Table 3.
Levels of embodiment, types of data, and biological materials or (bio-)social systems, matched with embodiment concepts by which they are addressed.
| Embodiment concepts | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embodied cognition | Embodied simulation | Somatic marker hypothesis | Inference-control loop | Biological embedding of experiences | Environmental epigenetics | Developmental origins of health and diseases | Phenomenological approaches to embodiment | Bio-looping | |||
| Level of Embodiment | Type of data | Biological material/(bio-)social system | |||||||||
| Genetic and epigenetic level | DNA sequence (genetic polymorphisms), RNA expression levels, gene × environment interactions, DNA methylation patterns, histone modifications, quantification of microRNA | DNA, mRNA, ncRNA (incl. different types of microRNA), DNA methylation, chromatin structure | |||||||||
| Level of cell metabolism | Protein level quantification, single unit-recordings, cell anatomy measures (size, form, type, count) | Cell specific proteome, synaptic sensitivity, firing rates, cell anatomy | |||||||||
| Level of neural connectivity patterns and physiological feedback mechanisms | EEG, fMRI, resting state MRI, hormone levels, diverse measurements of basic metabolic functions (e.g., heart rate, breathing, blood glucose levels) | Neural network activity, hormone levels, physiological feedback cycles | |||||||||
| Sensory and motor activity level | EEG, fMRI, behavioral observation of movement patterns, reaction time to sensory stimuli | Motor action, sensory function, neural activity in sensory and motor systems | |||||||||
| Level of integrative sensations, (intero)perception, and discrimination | EEG, fMRI, experimental tests of perception and basic cognitive functions (e.g., via reaction time, stimulus intensity, conflicting stimuli) | Sensory integration, basic cognitive functions, basic levels of self-awareness, pain perception | |||||||||
| Level of complex psychological functions, psychiatric symptoms, and behavior | Behavioral data (field observation, experimental induction), psychological and psychiatric diagnostics (test, interview), self-reports, introspection, intersubjective communication, health records | Psychosocial and physical health, first-person experiences, behavioral patterns (habits), complex cognitive functions | |||||||||
| Level of social and cultural interactions | Qualitative interview data, discourse analysis, behavioral data (field observation), socio-economic data, epidemiological data (e.g., prevalence rates, survival rates) | Socio-cultural interactions, complex behavior, intersubjective coordination and communication | |||||||||
The table provides an overview about the different levels of embodiment and by which embodiment concepts they are approached. Levels of embodiment are assigned to embodiment concepts according to the type of data and the biological material or (bio-)social system addressed by the embodiment concept. Blank boxes indicate conceptual and methodological gaps between concepts within a certain level (left to right) and between levels within a concept (top to down). The addressed levels of embodiment within an embodiment concept might change due to the development and use of new methods. The matrix allows one to spot potential cross-level collaborations across embodiment concepts, but also gaps indicating the need for further research to bridge levels of interest as well as large scale methodological constraints. Each color highlights a different level of embodiment (see also Figure 1).