understanding and the aims of cognitive neuroscience · what is cognitive neuroscience? the...
Post on 01-Apr-2018
216 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
Understanding and the aims ofcognitive neuroscience
R.A.KievitUniversity of Amsterdam
R.A.Kievit@uva.nl
In collaboration with Denny Borsboom,Jan-Willem Romeijn and Lourens Waldorp
What is cognitive neuroscience?
The simultaneous study of properties and(differential) activity of the brain, in relation tocognitive/psychological constructs, propertiesand phenomena
What is cognitive neuroscience?
The simultaneous study of properties and(differential) activity of the brain, in relation tocognitive/psychological constructs, propertiesand phenomena
Intelligence Personality Working Memory Consciousness
What is cognitive neuroscience?
The simultaneous study of properties and(differential) activity of the brain, in relation tocognitive/psychological constructs, propertiesand phenomena
Intelligence Personality Working Memory Consciousness
fMRI EEG PET MEG
Why do cognitive neuroscience?
What are the goals of cognitiveneuroscience?
What could they be?What can they (probably) not be?
Why it is interesting
Relationship between explanatory levels is complex and fascinating Interesting philosophical work on (prerequisites of) reduction (Oppenheim & Putnam, 1958; Nagels Bridge Laws, 1961) However, relatively little focus on empirical
practice of cognitive neuroscience
Why it is important
People have a profound faith inneuroscience (and genetics)
This can easily be mis/ab-used Indian man convicted because of
fMRI ‘lie detection’ scan Bayout 18 months reduction in
sentence because of ‘Aggressiongene’
It is essential we understand whatwe can, and cannot, do withneuroscientific results
Three commonly mentionedpossibilities 1) Discover the ‘real’ property
(reduction/elimination) ‘What is intelligence/personality ‘really’?
Three commonly mentionedpossibilities 1) Discover the ‘real’ property
(reduction/elimination) ‘What is intelligence/personality ‘really’?
2) Classification/Prediction ‘Psychological measurement can be noisy. Neuroscience
is/could be more precise and objective’
Three commonly mentionedpossibilities 1) Discover the ‘real’ property
(reduction/elimination) ‘What is intelligence/personality ‘really’?
2) Classification/Prediction ‘Psychological measurement can be noisy. Neuroscience
is/could be more precise and objective’ 3) Mechanistic understanding
‘How does intelligence/personality ‘work’? What knowledgecan neuroscience give us in this respect?’
1) Neuro-Realism
Neuroscience is ‘more real’ thanpsychology
Neuroscience offers the ‘ontologicaljustification’ for psychological properties:
‘Psychological property X is real,because it is (also) associated withincreased activity in the DLPFC’
1) Neuro-Realism
“One goal of psychophysiological research has beento anchor both diagnosis and symptoms in biologicalreality” (Ford, 1999)
“Relatively new form of brain imaging provides visualproof that acupuncture alleviates pain” (Racine, Bar-Ilan and Illes, 2005)
‘Recent research by neuroscientists shows promise aswell from a strict realist point of view for establishingconnections between processes within specificregions of the brain and the ability to mentalize.’(Bagozzi, 2007)
1) Neuro-Realism
Not a sensible or realistic strategy 1) Empirical procedure
Starts with psychological property
2) Sliding scale problem If neurons are more real, why stop there?
3) Double dissociation Same behavior, different brain activity and vice versa
4) Purpose of cognitive neuroscience Have we gained useful knowledge in this way?
2) Prediction/classification
Psychological measurement is alwaysnoisy Bias Experimenter effects Desirable answers Test anxiety
Maybe neuroscience is more‘objective’ and more precise?
Better measure properties of interest?
2) Prediction/classification
‘Within five years brainscans for jobinterviews’
ʻNo Lie MRI, Inc. provides unbiasedmethods for the detection ofdeceptionʼ
2) Prediction/classification
Not realistic 1) Statistics
Strength of relationship
2) Empirical procedure Start with psychological property
3) Reverse inference DLPFC more active in many tasks
4) Cost IQ test: 30 euros. MRI scan: 1000 euros
3) Mechanistic understanding
To better understand why people differ incertain behavioral domains
To better understand how we perform certaintasks
To examine what disturbances (transient such asTMS, or permanent such as lesions) lead to whatbehavioral/psychological deficiencies
3) Mechanistic understanding
‘To identify function withstructure’
“Cognitive neuroscience is thestudy of how cognitive orthought processes take placein the human brain.ʼ
3) Mechanistic understanding
Good idea! 1) Potentially yields new knowledge
Which processes are structurally similar? 2) Different type of knowledge
Cortical plasticity, structural development 3) Constrains hypotheses
Reaction times 4) Informs new hypotheses
Consciousness models 5) Falsification of models
Language models and Broca/Wernicke
Summary
1) Neuroscience is ‘more real’? Not likely, orinternally consistent
2) Neuroscience can better measurepsychological properties?
Summary
1) Neuroscience is ‘more real’? Not likely, orinternally consistent
2) Neuroscience can better measurepsychological properties? Certainly not at themoment, and does not seem to be a promisingavenue.
Summary
1) Neuroscience is ‘more real’? Not likely, orinternally consistent
2) Neuroscience can better measurepsychological properties? Certainly not at themoment, and does not seem to be a promisingavenue.
3) Mechanistic understanding?
Summary
1) Neuroscience is ‘more real’? Not likely, orinternally consistent
2) Neuroscience can better measurepsychological properties? Certainly not at themoment, and does not seem to be a promisingavenue.
3) Mechanistic understanding? Can, andshould, be the main focus of cognitiveneuroscience
Conclusion
A very hard problem indeed Both the nature of psychological constructs and
the structure and function of the brain areincredibly complex
Conclusion
A very hard problem indeed Both the nature of psychological constructs and
the structure and function of the brain areincredibly complex
The simultaneous study of these two even moreso
Conclusion
A very hard problem indeed Both the nature of psychological constructs and
the structure and function of the brain areincredibly complex
The simultaneous study of these two even moreso
We do not have a fully developed ‘toolbox’ toconceptualize the relationship between the two
Conclusion
A very hard problem indeed Both the nature of psychological constructs and
the structure and function of the brain areincredibly complex
The simultaneous study of these two even moreso
We do not have a fully developed ‘toolbox’ toconceptualize the relationship between the two
A fascinating topic of study, worthy of bothphilosophical and scientific attention
top related