The Dynamical Systems Approach to Cognition: Concepts and Empirical Paradigms Based on Self-Organization, Embodiment, and Coordination Dynamics (Studies of Nonlinear Phenomena in Life Science)

The shared platform of the articles collected in this volume is used to advocate a dynamical systems approach to cognition. It is argued that recent developments in cognitive science towards an account of embodiment, together with the general approach of complexity theory and dynamics, have a major impact on behavioural and cognitive science. The book points out that there are two domains that follow naturally from the stance of embodiment: first, coordination dynamics is an established empirical paradigm that is best able to aid the approach; second, the obvious goal-directedness of intelligent action (i.e., intentionality) is nicely addressed in the framework of the dynamical synergetic approach. I. Embodiment. Intelligent behavior: a synergetic view / Hermann Haken -- Grounded in the world: developmental origins of the embodied mind / Esther Thelen -- Cognitive coordination dynamics / Scott Kelso -- II. Coordination dynamics. What is coordinated in bimanual coordination? / Franz Mechsner and Wolfgang Prinz -- Cognition in action: the interplay of attention and bimanual coordination dynamics / Jean Jacques Temprado -- A synergetic approach to describe the stability and variability of motor behavior / Kerstin Witte [und weitere] -- The role of synchronization in perception-action / Tin-cheun Chan [und weitere] -- A mean-field approach to self-organization in spatially extended perception-action and psychological systems / Till Frank and Peter Beek -- III. Intentionality. Self-organizing systems show apparent intentionality / Wolfgang Tschacher, Jean-Pierre Dauwalder, and Hermann Haken -- The embodiment of intentionality / Scott Jordan -- Cognitive science, representations and dynamical systems theory / Pim Haselager, Raoul Bongers, and Iris van Rooij -- Self-steered self-organisation / Fred Keijzer -- Brain dynamics: methodological issues and applications in psychiatric and neurologic diseases / Laurent Pezard -- SIRN (Synergetic Inter-Representation Networks), artifacts and Snow's two cultures / Juval Portugali -- Dynamical systems theory: application to pedagogy / Jane Abraham Intelligent behavior : a synergetic view / Hermann Haken Grounded in the world : developmental origins of the embodied mind / Esther Thelen Cognitive coordination dynamics / Scott Kelso What is coordinated in bimanual coordination? / Franz Mechsner and Wolfgang Prinz Cognition in action : the interplay of attention and bimanual coordination dynamics / Jean Jacques Temprado A synergetic approach to describe the stability and variability of motor behavior / Kerstin Witte ... [et al.] The role of synchronization in perception-action / Tin-cheun Chan ... [et al.] A mean-field approach to self-organization in spatially extended perception-action and psychological systems / Till Frank and Peter Beek Self-organizing systems show apparent intentionality / Wolfgang Tschacher, Jean-Pierre Dauwalder, and Hermann Haken The embodiment of intentionality / Scott Jordan Cognitive science, representations and dynamical systems theory / Pim Haselager, Raoul Bongers, and Iris van Rooij Self-steered self-organisation / Fred Keijzer Brain dynamics : methodological issues and applications in psychiatric and neurologic diseases / Laurent Pezard SIRN (synergetic inter-representation networks), artifacts and Snow's two cultures / Juval Portugali Dynamical systems theory : application to pedagogy / Jane Abraham. Abstract. This paper addresses the question of how intelligence works.