Episode Details

For decades, cognition was viewed as a separate amodal process, disconnected from our physical senses. We explore a framework that challenges this amodal sandwich view by showing how thought is analogically grounded in our physical experiences.

Instead of a system where cognition is isolated from perception and action, we find a model where cognitive symbols are modal. This means our mental representations reside within the same neural networks we use to see, hear, and move, allowing for the generation of complex mental simulations.

• Using selective attention to extract reusable pieces from our sensory experiences for memory.
• Reconfiguring stored symbols into entirely new simulations through mental productivity.
• The role of concepts as simulators that recreate entities in their physical absence.
• How top-down thought reactivates the sensory-motor substrates of the brain.

This functional integration explains how the mind maintains productivity and develops concepts that act as generative engines for the cognitive system.

Can we truly separate the act of thinking from the physical way we perceive the world?

#CognitiveScience #PerceptualSymbols #NeuralIntegration