Grounding Relations in Action

This paper describes an attempt to ground the meaning of relational concepts in the sensory-motor dynamics resulting from our active interaction with the world. It is suggested that relations are encoded by executing or mentally simulating actions which are constrained by the environment and the specifics of our physical bodies. The virtues of the approach are demonstrated by a computational simulation of spatial relations recognition. Finally, an empirical study which renders support for the embodied view on relations is reported.