Despite the growing confidence in biosocial research in sociology, integrating the brain into sociological theory has progressed slowly. Traditionally seen as a “bottom-up” processor converting sensory signals into cognitive and emotional representations, the brain is now increasingly viewed as a predictive Bayesian organ. This perspective suggests that the brain develops error-minimizing probabilistic models through active engagement with its environment’s “generative processes.” It embodies “top-down” “generative models,” tested and refined against “bottom-up” sensory errors. Such brains regulate their bodies to actively engage with the world, altering perceptions or the environment to conform to predictions. Perception provides sensory errors needed to evaluate and potentially change models (i.e., learning), helping the brain embody the statistical regularities of its existence. Brains learn about the world through action-perception cycles, optimizing models and reducing uncertainty. This chapter explores sociological concerns such as mirror neurons, role-taking/making, and social action, aligning with microsociological insights that view the situation as the primary scene of action. Emphasizing evolving cognitive and emotional trajectories, these insights highlight the importance of socializing and enculturating experiences scaffolded by patterns of shared attention in social situations. This framework lays the foundation for understanding how predictive neurosociological actors shape and are shaped by their sociocultural environments.

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Brains, Bodies, and Their Worlds: Towards a Model of Predictive Social Actors

  • Jacob E. Cheadle,
  • K. J. Davidson-Turner,
  • Bridget J. Goosby

摘要

Despite the growing confidence in biosocial research in sociology, integrating the brain into sociological theory has progressed slowly. Traditionally seen as a “bottom-up” processor converting sensory signals into cognitive and emotional representations, the brain is now increasingly viewed as a predictive Bayesian organ. This perspective suggests that the brain develops error-minimizing probabilistic models through active engagement with its environment’s “generative processes.” It embodies “top-down” “generative models,” tested and refined against “bottom-up” sensory errors. Such brains regulate their bodies to actively engage with the world, altering perceptions or the environment to conform to predictions. Perception provides sensory errors needed to evaluate and potentially change models (i.e., learning), helping the brain embody the statistical regularities of its existence. Brains learn about the world through action-perception cycles, optimizing models and reducing uncertainty. This chapter explores sociological concerns such as mirror neurons, role-taking/making, and social action, aligning with microsociological insights that view the situation as the primary scene of action. Emphasizing evolving cognitive and emotional trajectories, these insights highlight the importance of socializing and enculturating experiences scaffolded by patterns of shared attention in social situations. This framework lays the foundation for understanding how predictive neurosociological actors shape and are shaped by their sociocultural environments.