Role of Embodiment versus Situatedness in Ongoing Cognition

Determine whether ongoing human cognitive processes fundamentally depend on embodiment (having and using a physical body) or situatedness (active coupling and interaction with the external environment), as opposed to relying solely on previously acquired sensorimotor concept representations that can be used without ongoing bodily interaction, as evidenced by locked-in patients.

Background

In the conclusion, the report contrasts sensorimotor grounding accounts of concepts with views that place meaning partly outside the head. It notes that once sensorimotor concept representations are acquired, they can be used by locked-in patients, raising uncertainty about whether the active role of the body (embodiment) or ongoing environmental coupling (situatedness) is what truly matters for cognition in real time.

Resolving this uncertainty bears directly on cognitive theory and on AI design choices, such as whether robust intelligence requires embodied agents interacting continuously with their environments or can rely mainly on internal representations learned earlier.