scholarly journals When No Laughing Matter Is No Laughing Matter: The Challenges in Developing a Cognitive Theory of Humor

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-110
Author(s):  
Eric Hochstein
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
The Way

Abstract This paper explores the current obstacles that a cognitive theory of humor faces. More specifically, I argue that the nebulous and ill-defined nature of humor makes it difficult to tell what counts as clear instances of, and deficits in, the phenomenon.Without getting clear on this, we cannot identify the underlying cognitive mechanisms responsible for humor. Moreover, being too quick to draw generalizations regarding the ubiquity of humor, or its uniqueness to humans, without substantially clarifying the phenomenon and its occurrences is not only unwise but can actually be a detriment to our study of humor. As such, these sorts of claims must be resisted. I conclude the paper by pointing the way forward to addressing these obstacles.

scholarly journals A marriage of convenience or an amicable divorce: Metaphorical blends in the debates on Brexit

ExELL ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Sanja Berberović ◽  
Mersina Mujagić
Keyword(s):  
Public Discourse ◽  
Figurative Language ◽  
Conceptual Metaphor ◽  
Conceptual Blending ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Discourse Coherence ◽  
The Way

Abstract The paper investigates the interaction of conceptual blending and conceptual metaphor in producing figurative creativity in discourse. The phenomenon of figurative creativity is defined by Kövecses (2005) as creativity arising through the cognitive mechanisms of metonymy, metaphor, and blending. Specifically, the paper examines the use of creative figurative language in the British public discourse on the topic on Brexit. The aim of this paper is to show that conventional metaphors can be creatively stretched through conceptual blending, producing instances of creative figurative language. Specifically, applying blending theory, we will analyse innovative conceptual blends, motivated by the conventional marriage/divorce metaphor. In addition, the paper also examines the way in which creative figurative language produced in metaphorical blends provides discourse coherence at intertextual and intratextual levels.

Redefining cognitive psychology

1995 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 363-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Jonides ◽  
Patricia Reuter-Lorenz
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Psychology ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The Way

AbstractPosner & Raichle illustrate how neuroimaging blends profitably with neuropsychology and electrophysiology to advance cognitive theory. Recognizing that there are limitations to each of these techniques, we nonetheless argue that their confluence has fundamentally changed the way cognitive psychologists think about problems of the mind.

scholarly journals Deconstruction of Idea Generation Methods Into a Framework of Creativity Mechanisms

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Senni Kirjavainen ◽  
Katja Hölttä-Otto
Keyword(s):  
Idea Generation ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Parallel Track ◽  
Engineering Problems ◽  
Significant Research ◽  
Ideation Methods ◽  
Creative Ideation ◽  
The Way

Abstract Creative ideas are a central part of solving engineering problems, generating interesting art, as well as developing successful products and innovations. Idea generation methods are a well-researched topic. Specifically, there is significant research that focuses on specific idea generation methods and how they perform. Further, some method classifications have been suggested to help understand the cognitive mechanisms involved in creative ideation as well as the differences between methods. Yet, the discourse is usually on which ideation method outperforms another or how to improve an ideation method rather than the elements, rules, constraints, and activities that comprise ideation methods. In this study 76 well-documented idea generation methods are reviewed and analyzed. We find all analyzed methods consist of 25 mechanisms. The mechanisms are discussed and classified into idea promoting and implementation mechanisms. We suggest that rather than focusing research only on methods, there should be a parallel track of research creating understanding on these mechanisms and their interactions to help increase our understanding of creativity methods, add practitioners understanding on how to get the best advantages out of creativity methods and lastly improve the way practical creativity is approached in education.

scholarly journals Deconstruction of Idea Generation Methods Into a Framework of Creativity Mechanisms

2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Senni Kirjavainen ◽  
Katja Hölttä-Otto
Keyword(s):  
Design Thinking ◽  
Idea Generation ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Parallel Track ◽  
Engineering Problems ◽  
Significant Research ◽  
Ideation Methods ◽  
Creative Ideation ◽  
The Way

Abstract Creative ideas are a central part of design thinking, whether solving engineering problems, generating interesting art, as well as developing successful products and innovations. Idea generation methods are a well-researched topic, and there is significant research that focuses on specific idea generation methods and how they perform. Furthermore, several method classifications have been suggested to help understand the cognitive mechanisms involved in creative ideation as well as differences between methods. Yet, the discourse is usually on which ideation method outperforms another or how to improve an ideation method rather than the elements, rules, constraints, and activities that comprise ideation methods. In this study, 88 well-documented idea generation methods are reviewed and analyzed. We find all analyzed methods consist of 25 basic mechanisms. The mechanisms are discussed and classified into idea promoting and implementation mechanisms. We suggest that rather than focusing research only on methods, there should be a parallel track of research on these mechanisms and their interactions to help increase our understanding of creativity methods, add understanding for practitioners on how to get the best advantages out of creativity methods, and finally improve the way that practical creativity is approached in education.

Transformation of the initiates' identities after their initiation into the mysteries of Mithras

2011 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-61
Author(s):  
Olympia Panagiotidou
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Human Experience ◽  
Preliminary Attempt ◽  
Cognitive Principles ◽  
Mark Johnson ◽  
The Way

This article is a preliminary attempt to investigate the way in which the initiates into the mithraic mysteries experienced a transformation of their identities in the cultic context. This transformation expanded in the wider framework of their lives and determined new, different lines of action. Since the very processes, through which people acquire a sense of themselves and shape their identity, are determined by specific cognitive principles and operations, the investigation of these processes could help us to understand how Mithraists experienced their participation to the mysteries, and the effects that such an experience had in the way in which they perceived themselves. In this perspective the cognitive theory of Mark Johnson about the narrative dimension of human experience is used as a theoretical framework for an understanding of the broader impact of initiation into the mithraic mysteries on the construction of the initiates’ identities.

Indeterminiertheit, Valenzvariation und Verbbedeutung vom Gesichtspunkt der funktionellen Syntax / Indeterminateness, valency variation and verb meaning from a functional syntax perspective

2006 ◽  
Vol 34 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaas Willems
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Semantic Variation ◽  
Verb Meaning ◽  
Functional Syntax ◽  
The Way

AbstractThis paper deals with the problem of how inherent verb meanings are to be assessed in a synchronic theory of verb valency, given that verbs usually occur in different syntactic patterns and display considerable semantic variation. Moreover, in a recent paper, Fischer (2003) claims that valency is essentially “indeterminate”, because the way verbs build up constructions is subject to various interpretations by different speakers. In the present paper, the variability problem is approached from the point of view of “functional syntax”, a non-generative and non-cognitive theory of grammar developed by Eugenio Coseriu. The paper focuses on the question whether indeterminacy not only holds for valency, but for verb meanings as well. The empirical account is based on a case study of a set of sentences in which the German verb

scholarly journals Cognitive Approaches to Foreign Policy Analysis

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Rapport
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Cognitive Psychology ◽  
Policy Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Foreign Policy Analysis ◽  
Social Judgments ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms

Cognitive theory encompasses mental activities such as the observation of different stimuli in an environment; the memorization and recall of information; pattern recognition and problem representation; and complex activities like social judgments, analytic reasoning, and learning. Cognitive psychology also highlights the constraints that prevent individuals from acting as utility-maximizing, fully rational decision-makers. These constraints lead people to rely on a regularly occurring set of cognitive mechanisms to simplify the decision-making process. Scholars of foreign policy have drawn from several prominent areas of cognitive psychology to inform their research. One such area looks at the beliefs and belief systems that are the building blocks for most judgments. Researchers have also examined how actors use cognitive biases and heuristics to cope with uncertainty, which is abundant in foreign policy settings. An important set of cognitive mechanisms examined in Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA) relates to judgments about policy risks and costs. Factors that facilitate and inhibit learning are crucial for understanding the conditions under which such judgments may improve over time. No cognitive process operates in a vacuum; instead these processes are moderated by an individual’s group context and emotions. There are several challenges in applying cognitive theory to FPA. Such theories are biased toward populations that are Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic. They are usually first tested using controlled experiments that measure group-level differences; whereas FPA scholars are often interested in the cognitive processes of individual leaders operating in chaotic environments. Individual-level psychological mechanisms may augment or offset one another, as well as interact with variables at the governmental, societal, and international levels of analysis in unpredictable ways. In light of these challenges, FPA scholars who employ cognitive psychology may wish to conceive of their enterprise as a historical science rather than a predictive one.

scholarly journals Wyrażenia językowe związane z pojęciem zagrożenia wśród słów dnia z roku 2017 – analiza semantyczna

2018 ◽  
pp. 477-485
Author(s):  
Monika Szymańska
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Common Elements ◽  
Press Releases ◽  
Cognitive Perspective ◽  
Conceptual Metaphors ◽  
Common Features ◽  
The Way

The article presents conclusions from a semantic analysis of a set of linguistic expressions belonging to units selected in the project “Word of the day”, meaning words with the highest relative turnover in particular days of 2017. This collection includes language expressions related to the notion of danger and insecurity. The study is a proposal to look at this group of linguistic expressions from a cognitive perspective, which allows to capture certain common features in the way of perceiving and depicting elements of reality described by them. Referring, inter alia, the cognitive theory of conceptual metaphors and terms, such as profiling, presents some common elements present in the structure of the meaning of the majority of analyzed lexical units. In this way, an attempt was made to reconstruct imaginary patterns a ecting the way of presenting various kinds of threats in press releases.

Relevance and Normative Conditions in the Use of Reasons

Diogenes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Ivanova ◽  
◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Epistemic Norms ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Epistemic Evaluation ◽  
The Way

The article presents a case for the thesis that everyday linguistic ascriptions of justification depend, among other conditions, upon epistemic norms about the way in which the agent has set the scope of relevant reasons and evidence for the belief. These norms, it is argued, and not criteria for the possession of evidence, determine whether a belief is properly justified in various cases when the agent has missed some relevant and possessed by her evidence. Unlike psychological retrievability, the skill of determining the relevance permits the imposition of rational conditions. Internalist approaches to justification do not explicitly include epistemic requirements for the cognitive mechanisms of setting the scope of relevant reasons in the epistemic evaluation of beliefs but intuitions from everyday ascriptions suggest that the existence of such is likely and that further investigation is necessary to establish whether they should be incorporated.

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