Research

Embodied Cognition Laboratory (Laboratorio de Cognición Corporizada - LabCoCo)

How do the body and the context we are situated in shape the way we perceive, think, behave, and feel?

Our research focuses on the study of perceptual, predictive, attentional, and emotional mechanisms under the embodied cognition framework.

The Embodied Cognition Lab provides a context for the integration of multidisciplinary experimental, theoretical, and computational approaches for the study of how the body and situated action cycles grounded in the physical properties of the environment shape cognitive processes. We are interested in the study, understanding, and computational modeling of the predictive, attentional, and emotional mechanisms involved in embodied cognitive processes.

The study of embodied and grounded predictions in biological and artificial agents is of special interest. In this regard, we consider prediction error minimization as being one of the most representative examples of a cognitive process. Thus, the understanding of the mechanisms and processes related to prediction error, such as its detection, its minimization, and the monitoring of prediction error dynamics, is at the core of our research. Finally, the predictive mechanisms related to language acquisition, production, and comprehension are of special interest.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9216-9297

SCOPUS

Projects

2025-2027

Conceptual Knowledge Representation: An Analysis of the Sensorimotor Content of Concepts Using Artificial Intelligence Tools and Sentential Context Experiments

This project investigates how conceptual knowledge is acquired and represented through its sensorimotor foundations, within the framework of embodied and grounded cognition. The project examines perceptual and motor experiences as core components of conceptual representation, drawing on existing sensorimotor norms developed across multiple languages and cultures. Using artificial intelligence tools, specifically neural networks, the research analyzes complex sensorimotor patterns associated with concrete and abstract concepts to evaluate whether conceptual content tends to be invariant or context-dependent across languages and sentence contexts. In parallel, the project includes an online experimental study with Mexican adults to assess how sentential context modulates sensorimotor representations of concepts. By integrating cross-linguistic data, contextual manipulation, and computational modeling, the project aims to advance theoretical debates on conceptual representation while contributing methodological insights relevant to cognitive science, natural language processing, and artificial intelligence.

This research is supported by the Programa de Apoyo a Proyectos de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica (UNAM-PAPIIT), Project IN304825: Representación del conocimiento conceptual: análisis del contenido sensorimotor de los conceptos mediante herramientas de inteligencia artificial y experimentación con contextos oracionales.

alejandra.ciria-at-unam.mx

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