrete physical tasks and situated cognition studies have been done on many types of socially situated conversations, my aim is to combine these two theoretical frameworks to observe people’s embodied interactions in informal everyday conversation as they engage in ongoing learning processes. My research question revolves around understanding how the group’s shared cognition unfolds and how new paradigms of thought and purpose are generated in the process of their interactional practices. I employ Conversation Analysis methodology in the collection and analysis of data with attention on how learners interact with each other and their environment via verbal communication. In addition, I focus on non-verbal embodied actions as they function to form a cognitive system where new realities are mentally simulated and brought to materiality via information feedback loops.

This study explores relationships between second language acquisition (SLA), poetic language, and embodied cognition and its connection to second language speakers’ linguistic self-formation, or their distinct ways of speaking and thinking. In particular, this study examines processes by which second language (L2) learners’ subjective realities are constructed and demonstrates that these processes are inherently poetic, emerging from a combination of the constraining structures of the language system and second language speakers’ phenomenological experiences. The context of the study is a poetry-making activity the researcher designed and took place in the English Department Writing Center at California State University, San Bernardino. Data was collected from a total of four participants through video and audio recordings of the poetry-making activities. Data analysis incorporated multimodal methods associated with conversation analysis and intertextuality. Findings demonstrate that poetic features the L2 participants deploy are crucial to their sense-making and linguistic self-formation. The author encourages readers to consider the importance of creativity and self-expression in second language learning as it occurs in social activity.

<p>This licentiate thesis argues that a key to understanding the embodiment of cognition is the “sharing” of neural mechanisms between sensorimotor processes and higher-level cognitive processes as described by simulation theories. Simulation theories explain higher-level cognition as (partial) simulations or emulations of sensorimotor processes through the re-activation of neural circuitry also active in bodily perception, action, and emotion. This thesis develops the notion that simulation mechanisms have a particular representational function, as off-line representations, which contributes to the representation debate in embodied cognitive science. Based on empirical evidence from neuroscience, psychology and other disciplines as well as a review of existing simulation theories, the thesis describes three main mechanisms of simulation theories: re-activation, binding, and prediction. The possibility of using situated and embodied artificial agents to further understand and validate simulation as a mechanism of (higher-level) cognition is addressed through analysis and comparison of existing models. The thesis also presents some directions for further research on modeling simulation as well as the notion of embodied simulation as off-line representation.</p> / Report code: LiU-Tek-Lic-2007:21.

A sonification is a nonverbal speech act and might sound like “wa-UM-eii”, or “wooosh!” The purpose of this study was to investigate a choreographer’s use of sonification in dance instructions, to see if there are different types of sonifications and if the use of these might differ with a change in context. Video material capturing the rehearsals of a noted dance company was analyzed using a cognitive ethnography-based approach. Nine different types of sonifications were identified and described according to purpose, and a context-based analysis showed that certain kinds of sonifications occurred more frequently in some contexts than others. The results suggest that sonification used in dance instruction can serve multiple different purposes – the three main purposes described here are these: to communicate the quality of a movement, to facilitate communication between choreographer and dancers, and to coordinate the dancers as a group.

Since Plato first banished poets from his Republic, the relationship between the aesthetic and moral value of literature has been subject to philosophical, critical, and pedagogical debate. In this philosophical investigation, I sought to explain how the evocation of the senses during literary transactions shapes the phenomenal experience of the reader. Recent developments in neuroscience (Damasio, 1999, 2003; Edelman, 1992) provide strong evidence in support of embodied theories of cognition in which imagery and affect play a central role. The purposes of this philosophical investigation were to describe the structure and function of imagery and affect in the cognitive act of reading, to provide a detailed account of how we exercise our capacity for imaginative thought in order to achieve literal, inferential, and critical comprehension, and to explore the implications of an embodied mind for reading and responding to literary texts. The investigation yielded a critical review of contemporary theories of reading (Kintsch, 1998; Rumelhart, 1977; Sadoski & Paivio, 2001) to examine their ability to explain the phenomena associated with the literary experience. Dual coding theory (Sadoski & Paivio, 2001) which maintains an empirical and embodied view of the mind was shown to have considerable theoretical advantages over rationalist computational theories of cognition in explaining phenomena associated with reading and responding to literary texts. A neurobiological account of consciousness provides support for the idea that literature can engage readers imaginatively in the process moral deliberation (Dewey, 1932/1985). In addition, I concluded that considerable evidence exists to suggest that somatic and visceral changes experienced as a result of undergoing the text can potentially incite individual and social change.

<p>Cognitive science has traditionally viewed the mind as essentially disembodied, that is, the nature of mind and cognition is neither affected by the ¡Èsystem¡É it is implemented in nor affected by the environment that the system is situated in. But since the mid-1980s a new approach emerged in artificial intelligence that emphasized the importance of embodiment and situatedness and since then terms like embodied cognition, embodied intelligence have become more and more apparent in discussions of cognition. As embodied cognition has increased in interest so have the notions of embodiment and situatedness and they are not always compatible. This report has found that there are, at least, four notions of embodiment in the discussions of embodied cognition: software embodiment, physical embodiment, biological embodiment and human(oid) embodiment.</p>