Ecological foundations of cognition. II: Degrees of freedom and conserved quantities in animal-environment systems

Authors: Shaw R.E.¹; Turvey M.T.²

Source: Journal of Consciousness Studies, Volume 6, Numbers 11-12, 1999 , pp. 111-124(14)

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Abstract:

Cognition means different things to different psychologists depending on the position held on the mind-matter problem. Ecological psychologists reject the implied mind-matter dualism as an ill-posed theoretic problem because the assumed mind-matter incommensurability precludes a solution to the degrees of freedom problem. This fundamental problem was posed by both Nicolai Bernstein and James J. Gibson independently. It replaces mind-matter dualism with animal-environment duality (isomorphism) -- a better posed scientific problem because commensurability is assured. Furthermore, when properly posed this way, a conservation law is suggested that encompasses a psychology of transactional systems, a biology of self-actional systems, and a physics of interactional systems. For such a solution, a theory of cognition for goal-directed behaviour (e.g., choosing goals, authoring intentions, using information, and controlling actions) is needed. A sketch is supplied for how such a theory might be pursued in the spirit of the new physics of evolving complex systems.

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Center for the Ecological Study of Perception and Action, University of Connecticut, Stoors, CT 06269-1020, USA. Email:REShaw@uconnvm.uconn.edu 2: Email: turvey@uconnvm.uconn.edu

Publication date: 1999-01-01