Embodied schema information processing theory: an underlying mechanism of embodied cognition in communication

Abstract Embodiment has been incorporated in communication studies researching the experiencing self, motivated cognitive information processing, and embodied medium theory. This article highlights another factor—past bodily experiences—as important for understanding the impact of embodiment on communication processes. Expanding schema to a construct spanning multiple levels of the neural hierarchy, we propose embodied schema as a minimal framework to capture the idea that all mental structures are grounded in the body. Based on the function of embodied schemas, we describe an Embodied Schema Information Processing Theory (ESIPT) that includes an embodied dual-process theory, which offers a more coherent account of the automatic cue- or heuristic-based processing mode, and a model that describes the influence of the environment and bodily state on high-level cognitive processing. This article systematically explores the role of past bodily experiences and provides a general account of embodied information processing that can inform a wide range of communication studies.