Embodying Social Psychology

Emerging Perspectives from Grounded

Cognition

ASPO Fall Symposium 2009

Universiteit Utrecht
Chairs: Daniël Lakens & Hans IJzerman
 Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Utrecht University

In just the last two decades, the grounding perspective has inspired research and
new theoretical ideas across a wide swath of the behavioral and cognitive sciences.
Much of the appeal underlying this impact arises from the simple insight upon
which the core idea of grounding rests: that nervous systems evolved for the
adaptive control of action – not for abstract cogitation. This idea immediately has
several significant implications which are often ignored in new paradigms based on
the grounding assumptions. With six keynote addresses, each followed by a
plenary discussion, this symposium is designed to provide a roadmap for (social)
psychologists based on the grounding assumptions.

In order to achieve a fully interdisciplinary perspective on grounded cognition,

keynote addresses are delivered by researchers from various disciplines, including
Cognitive Psychology, Psycholinguistics, Cultural Cognition, Cognitive and
Neuroscience, and Social Psychology. This seminar will offer new perspectives
and a guiding framework from grounded cognition to researchers from diverse
areas, but social psychology in particular.

To participate in this symposium, please transfer 25 Euros to the following account

(registration closes November 5th, price at door is 35 Euros):
Universiteit Utrecht
Account Number 55.50.74.447

For international transfers, please transfer your registration fee to:

Account Number 55.50.74.447
ABN-AMRO Bank
Postbus 2059
3500 GB Utrecht
SWIFT CODE: ABNA NL 2a
IBAN: NL42ABNA0555074447

Both for International and National Transfers: When making the transfer,
please state your name and SAP 13122003 and send an e-mail to D.Lakens@uu.nl
with your name and payment information. Without this information, we cannot
complete registration!
 Symposium Guests
ASIFA MAJID
Asifa Majid is the Coordinator of the Language and Cognition Group at the
Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics. Her research focuses on how
language structures cognition and more recently on how experience, in
terms of food, action, and body parts, is mapped onto language. Personal
Homepage: http://www.mpi.nl/people/majid-asifa

THOMAS SCHUBERT
Thomas Schubert is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Instituto Superior de
Ciências do Trabalho e da Empresa. His research evolves around perceptual
symbols, embodiment, and bodily feedback of power and ingroup-outgroup
relations. One of his most recent studies focuses on effects of embodiment of
power on self-related concepts. Personal Homepage:
http://www.igroup.org/schubert/

NATALIE SEBANZ
Natalie Sebanz is an Associate Professor at Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen.
She recently started a 5-year project on Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms
of Joint Action. Her research interests evolve around how perception, action,
and cognition contribute to social interaction in humans and other animals.
Department Homepage: http://web.mac.com/gknoblich/page2/page2.html

GÜN SEMIN
Gün Semin is an Academy Professor at the Netherlands Academy of Arts and
Sciences. His most recent research focuses on how social behavior is situated and
how psychological processes are embodied. Within these parameters, his empirical
research is driven by an interest in communication, social cognition, and language.
Personal Homepage: http://www.cratylus.org/people/gun-semin

NICOLAS VERMEULEN
Nicolas Vermeulen is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Université catholique de
Louvain. His most recent research focuses on whether properties from
different sensory modalities produces processing costs and whether
embodied cognition of emotional information is involved during emotional
regulation. Personal Homepage:
http://www.ecsa.ucl.ac.be/personnel/vermeulen/content.html

ROLF ZWAAN
Rolf Zwaan is a full professor in Biological and Cognitive Psychology at Erasmus
Universiteit Rotterdam. His most recent research investigates motor resonance and
simulation in language comprehension. Personal Homepage:
http://www.psyweb.nl/homepage/rolf_zwaan#CurriculumVitae