Technical Communication Quarterly Oct 2011

Future Convergences: Technical Communication Research as Cognitive Science

Nathaniel A. Rivers UCLouvain Saint-Louis Brussels

Abstract

Cognitive scientist Andy Clark (2008 Clark , A. ( 2008 ). Supersizing the mind: Embodiment, action, and cognitive extension . New York : Oxford University Press .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) has argued, “the study of mind might … need to embrace a variety of different explanatory paradigms whose point of convergence lies in the production of intelligent behavior” (p. 95). This article offers technical communication research as such a paradigm and describes technical communication research past and present to argue that our disciplinary knowledge of tools, work environments, and performance assessment is a necessary complement to a more robust science of the mind.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
2011-10-01
DOI
10.1080/10572252.2011.591650
Open Access
Closed
Topics
technical communication

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (4)

  1. St.Amant et al. (2025)
    Expanding Communication Expectations: Examining Audience Understanding of Scrip…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. St.Amant (2024)
    ARCO Mapping the Cognitive Dynamics of Communication Expectations: An Approach …
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Vealey (2017)
    Kenny Fountain, T. (2014). <i>Rhetoric in the Flesh: Trained Vision, Technical …
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Cushman (2014)
    Our Unstable Artistry
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication

Cites in this index (14)

  1. Henry (2009)
    (Re)Appraising the Performance of Technical Communicators From a Posthumanist P…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Ittersum (2009)
    Distributing Memory: Rhetorical Work in Digital Environments
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Whittemore (2007)
    Metadata and Memory: Lessons from the Canon of<i>Memoria</i>for the Design of C…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Knievel (2006)
    Technology Artifacts, Instrumentalism, and the Humanist Manifestos
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  5. Winsor (2001)
    Learning to Do Knowledge Work in Systems of Distributed Cognition
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Show all 14 →
  1. Mirel et al. (1998)
    Social and cognitive effects of professional communication on software usability
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. MIREL (1998)
    “Applied Constructivism” for User Documentation
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. RUSSELL (1997)
    Rethinking Genre in School and Society
    Written Communication
  4. MEDWAY (1996)
    Virtual and Material Buildings
    Written Communication
  5. WITTE (1992)
    Context, Text, Intertext
    Written Communication
  6. Mirel (1992)
    Analyzing audiences for software manuals: A survey of instructional needs for “…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  7. Flower (1989)
    Cognition, Context, and Theory Building
    College Composition and Communication
  8. DOHENY-FARINA (1986)
    Writing in an Emerging Organization
    Written Communication
  9. FLOWER et al. (1984)
    Images, Plans, and Prose
    Written Communication
Also cites 26 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.1080/09515080600690557
     ↗
  2. 10.2307/357637
     ↗
  3. Clark A. (2007)
    Negotiating embodiment: A reply to Selinger and Engström
    Janus Head  ↗
  4. 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195333213.001.0001
     ↗
  5. 10.1093/analys/58.1.7
     ↗
  6. 10.2307/376707
     ↗
  7. 10.2307/356630
     ↗
  8. 10.2307/375768
     ↗
  9. 10.2307/356600
     ↗
  10. 10.1207/s15327884mca0404_3
     ↗
  11. 10.2190/CPIC7
     ↗
  12. 10.7551/mitpress/8535.003.0006
     ↗
  13. 10.7551/mitpress/1881.001.0001
     ↗
  14. Logan R. K. (2007)
    The extended mind: The emergence of language, the human mind, and culture
     ↗
  15. 10.1057/9780230592889
     ↗
  16. 10.7551/mitpress/9780262014038.001.0001
     ↗
  17. 10.2307/358914
     ↗
  18. Preston J. (2010)
    The extended mind
     ↗
  19. 10.7551/mitpress/9780262014038.003.0007
     ↗
  20. 10.5840/jphil2004101826
     ↗
  21. 10.1207/s15327884mca0404_2
     ↗
  22. Selinger E. (2007)
    On naturally embodied cyborgs: Identities, metaphors, and models
    Janus Head  ↗
  23. 10.7551/mitpress/6875.001.0001
     ↗
  24. 10.7551/mitpress/8535.003.0009
     ↗
  25. 10.7551/mitpress/9780262014038.003.0011
     ↗
  26. 10.7551/mitpress/8535.003.0008
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 8 View in citation network →

Related Articles

  1. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 2026
    Developing Intercultural Socioemotional Communication Skills: A Hybrid Student Exchange Project Between Kenya, Ireland, and Germany ↗
    Belinda Oechsler; Yvonne Cleary; Sissi Closs
    multimodality technical communication
  2. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 2026
    What Video Games Can Tell Us About Interactive Technical Communication ↗
    Emily Kuzneski Johnson
    multimodality technical communication multilingual writers
  3. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 2026
    “Is This Ethical?” New Data on the Ethical Principles and Practices of Document Design ↗
    Leslie Seawright; Amy Hodges; Timothy Ponce
    multimodality technical communication disability studies multilingual writers
  4. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 2026
    How to Write With GenAI: A Framework for Using Generative AI to Automate Writing Tasks in Technical Communication ↗
    Guiseppe Getto; Susan Kelley; Bremen Vance
    artificial intelligence technical communication multilingual writers
  5. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Mar 2026
    “It's Hard to Show ROI When You’re Preventing Things from Happening”: How Impact Storytelling Frames Community Health Initiatives for Executive Audiences ↗
    Margaret Hsiao
    qualitative research multimodality technical communication professional writing multilingual writers