Prof Seana Coulson, University of California, San Diego

Abstract: In this talk, I’ll consider how new ideas emerge from old ones via the process of conceptual blending. I’ll start by considering analogical reasoning in problem solving and the role conceptual blending plays in these problem-solving contexts. Then I’ll consider blending in multi-modal contexts, including timelines, memes (viz. image macros), and, if time allows, zoom meetings. I suggest mappings analogy researchers have traditionally considered superficial are often important for the development of novel abstractions. Likewise, the analogue portion of multimodal blends anchors their generative capacity. Overall, these observations underscore the extent to which meaning is a socially distributed process whose intermediate products are stored in cognitive artifacts such as text and digital images.

Bio: Seana Coulson is Professor of Cognitive Science at UC San Diego and the Co-Director of the UCSD/SDSU Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders. Research interests center on how people understand and communicate with each other. A variety of methodologies have been used to pursue these interests, including those from cognitive semantics, behavioral measures, eye-tracking, EMG, and (most typically) scalp-recorded EEG.