The "extended mind" approach for a new paradigm of psychology.

The mind is not confined to the brain or body but is realized through the entire system of brain, body, and environment, a concept called the extended mind. This paper argues that psychology should adopt an extended mind approach or ecological approach to humanized environments as a new paradigm, replacing the inadequate machine paradigm and the organic view that focuses only on internal bodily processes. The characteristic of human mind lies in interaction with mediating tools, artifacts, and the humanized environment.

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Abstract

In this paper, I would like to propose the idea of "extended mind" for a new paradigm of psychology. Kohler (Integrative Psychology & Behavioral Science 44:39-57, 2010) correctly pointed out the serious problems of the machine paradigm, and proposed the "organic" view as a new paradigm. But the term "organic" signifying the processes inside the body, is inadequate to express the characteristic of human mind. The recent philosophy of mind suggests that the mind is realized neither only in the brain nor only in the body, but in the whole system of brain-body-environment, namely, in the "extended mind". The characteristic of human mind resides in the interaction with the mediating tools, artifacts, and the humanized environment. We should propose an "extended mind approach" or an "ecological approach to humanized environment" as a new paradigm for a psychology.