Abstract: Embodied embedded cognition (EEC) has gained support in cognitive science as well as in human–computer interaction (HCI). EEC can be characterized both by its action-centeredness as well as its roots in phenomenology. The phenomenological aspects of EEC could be seen as support for trends in design emphasizing the user experience. Meanwhile, usability issues often are still approached using traditional methods based on cognitivist assumptions. In this paper, I argue for a renewed focus on improving usability from an EEC perspective. I draw mainly on a behavior-oriented interpretation of the theory, the key aspects of which are reviewed. A tentative sketch for an embodied embedded usability is proposed, doing justice to the embodied embedded nature of interaction while retaining the goal of developing technology that is easy to use in everyday practice.
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Walking meetings are a promising way to reduce unhealthy sedentary behavior at the office. Some aspects of walking meetings are however hard to assess using traditional research approaches that do not account well for the embodied experience of walking meetings. We conducted a series of 16 bodystorming sessions, featuring unusual walking meeting situations to engage participants (N=45) in a reflective experience. After each bodystorming, participants completed three tasks: a body map, an empathy map, and a rating of workload using the NASA-TLX scale. These embodied explorations provide insights on key themes related to walking meetings: material and tools, physical and mental demand, connection with the environment, social dynamics, and privacy. We discuss the role of technology and opportunities for technology-mediated walking meetings. We draw implications for the design of walking meeting technologies or services to account for embodied experiences, and the individual, social, and environmental factors at play.
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This investigation explores relations between 1) a theory of human cognition, called Embodied Cognition, 2) the design of interactive systems and 3) the practice of ‘creative group meetings’ (of which the so-called ‘brainstorm’ is perhaps the best-known example). The investigation is one of Research-through-Design (Overbeeke et al., 2006). This means that, together with students and external stakeholders, I designed two interactive prototypes. Both systems contain a ‘mix’ of both physical and digital forms. Both are designed to be tools in creative meeting sessions, or brainstorms. The tools are meant to form a natural, element in the physical meeting space. The function of these devices is to support the formation of shared insight: that is, the tools should support the process by which participants together, during the activity, get a better grip on the design challenge that they are faced with. Over a series of iterations I reflected on the design process and outcome, and investigated how users interacted with the prototypes.
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from the article: "We present a case study as part of an investigation into the value of Embodied theory for the design of mixed physical digital interactive products. An interactive light system was designed that empowers an independent living person with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in managing domestic activities. Reflecting on the case we develop our vision of Embodied Functionality (EF). Designing for EF goes beyond ‘distributing’ information technology in the environment. It aims at creating interactive physical digital products that play a functional role (i.e. become part of) a person’s embodied being‐in‐the- world, involving a person’s identity. It does so by utilizing existing structure and by supporting action ‐perception couplings, reflection in- and on action and autonomy in social coordination. EF opens up an alternative design space holding the promise of a more successful appropriation of interactive (assistive) products into people’s everyday lives. "
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To reach for abstraction is a major but challenging goal in mathematics education: teachers struggle with finding ways how to foster abstraction in their classes. To shed light on this issue for the case of geometry education, we align theoretical perspectives on embodied learning and abstraction with practical perspectives from in-service teachers. We focus on the teaching and learning of realistic geometry, not only because this domain is apt for sensori-motor action investigations, but also because abstraction in realistic geometry is under-researched in relation to other domains of mathematics, and teachers’ knowledge of geometry and confidence in teaching it lag behind. The following research question will be addressed: how can a theoretical embodied perspective on abstraction in geometry education in the higher grades of primary school inform current teacher practices? To answer this question, we carried out a literature study and an interview study with in-service teachers (n = 6). As a result of the literature study, we consider embodied abstraction in geometry as a process of reflecting on, describing, explaining, and structuring of sensory-motor actions in the experienced world through developing and using mathematical artifacts. The results from the interview study show that teachers are potentially prepared for using aspects of embodied learning (e.g., manipulatives), but are not aware of the different aspects of enactment that may invite students’ abstraction. We conclude that theories on embodiment and abstraction do not suffice to foster students’ abstraction process in geometry. Instead, teachers’ knowledge of embodied abstraction in geometry and how to foster this grows with experience in enactment, and with the discovery that cognition emerges to serve action.
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Workshop paper Taking an embodied perspective, we report on the design of two interactive products aimed at empowering people with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder in coping with challenges of everyday life. Our Research-through-Design study combined theory with hands-on co-design work and in situ user observation, in close collaboration with clients and their professional caretakers, constructing experienceable prototypes as tangible anchors for reflection. Reflection resulted in guiding principles addressing the design potential of designing for Embodied Empowerment, centering on the client’s embodied-being-in-the-world.
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Veerkracht is a game for servant-leadership development. Although the first version of the game already provided a rather authentic environment for professional training, some players reported that it did not sufficiently provide the rich and meaningful interaction required to practice leadership skills. To revise the game we took inspiration from the literature on embodied cognition and added embodied interactions with non-player characters. An evaluation of the revised game, Veerkracht 2.0, yielded significant increases in some of the learning effects when compared to the original game. Further analysis showed that the increased learning was to a large extent due to the revised (embodied) interactions in the game. We concluded that, although some questions remain unanswered, embodied cognition seems a promising area of research for improving game designs and game design theories.
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As part of an 8-week intervention study in Dutch nursing homes, we used video-analysis to observe the interaction of psychogeriatric participants with either the handler, the stimulus (dog or robot) or other clients during weekly dog, robot (RAI, robot assisted interventions) and control (human facilitator only) group sessions. Additionally, we measured the initiative of the handler to engage participants. Several baseline characteristics, including dementia severity, neuropsychiatric symptoms and medication usage, were recorded as possible confounders.Participant-handler interaction is increased in all three groups compared to a baseline of no interaction, while inter-client interaction is not. In the dog group participant-handler interaction scores are similar to participant-dog interaction scores, while in the robot group participant-handler interaction scores are significantly lower than participant-robot interaction scores. Handler initiative does not differ between the three groups.Our results suggest that a handler effect of AAI on social interaction in dementia care does exist and we hypothesize this effect is linked to the required fully embodied, mutual attunement between dog and handler and between dog-handler team and participants. This embodied interaction distinguishes AAI from RAI and when the required attunement is met, AAI can significantly increase the social interaction of people with dementia.
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Creative arts engagement has been shown to be related to maintaining wellbeing in older adulthood (Tymoszuk et al., 2019). For people living with dementia, music can be engaging and rewarding (Baird & Thompson, 2018), and is often presented as a therapeutic activity. It is theorised that music’s capacity to effect change is due to its engaging, emotional, physical, personal, social and persuasive qualities (Brancatisano et al., 2020). However, music itself is a complex intervention (Loui, 2020) and the ‘creative’ in music activities in the small number of studies with people living with dementia is rarely described or critiqued (Creech et al., 2020). Music is often described as passive (receptive)/active to reflect different listening or playing activities. Only a few studies detail opportunities for people living with dementia to exercise creativity (e.g. Zeilig et al., 2019).Technology to assist these musical interactions in dementia falls under distinct categories of listening to music, or playing music, with very little afforded in the way of agency, choice or control (MacRitchie et al., 2023). A few possible explanations could be: i) the musical activity is valued in terms of pre/post cognitive or social changes (Kontos & Grigorovich, 2018) i.e., the activity itself is not particularly critiqued, ii) creativity is assumed to be embedded in the activity and does not need to be enhanced or supported, iii) the locus of creativity is in cognitive processes occurring in the brain, so people living with dementia are often ascribed a passive role in creative musical interactions (Zeilig et al., 2019). We propose a new way of thinking about musical interactions for people living with dementia, building from the enactive, embodied experience of music (Schiavio et al., 2022), and considering a more relational view. Leaving aside the framing where the person with dementia is limited in what creativity they can offer, we propose instead a framework of design where subtle acts of agency and (mini-C) creativity are afforded, supporting a myriad of musical interactions that sit between listening and performing.
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Previous investigations of consumer subcultures in the CCT tradition focused primarily on consumer behaviours, feelings, experiences and meanings of consumption. This paper advocates that in order to deeply understand and interpret a particular subculture, researchers in consumer culture should consider more thoroughly the interaction between consumers and producers in consumption markets. This argument is illustrated with a research project on lifestyle sports. From the results of this study it appears that producers play a vital and interdependent role in meaning and interpretation processes. It is argued that processes in which consumers give meaning to activities can not be isolated from the processes in which producers ascribe meanings to activities, settings and markets. In this 'circuit of culture', production and consumption are not completely separate spheres of existence but rather are mutually constitutive of one another (Du Gay, Hall, Janes, Mackay, & Negus, 1997).
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