Review by Choice Review
Mental processes enable humans to survive in their environment. To do this, these processes must take into account not only human needs and information provided by the environment, but also the capabilities and limitations of the body. A view that has gained some popularity in recent years is that mental processes are the result of the interaction of these three sources of information. This view is called embodied cognition. An offshoot of this idea is that one understands language by re-creating mentally what one would perceive and especially how one would react if faced with what the words describe. This is the "embodied simulation" hypothesis. In this book, Bergen (cognitive science, Univ. of California, San Diego), a prolific researcher, describes a wide range of experiments and presents many demonstrations that support this hypothesis. The writing style is clear and free of technical jargon. Illustrations are relevant and helpful, although many graphs exaggerate experimental results by failing to show the y-axis origin. The author's enthusiasm and humor are evident and result in an informative and fun read. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. R. H. Cormack New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Bergen's (cognitive science, director of the Language and Cognition Lab, Univ. of California, San Diego) latest study isn't for the faint of heart, as he explores and explains the science behind recent studies on cognition and the making of meaning. Bergen's "embodied simulation hypothesis" suggests that mental imagery simulates the brain processes that enable one to make meaning out of real and imagined events. Mental simulation may be conscious or unconscious and is the foundation for the process of understanding meaning-making. One of Bergen's more interesting claims suggests that imagining performing an action may be as effective as performing it. Thus, athletes benefit from imagining exercises that supplants, to a certain degree, physical training. Seemingly, academics are the book's primary audience; however, general readers with a focused interest in cognitive studies could read and, with some persistence, comprehend this nonetheless excellent book. Verdict Similar to what Stephen Pinker's The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language is to linguists, this book is a sine qua non for cognitive scientists, ordinary language philosophers, and the intrepid general reader. Highly recommended.-Lynne Maxwell, Villanova Univ. Sch. of Law Lib., PA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
