Laboratory for Embodied Cognition (Glenberg)
What is Embodied Cognition?
How do words, objects, and events become meaningful to us? Glenberg and his students are attacking these problems by developing an embodied theory of cognition: All cognitive processes are based on bodily and neural processes of perception, action, and emotion. Recent work in the lab has demonstrated a) how language comprehension depends on action and emotion, b) how coordinated action links us to other people, c) contributions of mirror neurons to language and action understanding, d) how embodiment theory can be used to design educational interventions to enhance young children's reading comprehension.
Research in the Glenberg lab is organized into two tracks. The first investigates the embodied basis of cognition with a focus on language. This basic research is guided by the question: How do bodily and neural systems of action, perception, and emotion contribute to high-level cognition? The second track applies the basic research to developing a reading comprehension intervention for emerging readers.The intervention, EMBRACE, is designed to help children construct embodied mental models while reading: Children MANIPULATE IMAGES ON AN IPAD to correspond to the sentences they read, and then they learn to imagine manipulating the IMAGES. This intervention greatly increases reading comprehension and has the collateral benefit of helping children love to read."
Our lab motto is Ago Ergo Cogito - "I act, therefore I think"
Lab Director and Principal Investigator: Art Glenberg, PhD, Professor
The EMBRACE research Team:
At ASU
Chris Blais (Assistant Research Professor)
Sarah Fialko (Research Assistant)
Nora Carrillo (Project Manager)
Tri Nguyen (Graduate Student)
Laida Restrepo (Professor and Assistant Dean for Research)
At University of Pittsburgh
Arun Lekshmi Narayanan (Graduate Student, lead programmer)
Jay Patel (Graduate Student)
Erin Walker (Associate Professor)
At Ball State University
Ligia Gómez (Assistant professor)
Recent Embodiment Publications:
Glenberg, A. M., Sato, M., Cattaneo, L., Riggio, L., Palumbo, D., Buccino, G. (2008). Processing abstract language modulates motor system activity. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 61, 905-919. https://doi.org/10.1080/17470210701625550
Glenberg, A. M., Sato, M., Cattaneo, L. (2008). Use-induced motor plasticity affects the processing of abstract and concrete language. Current Biology, 18, R290-R291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2008.02.036
Glenberg, A. M. (2009). Prediction and emotion in dialog. European Journal of Social Psychology, 39, 1169-1172. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.678
Scorolli, C. Borghi, A. M., Glenberg, A. M. (2009). Language-induced motor activity in bi-manual object lifting. Experimental Brain Research, 193, 43-53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-008-1593-4
Glenberg, A. M., Webster, B. J., Mouilso, E., Havas, D. A., & Lindeman, L. M. (2009). Gender, emotion, and the embodiment of language comprehension. Emotion Review, 1, 151-161. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073908100440
Glenberg, A. M., & Mehta, S. (2008). Constraint on covariation: It’s not meaning. Italian Journal of Linguistics, 20, 241-264.
Glenberg, A. M., Becker, R., Klötzer, S., Kolanko, L, Müller , S., Rinck, M. (2009). Episodic affordances contribute to language comprehension. Language and Cognition, 1, 113-135. https://doi.org/10.1515/LANGCOG.2009.006
Glenberg, A. M. (2010). Embodiment as a unifying perspective for psychology. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, 1, 586-596. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.55
Killeen, P., & Glenberg, A. M. (2010). Resituating cognition. Comparative Cognition & Behavior Reviews, 4, 66-85. https://doi.org/10.3819/ccbr.2010.50003
Havas, D. H., Glenberg, A. M., Gutowski, K., Lucarelli, M, & Davidson, R. (2010). Cosmetic use of botulinum toxin-A affects processing of emotional language. Psychological Science, 21, 895-900. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797610374742
Marsh, E.R. & Glenberg, A. M. (2010). The embodied statistician. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2010.00184
Rueschemeyer S, Glenberg AM, Kaschak M, Mueller K and Friederici A (2010). Top-down and bottom-up contributions to understanding sentences describing objects in motion. Frontiers in Psychology https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2010.00184
Glenberg AM, Lopez-Mobilia G, McBeath M, Toma M, Sato M and Cattaneo L (2010). Knowing beans: Human mirror mechanisms revealed through motor adaptation. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2010.00206
Cattaneo, L., Barchiesi, G., Tabarelli, D., Arfeller, C., Sato, M., & Glenberg, A. M. (2011). One’s motor performance predictably modulates the understanding of others’ actions through adaptation of premotor visuo-motor neurons. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 6, 301-310. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsq099
Sato, M., Brisebois, A., Grabski, K., Basirat, A, Ménard, L, Glenberg, A. M., & Cattaneo, L. (2011). Articulatory bias in speech categorization: Evidence from use-induced motor plasticity. Cortex, 47, 1001-1003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2011.03.009
Glenberg, A. M., & Gallese, V. (2012). Action-based Language: A theory of language acquisition, comprehension, and production. Cortex, 48, 905-922. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2011.04.010
Glenberg, A. M. (2011). Introduction to the Mirror Neuron Forum. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6, 363-368. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691611412386
Glenberg, A. M. (2011). Positions in the mirror are close than they appear. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6, 408-410. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691611413393
Ibáñez, A., Cardona, J. F., Dos Santos, Y. V., Blenkmann, A., Aravena, P., Roca, M., … Bekinschtein, T. (2013). Motor-language coupling: Direct evidence from early Parkinson’s disease and intracranial cortical recordings. Cortex, 49(4), 968–984. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2012.02.014
Glenberg, A. M., Witt, J. K., & Metcalfe, J. (2013). From the Revolution to Embodiment: 25 Years of Cognitive Psychology. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 8, 573-585. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691613498098
Ibáñez, A., Cardona, J. F., Dos Santos, Y. V., Blenkmann, A., Aravena, P., Roca, M., Hurtado, E., Nerguizian, M., Amoruso, L., Gómez-Arévalo, G., Chade, A., Dubrovsky, A., Gershanik, O., Kochen, S., Glenberg, A., Manes, F., & Bekinschtein, T. (2013). Motor-language coupling: Direct evidence from early Parkinson’s disease and intracranial cortical recordings. Cortex, 49(4), 968–984. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2012.02.014
Soliman, T., Gibson, A., Glenberg (2013). Sensory motor mechanisms unify psychology: The embodiment of culture. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00885
Zarr, N., Ferguson, R. & Glenberg, A. M. (2013) Language comprehension warps the mirror neuron system. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00870
Glenberg, A. M. (2015). Few believe the world is flat: How embodiment is changing the scientific understanding of cognition. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 69, 165-171. https://doi.org/10.1037/cep0000056
Glenberg, A. M. (2015). Response to Mahon: Unburdening cognition from abstract symbols. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 69, 181-182. https://doi.org/10.1037/cep0000057
Glenberg, A. M. (2015). Big Myth or Major Miss? Gregory Hickok’s “The Myth of Mirror Neurons: The Real Neuroscience of Communication and Cognition.” American Journal of Psychology. 128, 533-539. https://doi.org/10.5406/amerjpsyc.128.4.0533
Soliman, T., Ferguson, R., Dexheimer, S., & Glenberg, A. M. (2015). Consequences of joint action: Entanglement with your partner. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 144, 873-888. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000089
Glenberg, A. M., & Hayes, J. (2016). Contribution of embodiment to solving the riddle of infantile amnesia. Frontiers in Psychology, 7:10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00010
Glenberg, A. M. (2017). Rares sont ceux qui croient que le monde est plat: Comment l’incarnation est en train de changer la compréhension scientifique de la cognition. Recherches sur la philsophie et le langage, 33, 33-54.
Glenberg, A. M. (2017). Commentaire: Réponse à Mahon: Décharger la cognition des symbols abstraits. Recherches sur la philsophie er le langage, 33, 77-81.
Díez E., Díez-Álamo A.M., Wojcik D.Z., Glenberg, A.M. & Fernandez, A. (2018). Retrieving Against the Flow: Incoherence Between Optic Flow and Movement Direction Has Little Effect on Memory for Order. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12:102. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00102
Díez-Álamo, A. M., Glenberg, A. M., Díez, E., Alonso, M. A., Fernandez, A. (2020). The linguistic looming effect. Journal of Memory and Language, 114, 104147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2020.104147
Günther, F., Nguyen, T., Chen, L. Dudschig, C., Kaup, B. & Glenberg, A. M. (2020). Immediate sensorimotor grounding of novel concepts learned from language alone. Journal of Memory and Language, 115, 104172. doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2020.104172
Kwon, J.Y., Glenberg, A. M., Varnum, M. E. (2021). Culture, ecology, and grounded procedures. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 44, e13, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X20000369
Yu, C. S. P, McBeath, M. K., & Glenberg, A.M. (in press). The Gleam-Glum Effect: /i:/ vs /˄/ Phonemes Generically Carry Emotional Valence. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. https://doi-org.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/10.1037/xlm0001017
Morey, R. D., Kaschak, M.P., Díez-Álamo, A. M., Glenberg, A. M., et al. (in press). A pre-registered, multi-lab non-replication of the action-sentence compatibility effect (ACE). Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.
Glenberg, A. M. (in press). Embodiment and learning of abstract concepts (such as algebraic topology and regression to the mean). Psychological Research.
Fischer, M. H., Glenberg, A. M., Moeller, K., & Shaki, S. (in press). Grounding (fairly) complex numerical knowledge: An educational example. Psychological Research.
Reading Comprehension
Marley, S. C., Levin, J. R., & Glenberg, A. M. (2010). What Cognitive Benefits Does an Activity-Based Reading Strategy Afford Young Native American Readers? Journal of Experimental Education. 78(3), 395 – 417. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220970903548061
Marley, S. C. , Szabo, Z., Levin, J. R., & Glenberg, A. M.(2011). Investigation of an Activity-Based Text-Processing Strategy in Mixed-Age Child Dyads. The Journal of Experimental Education, 79: 3, 340-360. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2010.483697
Glenberg, A. M., Goldberg, A., Zhu, X. (2011). Improving early reading comprehension using embodied CAI. Instructional Science, 39, 27- 39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-009-9096-7
Glenberg, A. M., Willford, J., Gibson, B. R., Goldberg, A. B., Zhu, X. (2011). Improving reading to improve math. Scientific Studies of Reading. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2011.564245
Glenberg, A. M. (2011). How reading comprehension is embodied and why that matters. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 4, 5-18.
Glenberg, A. M., Walker, E. A., & Restrepo, M. A. (2016) EMBRACEing dual language learners. In S.A. Crossley & D. S. McNamara, Adaptive Educational Technologies for Literacy Instruction. Taylor & Francis, Routledge: NY, pp 268-274. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315647500-19
Walker, E., Adams, A., Restrepo, M. A., Fialko, S., & Glenberg, A. M. (2017). When (and how) interacting with technology-enhanced storybooks helps dual language learners. Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 3(1), 66-79. https://doi.org/10.1037/tps0000100
Walker, E., Wong, A., Fialko, S., Restrepo, M. A., & Glenberg, A. M. (2017). Applying Cognitive Tutor Principles to Reading Comprehension. In: André E., Baker R., Hu X., Rodrigo M., du Boulay B. (eds) Artificial Intelligence in Education. AIED 2017. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 10331. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61425-0_68
Adams, A.M., Glenberg, A. M., & Restrepo, M.A. (2018). Moved by reading in a DLL Spanish-speaking population. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. https://doi.org/10.1044/2018_LSHSS-16-0032
Adams, A. M., Glenberg, A. M., & Restrepo, M. A. (2019). Embodied reading in a transparent orthography. Learning and Instruction, 62, 27-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2019.03.003
Lekshmi Narayanan A.B. et al. (2021) Parent-EMBRACE: An Adaptive Dialogic Reading Intervention. In: Roll I., McNamara D., Sosnovsky S., Luckin R., Dimitrova V. (eds) Artificial Intelligence in Education. AIED 2021. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 12749. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78270-2_43
Wall, D., Foltz, S., Kupfer, A., & Glenberg, A. M. (2021). Embodied action scaffolds dialogic reading. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09617-6
Gómez, L., & Glenberg, A. M. (in press). Embodied Classroom Activities for Vocabulary Acquisition. In S. L. Macrine and J. Fugate (Eds.) Movement Matters: How Embodied Cognition Informs Teaching and Learning. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.