Interactivity, Dynamic Symbol Processing, and the Emergence of Content in Human Communication

Abstract

A major step in resolving conceptual ambiguity surrounding interactivity involves making a distinction between micro-level psychological processes and the macro-level societal effects that emerge from them. The proposition cuts against the epistemological grain of social sciences, such as psychology and sociology, which have ontological commitments to a particular level of analysis. The position advanced here suggests theories where processes operate at one level and generate effects that emerge at a higher level. Further, it is argued that the best place to begin looking at the process of interaction is at the level of the neural circuit, a realm far below discussions that center at the interpersonal or cultural levels.