- Lucy Suchman
Lucy Suchman is Professor of Anthropology of Science and Technology in the Department of Sociology at
Lancaster University . Before coming to Lancaster, she held the positions of Principal Scientist and manager of the Work Practice and Technology area at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center. She is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, obtaining her BA in 1972, MA in 1977 and a Doctorate in Social and Cultural Anthropology in 1984.Research
Suchman's book,"Plans and Situated Actions: The Problem of Human-machine Communication" (1987), provided intellectual foundations for the field of human-computer interaction (HCI). She challenged common assumptions behind the design of interactive systems with a cogent anthropological argument that human action is constantly constructed and reconstructed from dynamic interactions with the material and social worlds. The theory of
situated cognition emphasizes the importance of the environment as an integral part of thecognitive process .She has made fundamental contributions to ethnographic analysis, conversational analysis and Participatory Design techniques for the development of interactive computer systems.Publications
*Lucy Suchman. "Human-Machine Reconfigurations." Cambridge University Press, New York, 2007.
*Lucy Suchman. "Plans and situated actions : the problem of human-machine communication." Cambridge University Press, New York, 1987.
*Lucy Suchman. "Response to Vera and Simon's Situated Action: A Symbolic Interpretation." Cognitive Science, 17:71--75, 1993.
* [http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/sociology/papers/suchman-anthropology-as-brand.pdf 'Anthropology as 'Brand': Reflections on Corporate Anthropology'] (2000)
* [http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/sociology/papers/suchman-located-accountabilities.pdf Located Accountabilities in Technology Production] (2004)Awards
1988 Xerox Corporate Research Group's Excellence in Science and Technology Award
2002 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science [http://www.fi.edu/tfi/exhibits/bower/02/ccscience.html]
ee also
*
Science studies
*Cognition
*Philosophy of mind External links
* [http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/sociology/profiles/31/ Her Website at Lancaster University]
* [http://www.dialogonleadership.org/Suchman-1999.html A 1999 Interview]
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