My research investigates the role of language within a distributed conception of cognition. The leading hypothesis is that:
1. Human cognitive processes are (at least partially) shaped by social and intersubjective habits that rely widely on bodily and environmental regularities, other agencies and socio-cultural norms, thus not being located solely in the individual brain or even in the individual body.
2. Language is grounded on and motivated by these habits, that is, language is embodied, situated and distributed.
3. But at the same time language widens the social and intersubjective horizon of cognition and therefore reshapes situatedness and embodiment of cognitive processes.
In particular I focus on the emergence, alignment and negotiation of symbolic patterns and on their role in cognitive performance and coordination. A few questions arise from such an enterprise: How are language structures employed in social coordination and joint problem solving? How are they shaped by local use and practices? Which consequences does this have for cognitive performances? How to investigate these issues? Which methodologies are most fit to investigate different time scales of linguistically mediated cognitive dynamics?
My work encompassed conceptual investigations of cognitive and distributed approaches to language (Fusaroli, Granelli and Paolucci 2010, Fusaroli, Demuru and Borghi 2011, Fusaroli and Morgagni 2011), the attempt to combine American pragmatism to the “language as a tool for interacting minds” hypothesis (Fusaroli 2010), the analysis of the evolution of linguistic and conceptual metaphors (Fusaroli 2011), and experimental approaches to linguistic coordination in joint problem solving settings (Tylén, Fusaroli et al 2011).
The framework developed has also been applied to new media, edutainment and computer games, political discourse and narratology.

Location

Aarhus

Disciplines

• Linguistics
• Philosophy
• Psychology

Affiliation

Aarhus Universitet

Website

http://www.google.com/profiles/fusaroli