The Temporality of Situated Cognition.

Cognition is not only shaped by space and body but also by time. The authors argue that situated cognition, typically defined by embodiment, enaction, extension, and embedding, must include a temporal dimension. On a subpersonal level, information processing requires a minimal temporal extension to form basic perceptions and actions (microlayer of time). On a personal level, lived experiences and narratives create broader temporal horizons (macrolayer of time). The macrolayer emerges from the microlayer, with neurobiological processes constraining the former and complex social affordances shaping the latter. Cognition is a continuous dynamic process transitioning between situated states, with the flow of time as its driving force. Examples from everyday life and psychopathology illustrate how understanding enduring situations benefits cognitive science.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Situated cognition embeds perceptions, thoughts, and behavior within the contextual framework of so-called "4E cognition" understanding cognition to be embodied, enactive, extended, and embedded. Whereas this definition is primarily based on the spatial properties of a situation, it neglects a fundamental constituent: the cognitive situation as enduring. On a subpersonal level, situated cognition requires the integration of information processing within a minimal temporal extension generating the basic building blocks of perception and action ("microlayer" of time). On a personal level, lived situations and experienced narratives leading to our biography can be defined by their broader temporal horizons ("macrolayer" of time). The macrolayer of time is based on and emerges from information processing on the microlayer of time. Whereas the constraints on the microlayer are primarily defined by the integrity of neurobiological processes within an individual cognitive system, the temporal horizons and subsequently the situational context on the macrolayer are defined by the complex affordances of a situation on a personal or interpersonal level. On both time layers, cognition can be defined as a continuous dynamic process, reflecting the transition from one situated state to another. Taken together, the events forming the delimiting horizons of these situations correspond to the temporal structure of the cognitive process along which it continuously proceeds. The dynamic driving and enabling this transition from state to state is synonymous with the inherent flow of time. Just as the layers of time, flow and structure, are inseparably connected. The integration of temporal flow and temporal structure into the continuous dynamic process constitutes the enduring situatedness of cognition. By providing everyday examples and examples from psychopathology, we highlight the benefits of understanding cognitive processes as part of enduring situations.