Writing as extended mind: Recentering cognition, rethinking tool use

Matthew Overstreet

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    8 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    Recently, a new wave of materialist writing scholarship has sought to trace how technological change is impacting writing processes. This article suggests that such efforts can benefit from viewing writing as act of extended mind. Formulated by philosophers, but rooted in cognitive science, extended mind reconceives cognition as embodied action. Seen through such a lens, writing is spatially and temporally distributed, yet composed of discrete material elements. Tools emerge as more than items of mere use. After discussing what writing as extended mind holds and how it connects with (and challenges) current practice, I reinterpret data from two recent articles in Computers and Composition, showing how this provocative theoretical frame might supplement both writing research and pedagogy.

    Original languageBritish English
    Article number102700
    JournalComputers and Composition
    Volume63
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Mar 2022

    Keywords

    • Activity theory
    • Digital reading pedagogy
    • Sociocultural theory
    • Writing as extended mind
    • Writing processes
    • Writing research methods
    • Writing tools

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