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Dissertation Information for kevin michael clark

NAME:
- kevin michael clark

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Educational Psychology

SCHOOL:
- Indiana University (USA) (0)

ADVISORS:
- Donald Cunningham

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Sasha Barab
- Susan Eklund
- Myrtle Scott

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected

Title: An embodied cognitive analysis of social situativity

Abstract: This project involved the analysis of metaphors and other cognitive models underlying selected theories of socially situated learning and cognition. Specifically, the focus was on the key works of Lev Vygotsky, Barbara Rogoff, Jean Lave, and Etienne Wenger. George Lakoff and Mark Johnson's theory of embodied cognition was used as a tool for analyzing these theories of social situativity. Concepts from the theory of embodied cognition that served as analytic tools included metaphor, metonymy, prototypes, and cluster models.

Numerous metaphors were identified as underlying the selected theories of social situativity. These metaphors draw upon sensorimotor domains such as location and movement in space, object manipulation, and perception as well as social domains such as apprenticeship and community. A few of the metaphors found in the work of Lave and Wenger were the Distributed Cognition, Activities Are Fluids, Problem Solving Is Dilemma Resolution, Learning As Social Participation, Meaning-Making As Negotiation, and Identities Are Trajectories metaphors. Metaphors identified in the ideas of Vygotsky and Rogoff included the Signs Are Tools, Developmental Path, Internalization, Thinking Is Problem Solving, Activities Are Paths, Assisting Is Guiding, and Apprenticeship metaphors.

Key conclusions are as follows. First, an embodied cognitive analysis can provide a better understanding of the cognitive structures underlying our theories and allow us to better assess their strengths and weaknesses. Second, this analysis demonstrates that the theories of social situativity highlight important aspects of learning and cognition missed by traditional approaches. However, it is also argued that the traditional approaches can still have value if their limitations are recognized. According to the theory of embodied cognition, conceptual pluralism (i.e., having more than one conceptualization of a particular domain) can be beneficial due to each cognitive structuring providing only partial understanding. Finally, it is suggested that the theories of social situativity and the theory of embodied cognition are largely complementary and their integration could provide a broader understanding of the many ways in which we structure our experiences in and of the world. Limitations of this analysis are also addressed.

MPACT Scores for kevin michael clark

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calculated 2010-09-22 18:26:05

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