Join Dr. Claudia Gonzalez (MSc '00, PhD '04) on Thursday, Jan. 29, as she gives her PUBlic Professor Series talk, From Action to Cognition: How the Body Shapes the Mind.

We often picture the brain as a powerful computer built for thinking, reasoning and solving problems. But the brain did not evolve for abstract thought; it evolved for action. Long before language, logic or executive function, our ancestors had to reach, grasp and navigate through a complex world. The same brain systems that control our hands and movements also shape how we perceive, learn and solve problems. In this talk, Dr. Claudia Gonzalez explores how everyday behaviours, from grasping a cup to reaching for something in the dark, reveal the deep links between action and cognition. Drawing on research from her Brain in Action Laboratory, she shows that patterns of hand use, and their variations across age and sex, shed light on how each hemisphere of the brain supports different cognitive abilities. Ultimately, Dr. Gonzalez maintains that cognition is, at its core, embodied: rooted in the simple act of interacting with the world.