Continuity in categorization and theoretical implications

Abstract

Traditional theories of cognition assume that motor action is executed in an all-or-none fashion, and has little importance for understanding cognitive representation and processing. A series of experiments and simulations presented here challenges this assumption. A relatively higher-order cognitive process, categorization, is shown to have graded effects that are reflected in manual motor output, measured through streaming x-y coordinates from mouse trajectories. Two simulations show that these effects are likely generated from a system in which cognition and action interact fluidly. Finally, theoretical implications of these experiments are drawn out. Symbolic dynamics is introduced, a potential means for reconciling both traditional and continuous accounts of cognition. A broad philosophical discussion follows, in which an integrative and pluralistic approach to cognition is proposed and briefly discussed.