Contextualizing

Contextualizing bodies: human infants and distributed cognition

by Stephen J. Cowley

This paper that appeared as:
Cowley, S.J. (2004). Contextualizing bodies: how human responsiveness constrains distributed cognition. Language Sciences, 26/6, 565-591

By their second birthday caregivers treat infants as ‘using’ words that have grammatical properties. How do... more By their second birthday caregivers treat infants as ‘using’ words that have grammatical properties. How do brain-bodies develop the relevant capacity? In addressing this issue, the paper stresses how babies exploit other people’s understanding. It is argued that joint activity uses ‘shallow thinking’ to gradually develop both caregiver biases and infant predispositions. Using how activity is integrated, the baby's skills are gradually transformed. Taking part in competitive and co-operative activity is sufficient to nudge the infant towards strategic syllable-use. Gradually, a baby’s contextualizing body comes to exploit vocalizing in ways heard as arrangements of arbitrary signs. Far from relying on ‘language acquisition’, telegraphic speech arises from co-ordination, affect and adult interpretation. It emerges in infant agents whose anticipative strategies allow them to distinguish, say, ‘gone dada’ [gondada]’ (e.g. “please get it back, dad”) from ‘dada gone’ [dadagon] (e.g. “father is hiding again”).

Context is/as critique

by Jan Blommaert

The baby, the bathwater and the

by Stephen J. Cowley

This appeared as :
Cowley, S.J. (2001). The baby, the bathwater and the “language instinct” debate. Language Sciences 23: 69-91.

Reviewing the "language instinct" debate, the paper identifies generativist views with the baby's proverbial... more Reviewing the "language instinct" debate, the paper identifies generativist views with the baby's proverbial bathwater. As Sampson suggests, empirical evidence can lend no support to the claim that grammatical analysis illuminates the study of development, evolution, or the brain. Language instinct theory is coherent only if we adopt Pinker's (dubious) hypothesis that syntax possesses 'inner' reality. However, it is argued that it is equally unsatisfactory to regard grammar as purely 'cultural'. In order to avoid these kinds of cichotomy, it is suggested that we reject the idea that language consists in form-based units and, in its stead, treat it as an aspect of social life that derives from the human capacity to contextualize experience.

Ko? Identitet u filmu

by Dejan Grba

Prikaz predavanja koje sam održao na radionici Photo-Robot u Sremskim Karlovcima u julu 2009.

U ovom predavanju prikazujem različite vidove umetničke obrade identiteta koristeći izbor iz filmografije  koja... more U ovom predavanju prikazujem različite vidove umetničke obrade identiteta koristeći izbor iz filmografije  koja je bila važan činilac kreativnog procesa na radionici Photo-Robot.

Who?: Identity in Film

by Dejan Grba

A lecture I made for the Photo-Robot workshop in 2009.

With its frequent and transparent approach to the identity in various contexts and levels, film is an excellent source... more With its frequent and transparent approach to the identity in various contexts and levels, film is an excellent source for reflection on the artistic methods for conceptualization and rendering of the identity issues.
In this lecture I comment upon some aspects of the identity using filmography from the Photo-Robot workshop.

Survey Archaeology in the Margin: Construction and analysis of the initial database of the recognized and recorded archaeological data/places of present Biral thana, Dinajpur of Northwestern part of Bangladesh

by Swadhin Sen

Jointly authored with Khandakar Mehbubull Islam, Muhammad Kamal Hossen Akanda, Ahmed Sharif and Syed Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan (published in Selected Essays on History & Archaeology: Papers Presented in Memory of Professor Abu Imam, edited by, M. M. Hoque, A. T. M. Atiqur Rahman and Seema Hoque, Centre for Archaeology and Heritage Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2010

The Development of a Methodology for Interactive Water Management

by Pieter Lems

Presented at CPTS conference in 2005

Water management has a long tradition, with a highly technical character. However, in modern complex society the... more Water management has a long tradition, with a highly technical character. However, in modern complex society the technical approach fails to meet the demand of safety and water supply. This paper tries to articulate a conceptual framework for what is called contextual water management by defining and comparing the conditions and effects of the technical and contextual approach. Furthermore the aspect theory is used and applied in practice to evolve the latter approach. The promising practical experiences give reason to further development.

The Role of Contextual Clues In the Creation of Information Overload

by Chris Kimble

C. Kimble, P. Hildreth and D. Grimshaw. The Role of Contextual Clues in the Creation of Information Overload. Proceedings of 3rd UKAIS Conference, (April 1998), Lincoln, UK, McGraw Hill, 1998, pp. 405 - 412. ISBN: 0077094549

There has been an explosion of new forms of communications media for interpersonal communication. There is anecdotal... more There has been an explosion of new forms of communications media for interpersonal communication. There is anecdotal evidence of people suffering from 'information overload' as a result of these developments.

This paper presents the results from, and analysis of, a case study of a perceived problem of information overload from e-mail in a large international organization: Watson Wyatt Partners. The research took two approaches to exploring the problem. The first was a survey of 1500 members of staff in the UK and Europe. This was aimed at collecting factual information. The second approach was to conduct follow up interviews with 19 people at two sites in the UK to explore some of the issues raised by the survey in greater depth.

In the paper, we argue that for CMCs (Computer Mediated Communications) to be effective there is a need to establish a 'context' in which the message can be interpreted. In doing so, we will demonstrate that ignoring the degree of 'context' a media provides can adversely affect the users perceptions of that media.