Tarja Susi

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Tarja Susi’s research lies at the intersection of embodied cognitive science, evolutionary robotics, and ecological psychology, with a central focus on how agents—biological or artificial—perceive and interact with their environments. Her most cited work, “Evolving cognitive scaffolding and environment adaptation” (2004, 36 citations), proposes a novel direction for evolutionary robotics by emphasizing that intelligent, adaptive behavior emerges not from a brain alone, but from the dynamic coupling of brain, body, and environment. This paper has influenced researchers exploring how robots can evolve cognitive scaffolding and adapt their surroundings, rather than merely reacting to them. In her complementary work, “On the Subject of Objects: Four Views on Object Perception and Tool Use” (1970, 19 and 4 citations), Susi compares foundational perspectives—from von Uexküll’s functional tone to Heidegger’s equipment—to illuminate how subjects perceive and use tools. This conceptual synthesis bridges philosophy and cognitive science, offering a framework for understanding tool use in both humans and artificial agents. While her citation counts reflect a specialized, niche impact, Susi’s contributions are notable for their interdisciplinary ambition, connecting theoretical insights to practical challenges in robotics and embodied cognition. Her work invites researchers to rethink agency as a distributed, environmentally embedded phenomenon.