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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2021.07.08.451333

Meta-strategy learning in physical problem-solving: the effect of embodied experience

Allen, K. R.·Smith, K.·Bird, L.-A.·Tenenbaum, J. B.·Makin, T.·Cowie, D.
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Abstract

Embodied cognition suggests that our bodily experiences broadly shape our cognitive capabilities. We study how embodied experience affects the abstract physical problem-solving strategies people use in a virtual task where embodiment does not affect action capabilities. We compare how groups with different embodied experience - 25 children and 35 adults with congenital limb differences versus 45 children and 40 adults born with two hands - perform this task, and find that while there is no difference in overall competence, the groups use different cognitive strategies to find solutions. People born with limb differences think more before acting, but take fewer attempts to reach solutions. Conversely, development affects the particular actions children use, as well as their persistence with their current strategy. Our findings suggest that while development alters action choices and persistence, differences in embodied experience drive strategic changes in the acquisition of cognitive strategies for balancing acting with thinking. Statement of RelevanceTheories of embodied cognition suggest our cognitive and perceptual capabilities are shaped by how our bodies constrain our interactions with the world; however, these tasks often study short-term effects or setups where body differences impact task solutions. Here we compare the performance of children and adults with and without congenital limb differences (missing hands/upper limbs) on a virtual physical problem-solving task, where both groups had equal motor capabilities for interacting with the world. Across ages, participants with limb differences solved these tasks as proficiently as those without limb differences, but took fewer attempts to come to solutions, with more time spent thinking between attempts. This suggests that early life differences in embodied experience cause changes in individuals "cognitive strategies" for allocating time between thinking and acting.

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Allen, K. R., Smith, K., Bird, L.-A., Tenenbaum, J. B., Makin, T., Cowie, D.. 2021-07-09. Meta-strategy learning in physical problem-solving: the effect of embodied experience. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.08.451333

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