Embodiment in social psychology.

Psychologists are increasingly interested in embodiment based on the assumption that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are grounded in bodily interaction with the environment. We examine how embodiment is used in social psychology, and we explore the ways in which embodied approaches enrich traditional theories. Although research in this area is burgeoning, much of it has been more descriptive than explanatory. We provide a critical discussion of the trajectory of embodiment research in social psychology. We contend that future researchers should engage in a phenomenon-based approach, highlight the theoretical boundary conditions and mediators involved, explore novel action-relevant outcome measures, and address the role of individual differences broadly defined. Such research will likely provide a more explanatory account of the role of embodiment in general terms as well as how it expands the knowledge base in social psychology

Computational and Robotic Models of Early Language Development: A Review

We review computational and robotics models of early language learning and development. We first explain why and how these models are used to understand better how children learn language. We argue that they provide concrete theories of language learning as a complex dynamic system, complementing traditional methods in psychology and linguistics. We review different modeling formalisms, grounded in techniques from machine learning and artificial intelligence such as Bayesian and neural network approaches. We then discuss their role in understanding several key mechanisms of language development: cross-situational statistical learning, embodiment, situated social interaction, intrinsically motivated learning, and cultural evolution. We conclude by discussing future challenges for research, including modeling of large-scale empirical data about language acquisition in real-world environments. Keywords: Early language learning, Computational and robotic models, machine learning, development, embodiment, social interaction, intrinsic motivation, self-organization, dynamical systems, complexity.Comment: to appear in International Handbook on Language Development, ed. J. Horst and J. von Koss Torkildsen, Routledg

Developmental participation : the necessity of cultural perspectives in developmental psychology

This main aim of this paper is to present some theoretical considerations about the need for a cultural approach in modern developmental psychology. Starting with a critique of the over-universalisation of developmental research in American psychology, the authors present a paradigm of a relational-developmental system, using the concept of embodiment and a cultural approach in psychological research, in which the principal object of analysis is person-in-action as a culturally inclusive alternative for developmental psychology. This approach will be exemplified by research on development through guided participation and the role of shame in moral and social development in Confucian culture

Re-reading discourse and social psychology: transforming social psychology

This paper considers one theme in the contemporary legacy of Potter and Wetherell's (1987) Discourse and Social Psychology. It overviews the context that led to that book and considers a series of critical responses from both experimental and critical/qualitative social psychologists. It refutes criticisms and corrects confusions. Focusing on contemporary discursive psychology, it highlights (a) its rigorous use of records of actual behaviour; (b) its systematic focus on normative practices. In methodological terms, it (a) highlights limitations in the use of open-ended interviews; (b) considers the way naturalistic materials provide access to participants’ own orientations and displays; (c) builds a distinctive logic of sampling and generalization. In theoretical terms, it (a) highlights the way discourse work can identify foundational psychological matters; (b) offers a novel approach to emotion and embodiment; (c) starts to build a matrix of dimensions which are central to the constructing and recognizing of different kinds of social actions. It now offers a fully formed alternative social psychology which coordinates theory and method and a growing body of empirical work

Real Virtuality: A Code of Ethical Conduct. Recommendations for Good Scientific Practice and the Consumers of VR-Technology

The goal of this article is to present a first list of ethical concerns that may arise from research and personal use of virtual reality (VR) and related technology, and to offer concrete recommendations for minimizing those risks. Many of the recommendations call for focused research initiatives. In the first part of the article, we discuss the relevant evidence from psychology that motivates our concerns. In Section “Plasticity in the Human Mind,” we cover some of the main results suggesting that one’s environment can influence one’s psychological states, as well as recent work on inducing illusions of embodiment. Then, in Section “Illusions of Embodiment and Their Lasting Effect,” we go on to discuss recent evidence indicating that immersion in VR can have psychological effects that last after leaving the virtual environment. In the second part of the article, we turn to the risks and recommendations. We begin, in Section “The Research Ethics of VR,” with the research ethics of VR, covering six main topics: the limits of experimental environments, informed consent, clinical risks, dual-use, online research, and a general point about the limitations of a code of conduct for research. Then, in Section “Risks for Individuals and Society,” we turn to the risks of VR for the general public, covering four main topics: long-term immersion, neglect of the social and physical environment, risky content, and privacy. We offer concrete recommendations for each of these 10 topics, summarized in Table 1

The experiences of gratitude in female ulama: An interpretation from Sufi psychology and PERMA-Model perspective

Amidst the social-cultural predominance of male ulama in the religious context, female ulama play important roles and yet are often trapped in life-role complexity and gender bias, as they have a responsibility in both the domestic and public domains. This study aims to explore the meaning of the experience of gratitude among female ulama based on the perspective of positive psychology, with reference to the PERMA (Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationship, Meaning, and Accomplishment) model, with further interpretation of gratitude (shukr) from Sufi psychology. Using a qualitative (phenomenological) approach, we held online in-depth interviews with five female ulama participants from across Indonesia and Germany. The research demonstrates the interconnection between themes related to gratitude according to PERMA-Model and the embodiment of gratitude (shukr) in Sufi psychology. These findings provide evidence to support the practical implication of the integrative intervention of positive and Sufi psychology for clinical purposes or to promote flourishing and well-being among women

The experiences of gratitude in female ulama: An interpretation from Sufi psychology and PERMA-Model perspective

Amidst the social-cultural predominance of male ulama in the religious context, female ulama play important roles and yet are often trapped in life-role complexity and gender bias, as they have a responsibility in both the domestic and public domains. This study aims to explore the meaning of the experience of gratitude among female ulama based on the perspective of positive psychology, with reference to the PERMA (Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationship, Meaning, and Accomplishment) model, with further interpretation of gratitude (shukr) from Sufi psychology. Using a qualitative (phenomenological) approach, we held online in-depth interviews with five female ulama participants from across Indonesia and Germany. The research demonstrates the interconnection between themes related to gratitude according to PERMA-Model and the embodiment of gratitude (shukr) in Sufi psychology. These findings provide evidence to support the practical implication of the integrative intervention of positive and Sufi psychology for clinical purposes or to promote flourishing and well-being among women

Embodying psychology through neuroscience: conceptual and political issues

For the most part psychology is disembodied, the processes and mechanisms it proposes as capable of being enabled by silicon and wire as by flesh and blood. This disembodiment means that analyses tend to grant unwarranted primacy to the cognitive realm, the realm of conscious thought and discourse. As a result, much of psychology lends itself to idealism, voluntarism and a notion of the subject as more-or-less transcendent, bounded, insightful, consistent and controlling. By contrast, in sociology, social theory, anthropology and other social sciences there has in recent years been a renewed interest in notions of embodiment, an interest that may currently be mutating into a focus on affect, emotion and feeling. These are topics on which neuroscience has much to say – indeed, the subdiscipline of affective neuroscience is concerned primarily with these aspects of our experience