Extended cognition, assistive technology and education

Assistive technology (AT) is widely used in contemporary special needs education. Our interest is in the extent to which we can conceive of certain uses of AT in this educational context as a form of extended cognition. It is argued that what is critical to answering this question is that the relati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Synthese (Dordrecht) 2021-12, Vol.199 (3-4), p.8355-8377
Main Authors: Pritchard, Duncan, English, Andrea R., Ravenscroft, John
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptive technology
Cognition
Cognition & reasoning
Education
Epistemological Issues in Neurodivergence and Atypical Cognition
Epistemology
Handicapped assistance devices
Learning environment
Logic
Metaphysics
Original Research
Philosophy
Philosophy of Language
Philosophy of Science
Special education
Students
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Summary:Assistive technology (AT) is widely used in contemporary special needs education. Our interest is in the extent to which we can conceive of certain uses of AT in this educational context as a form of extended cognition. It is argued that what is critical to answering this question is that the relationship between the student and the AT is more than just that of subject-and-instrument, but instead incorporates a fluidity and spontaneity that puts it on a functional par with their use of the student’s biological cognitive traits. It is claimed that AT use in special needs education offers an especially plausible case of extended cognition for just this reason. It is further maintained that understanding AT in this fashion has some important philosophical and practical ramifications, including how we should conceive of mainstream education, given that this is increasingly conducted within highly technologically-embedded environments.
ISSN:0039-7857
1573-0964
DOI:10.1007/s11229-021-03166-9