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> Context • Mark Johnson and George Lakoff in their theory of metaphor hypothesized that our experience provides certain linguistically traceable patterns that we "live by." Back in the 1930s, the founder of general semantics, Alfred Korzybski, expressed the opposite idea: With language we develop harmful semantic patterns that we can die of. > Problem • The assumption that language kills and that humans tend to construct their realities in a destructive way by force of linguistic habits may sound radical. We aim to elaborate on ways in which our individual capacity for abstract thought gives rise to harmful semantic patterns of experience. > Method • Using the method of conceptual analysis, we compare five contemporary constructivist approaches to language and cognition with Korzybski's theory of general semantics. > Results • Our analysis reveals that embodiment, radical constructivism, biocognitivism, enactivism and bounded rationality implicitly approach the problem of semantic disorders that result from our species-specific cognitive mechanisms of interaction with our experiential world. Drawing on different terminology and using different conceptual angles, followers of these schools of thought emphasize that our semantic adaptation to the surrounding world can be destructive under certain circumstances and lead us to a delusional identification of some source with some target, which can dangerously affect the way we behave towards others and ourselves. > Implications • Our analysis of semantic patterns of (self-)destruction across different constructivist approaches elucidates the nature of knowledge and meaning and allows for a better understanding of major social and even political problems, such as the inability to reach compromises and tendency to use violence instead of peaceful dialogue. > Constructivist content • We build on such constructivist notions as image schemas, embodied reason, morphism, experiential coherences, experiential domains, coordinations of behavior, enaction and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to introduce, into the English scientific-philosophical literature of Genetic Epistemology, a model called the Model of the System of Schemes of Actions and Operations on Symbols and Signs (MoSSAOSS), and summarize its results, so far. MoSSAOSS articulates some of the principal theoretical and experimental results obtained by Piaget and his coworkers, in a systemic, systematic and synthetic view. Here, the term model means a schematic representation of experience, in which the relation of elements can be explored by means of logic and mathematics in order to deduce properties that correspond to direct observable empirical properties, in a sufficiently accurate form. Through explicit definitions and hypotheses, MoSSAOSS intends to reveal, in an abstract and simplified form, the general structure and functioning of the System of Schemes of Actions and Operations on Symbols and Signs. This system makes explicit the necessary elements for the acquisition of knowledge by the epistemic subject (the knower subject), allowing for the explanation of its developmental stages, as well as the attribution of meaning to objects and situations, and to the subject’s actions and operations. Conceived in 1992 and introduced in Portuguese scientific-philosophical literature in 2014, MoSSAOSS has been used in a research program to study the necessary structures for knowledge acquisition, particularly scientific-philosophical knowledge. Its main results are summarized here.

The principal intention and meaning of Jean Piaget’s work is difficult to grasp, particularly due to its great length and depth, and some widely spread general misconceptions about it. In order to help clarify it, and furnish data for the discussions about it, this article aims to expose and clarify, in general lines, Piaget’s main project: Genetic Epistemology. The intention here is to point out its motive and constitution, from Piaget’s own published works and words. In the end, the data analysis shows that the main intention and meaning of Piaget’s work was to build a new chapter in Epistemology, Theory of Knowledge and Philosophy of Science, founding and establishing Genetic Epistemology: a new inter-, trans- and multidisciplinary area, directly bound to the scientific methods and contents, and their geneses, especially related to Genetic and Cognitive Psychologies and History of Science. As the outcome, this area furnished various studies of scientific notions and concepts, including their geneses, many analyses of the methods of various sciences, and studies on the System of Sciences, as well as more detailed studies of the elements necessary for the acquisition of knowledge, with concepts so close to the experience that they are immediately applicable.

The sciences achieved consensus amongst their practitioners through emancipation from philosophy. In the first half of the 20th century, philosophers began to align themselves with science, and most contemporary philosophers call themselves naturalists. Epistemology was still largely considered a philosophical prerogative until Quine’s paper “Epistemology naturalized” (1969). Opinion is now divided. Ironically, the prodigious work that secured Jean Piaget’s reputation as a cognitive developmental psychologist was actually carried out largely in service of epistemology. Disillusioned with philosophical speculation and with a background in empirical science (Piaget trained as a biologist), Piaget conceived a method based on psychological and historical evidence to investigate epistemological questions scientifically. In this paper, I outline his genetic-epistemological method and locate it in the discourse on naturalism. I conclude by classifying genetic epistemology according to Goldman’s classification of naturalistic epistemologies and by assessing it in the light of criticism typically levelled at naturalistic epistemologies, before highlighting some salient points for a future scientific epistemology.

This theoretical essay aims to discuss the relations between the concept of Literacy and the process of musicalization, as a possibility to think about Musical Literacy. To this end, we start from the idea of music as a language intrinsically related to perception, that is, a language of the senses. Although perceptual experience is necessary in the process of constructing musical aspects, it is not enough to make sense of the real. It is necessary, therefore, the attribution of meaning by the subject. This thought is echoed in the Genetic Epistemology of Jean Piaget (1896-1980), especially in the way this theory conceives the construction of the real. The processes of making and understanding music are linked to the way of assigning meaning to the constructions involved in musical language. Thus, music learning through Musical Literacy should consider the totality of music in the context of its learning and not the fragmentation of its contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with giftedness have specific characteristics such as, above average skills, creativity and involvement with the task. Such characteristics must be recognized in the educational and social environment, including with regard to moral development. This article aims to discuss aspects related to the construction of intelligence and morality in people with giftedness from the perspective of genetic epistemology, highlighting its importance for the educational context. The methodology used consisted of bibliographic research using a systematic review method on the date of Scielo. This is exploratory research on the constructs: intelligence and morality in Piaget's view. In the search, thirty-four articles were found. Thirty-one were excluded for not addressing the topic. The synthesis of the results points to a lack of evidence from studies because only three articles were found in the last decade. It was necessary to expand the search with the magazine Schème - Electronic Journal of Psychology and Genetic Epistemology. The researches analyzed show that in giftedness there is a complexity in the formation of thought structures, there is an anticipation of the stages of intelligence development, a keen sense of morality and peculiar characteristics such as reversibility and awareness. It is suggested, therefore, that a teaching that presupposes such characteristics provides appropriate challenges to the development of intelligence and morals considering the specificities of gifted subjects, who will not always be aligned with their age group. Therefore, it is suggested that further research be carried out in order to elucidate the gap found to deepen the issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personality disorders (PD) are usually treated with face-to-face sessions and/or digital mental health services. Among many schools of therapies, schema therapy stands out because rather than simply targeting the symptoms of PD, it cordially targets the cause of PD and heals the early maladaptive schema, thus is exceptionally good at soothing emotional disturbances before enacting cognitive restructuring, resulting in long-term efficacy. However, according to Piaget's genetic epistemology, the unmet needs lie in the fact that the schemata that determine the adaptive behavior can only be formed in the interaction with the real world that the patient is living in and reconsolidated by the feedback from the object world upon the patient's newly-formed behavior. Therefore, in order to reshape the patient's schema modes to support adaptive behavior and regain emotional regulation capabilities of the healthy adult, one may have to reconstruct the object world surrounding the patient. Metaverse, the bestowed successor to the Internet with the cardinal feature of "the sense of full presence," can become a powerful tool to reconstruct a new object world for the patient with the prescription of a psychotherapist, so as to transform the treatment techniques in schema therapy into the natural autobiographical experiences of patients in the new object world, thus gradually reshape the patient's schema modes that can ultimately result in an adaptive, and more inclusive, interaction with the real world. This work describes the underlying theory, the mechanism, the process, and ethical considerations of such promising technology for the not-too-far future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematics and logic are indispensable in science, yet how they are deployed and why they are so effective, especially in the natural sciences, is poorly understood. In this paper, I focus on the how by analysing Jean Piaget's application of mathematics to the empirical content of psychological experiment; however, I do not lose sight of the application's wider implications on the why. In a case study, I set out how Piaget drew on the stock of mathematical structures to model psychological content, namely, the operations of thought involved in reasoning. In particular, I show how operations of thought form structured wholes that initially resisted modelling by either lattices or groups but could be modelled adequately by modifications of these mathematical structures. Piaget coined the term 'grouping' for the modified structure, and I conclude that it represents a non-canonical application of mathematics to the empirical content of experimental psychology. I also touch on the role external factors played in Piaget's development of the grouping. According to the genetic epistemology conceived by Piaget, the origin of intelligence lies in the biological organism and develops in stages over time, and, via the grouping, Piaget established a genetic relationship between two stages of reasoning. I show how this relationship explains why mathematics and logic fit the psychological content of reasoning whilst simultaneously making their successful deployment in the natural sciences more mysterious. Finally, I turn to the explanation Piaget envisaged for the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in the natural sciences and consider some consequences for naturalism and Pythagoreanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of two methodological resources-natural user interface and multimodal learning analytics-is creating opportunities for educational researchers to empirically evaluate theoretical models accounting for the emergence of concepts from situated sensorimotor activity. Seventy-six participants (9-14 years old) solved tablet-based presymbolic manipulation tasks designed to foster grounded meanings for the mathematical concept of proportional equivalence. Data gathered in task-based semi-structured clinical interviews included action logging, eye-gaze tracking, and videography. Analysis of these data indicates that successful task performance coincided with spontaneous emergence of stable dynamical gaze path patterns soon followed by multimodal articulation of strategy. Significantly, gaze patterns included unmanipulated, non-salient screen locations. We present cumulative evidence that these gaze patterns served as "attentional anchors" mediating participants' problem solving. By way of further contextualizing our claim, we also present case studies from the various experimental conditions. We interpret the findings as enabling us to revisit, support, refine, and perhaps elaborate on seminal claims from Piaget's theory of genetic epistemology and in particular his insistence on the role of situated motor-action coordination in the process of reflective abstraction.

Many contemporary logicians acknowledge a plurality of logical theories and accept that theory choice is in part motivated by logical evidence. However, just as there is no agreement on logical theories, there is also no consensus on what constitutes logical evidence. In this paper, I outline Jean Piaget's psychological theory of reasoning and show how he used it to diagnose and solve one of the paradoxes of material implication. I assess Piaget's use of psychology as a source of evidence for logical theory in light of reservations raised by psychologism, and I highlight some ramifications for exceptionalism and anti-exceptionalism about logic by considering his use of psychology as logical evidence in the framework of genetic epistemology, Piaget's research programme. I conclude that Piaget's psychological theory of reasoning not only plausibly serves as a source of evidence for logical theory but also makes a strong case for anti-exceptionalism about logic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of MATRIZes is the property of Universidade de Sao Paulo, Programa de Pos Graduacao em Ciencias da Comunicacao and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The combination of two methodological resources-natural user interface and multimodal learning analytics-is creating opportunities for educational researchers to empirically evaluate theoretical models accounting for the emergence of concepts from situated sensorimotor activity. Seventy-six participants (9-14 years old) solved tablet-based presymbolic manipulation tasks designed to foster grounded meanings for the mathematical concept of proportional equivalence. Data gathered in task-based semi-structured clinical interviews included action logging, eye-gaze tracking, and videography. Analysis of these data indicates that successful task performance coincided with spontaneous emergence of stable dynamical gaze path patterns soon followed by multimodal articulation of strategy. Significantly, gaze patterns included unmanipulated, non-salient screen locations. We present cumulative evidence that these gaze patterns served as "attentional anchors" mediating participants' problem solving. By way of further contextualizing our claim, we also present case studies from the various experimental conditions. We interpret the findings as enabling us to revisit, support, refine, and perhaps elaborate on seminal claims from Piaget's theory of genetic epistemology and in particular his insistence on the role of situated motor-action coordination in the process of reflective abstraction.

Piagetian structuralism, notably a genetic epistemological perspective on mathematics, physics and biology, represents a unique and fruitful articulation of the heterogeneous structuralist movement. After their initial success, mathematical structures, traced and investigated from different points of view, end up constituting didactic and research “paradigms” that can be used on several levels; in a similar way, physics – closely related to mathematics – initially considered its own “objects” to be endowed with structure: yet, while such structure was initially understood in a material sense, nowadays it is studied with a higher degree of abstraction (e.g. in an energetic, interactive, virtual sense). Biology has become (and remains) an à la page subject, but also presents an epistemological battle between orthodox mechanism and vitalism, between eternal substances and continuous transformations, that is, between fixed structures and dynamic structuring. These conclusions lead us to re-evaluate the up-to-dateness and perspectives of Piagetian structuralism, to project it beyond classical structuralism and, maybe, to turn it into an unusual and promising post-structuralist trend.

This article deals with an experiment in which the researchers and participants sought to understand the role of cooperation in solving a problem, through group work. To this end, the mechanisms through which cooperation helps in solving problems, as well as its effectiveness, were investigated. The analysis of the collaboration and cooperation processes is carried out during the group’s resolution of an open-ended problem, whose reflections give rise to a new proposal that also leads to the need for cooperative work. This analysis was carried out based on the group’s actions and dialogues and based on the concepts of collaboration and cooperation arising from Jean Piaget’s theory of genetic epistemology. The results of this study pointed out that cooperative work gives important contributions to solving problems, especially open-ended ones, not only as a product of the process, but also in the cognitive and affective development of those involved. Besides, it points out characteristics related to the problem posed and others to the cognitive and affective maturity of those involved as the necessary conditions for cooperation to take place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Commons. Revista de Comunicación y Ciudadanía Digital is the property of Universidad de Cadiz and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present investigation aimed to analyze the postulates of Genetic Epistemology. For that, it had as its starting point the Epistemological and Pedagogical Models that influence educators' conceptions of learning and, consequently, their practices at school. Furthermore, this work aims to discuss the postulates of the basis of the theory in question, such as: concept of subject and object, characteristics of the stages, the four factors that influence development, the difference between development and learning, the balances etc.; reflecting on the role of the school in the construction of knowledge by the epistemic subject and demystifying some misunderstandings regarding these concepts, which were expensive for education. The nature of this investigation is qualitative. A bibliographic review was carried out, whose theoretical contribution was the works of Jean Piaget. As a result, it was highlighted that the most effective Epistemological conception for the construction of knowledge is Constructive, represented by a Relational Pedagogical Model. According to Becker (2012) the Pedagogical Models (Directive and Non-Directive Pedagogy) and epistemological (Empiricism and Apriorism) are proven to be common sense, that is, scientifically disapproved, outdated. It is concluded that although the empiricist and apriorist conceptions are considered outdated, both still support the practice of most teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the research methods developed to investigate the knowledge construction process of students and how they understand the concept of internal resistance as represented by the everyday situation in which an electric shower causes the light of a light bulb to dim when turned on. The theoretical framework for this study is based on the Piagetian genetic epistemology and the linear circuit theory. The methodology was developed based on a qualitative approach, using the multiple-case study strategy. The semi-structured interviews were inspired by and adapted from the Piagetian clinical method in order to identify and analyze the students’ explanations and associations regarding the theoretical model that explains the phenomenon. The goal is to make this paper available for teachers as a reference material and an encouragement to reflect about their own teaching practices so they can develop pedagogical actions to assist the students’ learning process in vocational courses on Electricity, Electronics and similar areas in both secondary and higher education. The paper provides detailed information about the development and improvement of the data collection tool, includes answers from the subjects interviewed, reflects on the method’s concerns and benefits to allow for the grasp of knowledge of other points of view, and, finally, discusses the possibilities of developing activities that are more interactive and forward-looking for the students.

The aim of the current study was to examine the way in which preschool children deal with the concept of sound. For this purpose, a study was carried out in the context of detecting and categorizing the mental representations among young children of sounds which propagate through space from source to the receiver. Specifically, 91 preschool children aged 5–6 years voluntarily participated in individual semi-structured interviews which were carried out by three researchers in a special area of kindergartens. During these interviews, the children were asked to express their views on the three following axes: the concept of sound itself; the subjective characteristics of sound; and the phenomenon of the production and propagation of sound. The results of the research showed that while a small percentage of children recognized the propagation of sound in space, the vast majority of them associated sound with either the object that produced it or with the object that received it.

In the present essay we attempt to reconstruct Newtonian mechanics under the guidance of logical principles and of a constructive approach related to the genetic epistemology of Piaget and García (Psychogenesis and the history of science, Columbia University Press, New York, 1989). Instead of addressing Newton's equations as a set of axioms, ultimately given by the revelation of a prodigious mind, we search for the fundamental knowledge, beliefs and provisional assumptions that can produce classical mechanics. We start by developing our main tool: the no arbitrariness principle, that we present in a form that is apt for a mathematical theory as classical mechanics. Subsequently, we introduce the presence of the observer, analysing then the relation objective–subjective and seeking objectivity going across subjectivity. We take special care of establishing the precedence among all contributions to mechanics, something that can be better appreciated by considering the consequences of removing them: (a) the consequence of renouncing logic and the laws of understanding is not being able to understand the world, (b) renouncing the early elaborations of primary concepts such as time and space leads to a dissociation between everyday life and physics, the latter becoming entirely pragmatic and justified a-posteriori (because it is convenient), (c) changing our temporary beliefs has no real cost other than effort. Finally, we exemplify the present approach by reconsidering the constancy of the velocity of light. It is shown that it is a result of Newtonian mechanics, rather than being in contradiction with it. We also indicate the hidden assumption that leads to the (apparent) contradiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the first decade of the twenty-first century, it was noticed a significant increase in the quantity of games applied to the teaching of Chemistry, however, there are games without pedagogical objectives. In this sense, a documentary analysis was used in the main periodicals of Chemistry Education/Teaching a heuristic instrument in the perspective of the Gowin's Epistemological V, which consists of analyzing the structure and process of knowledge construction, in order to identify possible theories of teaching and learning in the game construct. The results indicated the presence of Genetic Epistemology (54,17%) and Cultural Historical Psychology (29,17%), as well as the theoretical-epistemological reference absence (16,66%). However, we identified the need for a deeper understanding of the frameworks used, since most articles explore only some elements of the theories. In this way, the results indicate the imminence of the use of learning theories, not being possible to speak in an epistemology of the game. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to investigate along with students of the sixth grade of elementary school (EF) and the third year of high school (MS) the main local environmental problems and routing possibilities of EA activities. Critical theory (Freire) and the genetic epistemology (Piaget) dialogue about the construction of the environmental knowledge process. The research investigated 717 students from public and private schools through semistructured questionnaires. Tabulated and categorized the data were analyzed using SPSS software. Established a comparative analysis of the environmental problems identified from the variables: network, type of education, genre and neighborhood. The analyzes indicate that students from both the EF as EM emphasize environmental issues from social problems.

Delineado a partir de um exercício de sala de aula aplicado a alunos de instituição particular urbana no município de Aracaju-SE, este ensaio abarca questões referentes aos instrumentos e às formas em que a avaliação se apresenta no cotidiano escolar. Conferindo ênfase a Geografia escolar, foi desenvolvido um panorama relacionado as tendências pedagógicas, inspirações filosóficas e práticas educativas desenvolvidas ao longo da história. Preceitos da Epistemologia Genética e da linguagem compõe os elementos que auxiliaram a compreensão da relação do desenvolvimento humano às praticas escolares. Ao final, enfatizamos que o contexto neoconservador-liberal pode limitar a ação e consciência sobre o processo de ensino – especialmente no que tange à educação popular – e, com os indícios encontrados, amplifica-se a necessidade do desenvolvimento de um trabalho contextualizado,reflexivo e crítico. Com a análise desenvolvida, deixamos sugerido que exercícios escolares como esse distanciam-se da efetiva educação popular, conforme referências nas quais acreditamos.