We Think Because We Act

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- We tend to think of language as the driver of thought, but what if it is something older? Motion has been a part of human thought ever since we could walk upright, if not before. Our Masters in Business guest this week, Barbara Tversky, professor of experimental psychology at Stanford and Columbia University, believes action is the key factor driving human cognitive development. The author of more than 200 research papers, her new book is "Mind in Motion: How Action Shapes Thought."

Tversky’s research focuses on visual-spatial reasoning and collaborative cognition. She discusses the interplay of mind and body in enabling cognition. Consider gesture as an example. Tversky argues that gesturing is more than just a by-product of speech: it literally helps us to think. An experiment in her book is to try to explain out loud how to get from your house to the supermarket, train station, your office or school while you sit on your hands. It turns out to be very difficult. Without gesture, speaking is difficult, and we occasionally can’t find the words.

Tversky was married to the deceased psychologist Amos Tversky, and helped Michael Lewis do his research for his book on Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman, "The Undoing Project."

Her favorite books can be seen here.

You can stream/download the full conversation, including the podcast extras on Apple iTunes, Overcast, Spotify, Google, Bloomberg and Stitcher. All of our earlier podcasts on your favorite pod hosts can be found here.

Next week, we speak with Chris Davis, chairman and chief executive officer of Davis Selected Advisors LP, with more than $25 billion under management. Davis is also on the board of Coca Cola and is vice chairman of the American Museum of Natural History.

To contact the author of this story: Barry Ritholtz at britholtz3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Greiff at jgreiff@bloomberg.net

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Barry Ritholtz is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is chairman and chief investment officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management, and was previously chief market strategist at Maxim Group. He is the author of “Bailout Nation.”

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