Extended musicking, extended mind, extended agency. Notes on the third wave
December 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1016/j.newideapsych.2019.03.001 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe extended mind perspective within 4E music cognition (embodied, embedded, extended, enactive) has received less attention than other approaches. This paper develops the musically extended mind for musical performance by drawing on third-wave accounts. First-wave extended mind emphasizes parity between internal and external components; second-wave emphasizes complementarity. The authors argue that third-wave concepts—dynamically changing internal and external components and decentralized agency—are needed to capture the complexities of musical performance. They apply third-wave tools to show limitations of the first two waves and demonstrate how a third-wave account can be developed for this context.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Psychology Art |
| Key finding | Argues that third-wave extended mind concepts, especially decentralized agency, are necessary to fully account for the complexities of musical performance, beyond what first- and second-wave accounts offer. |
Abstract
Abstract The conceptual resources of ‘4E’ music cognition – i.e. the embodied, embedded, extended, and enactive paradigms – have offered a rich set of tools to explore the nature of musical experience. Among these four approaches, the extended mind perspective has heretofore received less overall attention. In this paper we focus on further developing the musically extended mind - especially in regards to musical performance - drawing on recent third wave developments. After exploring the main tenets of first wave (parity between internal and external components), second wave (complementarity between internal and external components), and third wave (dynamically changing internal and external components, as well as extended and decentralized agency) accounts of the extended mind, we turn to introducing existent first and second wave positions on music cognition. While they offer important insights, we suggest that elements of the third wave, especially focused on decentralized agency, are needed to capture the complexities of musical performance. We apply the third wave tools to the case of music performance in order to show, first, the specific limitations of the first two waves focus on parity and complementarity and, second, how a third wave account may be developed by applying it within this particular context.