Mental Functioning is Neural Functioning: Towards a Unified Ontology of

Mind, Brain, and Behavior

Gwen A. Frishkoff

Department of Psychology NeuroInformatics CenterGeorgia State University University of Oregon

Outline of Talk• What is a mental process?

– A view from cognitive psychology– The Mind–Brain problem and three proposed

solutions (ontology views)

• A neurophsysiological framework for understanding mental processes– Levels of brain, levels of mind– What are mental representations “about”?

(Proposed solution to problems of subjectivity, aboutness)

Outline of Talk• What is a mental process?

– A view from cognitive psychology– The Mind–Brain problem (redux) and three

proposed solutions (ontology views)

• A neurophsysiological framework for understanding mental processes– Levels of brain, levels of mind– What are mental representations “about”?

(Proposed solution to problems of subjectivity, aboutness)

What is a Mental Process? A view from cognitive psychology

Short-term memory Cognitive control

Motor control,Action

Sensation, Perception

Long-term MemoryHabits & Skills

How do we know any of this?

That is, where did the components of the standard model come from?

mental processes

• Mental processes cannot be observed.* • They must be inferred based on what we can observe.

What can we observe?...

*We can revise this assumption later (if Mind = Brain)

The mind as a black box

X

• Physical processes in body Behavior (response type, accuracy, reaction time)

• Physiological processes in brain Neural activity and correlates of neural activity (blood flow to brain regions)

What we can observe… and How

A schematic of Helmholtz’s apparatus for measuring the time course of muscle contraction and the propagation velocity of the nerve impulse. Source: Bennett, 1999.

A 256-channel electrode “net” that is used to measure brain electrical activity (EEG)

CogPO!

What IS a mental process*?

* “process” and “function” are used interchangeably in this talk

What IS a mental process?

NOTE: Dotted line designates indirect link within subsumption hierarchy

Three proposed solutions

Outline of Talk• What is a mental process?

– A view from cognitive psychology– The Mind–Brain problem (redux) and three

proposed solutions (ontology views)

• A neurophsysiological framework for understanding mental processes– Levels of brain, levels of mind– What are mental representations “about”?

(Proposed solution to problems of subjectivity, aboutness)

“A mental process is NOT necessarily a physical process.”

⇒ Mental processes could be something qualitatively different from bodily and brain processes; aka Dualism (Mind ≠ Brain)

• Can accommodate lay view• Can explain properties of mind:

subjectivity aboutness

• Imprecise (what kind of process…?)• Unclear how Mind and Brain are related• Unnecessarily complex

ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR ARGUMENTS AGAINST

“A mental process is a physical process, but is NOT necessarily a neural process.”

• Avoids Mind-Body dualism• More precise than Solution #1

ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR

• Still somewhat imprecise (what kind of bodily process…?)

• Does not make explicit the relationship between mental and neurophysiological processes

ARGUMENTS AGAINST

“A mental process is a neural process.”

• Avoids Mind-Body dualism• More precise than other two

solutions• Gives ready framework for

comparative neurophysiology & comparative cognition

• Knowledge of brain structure & function informs understanding of mental function (and dysfunction)

ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR

Outline of Talk• What is a mental process?

– A view from cognitive psychology– The Mind–Brain problem (redux) and three

proposed solutions (ontology views)

• A neurophsysiological framework for understanding mental processes– Levels of brain, levels of mind– What are mental representations “about”?

(Proposed solution to problems of subjectivity, aboutness)

A neurophysiological framework for understanding types of mental process

• Unimodal regions: sensory and motor cortex

• Hetermodal regions Heteromodal association

cortex: “cognitive” functions Paralimbic regions: emotion

and motivation, self-regulatory functions

Levels of brain, levels of mind

Mesulam, 1990

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Representation, monitoring and control of internal environment

(“self”)

Representation, monitoring and control of bodily interface to

external environment(“real world”)

Mental representations: What are they “about”?

Peripheral (sensory-motor) parts of the body are “mapped” to (represented by) an orderly set of discrete regions within sensory and motor cortex.

Sensoy-motor maps in the brain

The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis monitors and controls internal bodily functions, such as blood circulation, breathing, digestion, stress, and arousal.

Maps of the internal milieux

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Perception of internal (bodily)

environment(“self”)

Perception of external

environment/sensory input(“real world”)

Mental processes, states, and representations

Summary• What is a mental process?

– A view from cognitive psychology– The Mind–Brain problem (redux) and three

proposed solutions (ontology views)

• A neurophsysiological framework for understanding mental processes– Levels of brain, levels of mind– What are mental representations “about”?

(Proposed solution to problems of subjectivity, aboutness)

Acknowledgements

Funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIBIB), R01-MH084812

(Dou, Frishkoff, Malony)