“Simulation, situated conceptualization, and prediction“

In his interesting article ‘‘Simulation, Situated Conceptualization and Prediction’’, Lawrence W. Barsalou (2009) successfully describes the process of simulation, which is a computational mechanism taking place in the brain. When thinking about an object or event, a situated conceptualization occurs. That is to say when imagining a concept, it is mostly situated in a particular context. This situated conceptualization is the result of different combined categories that contain simulators which activate certain areas of the brain. Thus, when occurring in a familiar context, situated conceptualization activates and this allows predictions. Sources: -Barsalou, L. (2009). Simulation, situated conceptualization, and prediction. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B, 364, 1281-1289. -Barsalou, L. W. (2016) Situated conceptualization offers a theoretical account of social priming. Current Opinion in Psychology, 12, pp. 6-11. -Neuroscience News. (2018). How the Brain Makes Predictions.