title: A perceptual account of symbolic reasoning.
abstract: People can be taught to manipulate symbols according to formal mathematical and logical rules. Cognitive scientists have traditionally viewed this capacity-the capacity for symbolic reasoning-as grounded in the ability to internally represent numbers, logical relationships, and mathematical rules in an abstract, amodal fashion. We present an alternative view, portraying symbolic reasoning as a special kind of embodied reasoning in which arithmetic and logical formulae, externally represented as notations, serve as targets for powerful perceptual and sensorimotor systems. Although symbolic reasoning often conforms to abstract mathematical principles, it is typically implemented by perceptual and sensorimotor engagement with concrete environmental structures.
authors.affiliation: Psychological and Brain Science/Cognitive Science, Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Landy
authors.affiliation: History and Philosophy of Science/Cognitive Science, Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück Osnabrück, Germany.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zednik
keywords: embodied cognition; formal logic; human reasoning; mathematics; perception