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

What is cognitive neuroscience?

What is cognitive neuroscience?

‘I feel comfortablearound people’

What is cognitive neuroscience?

‘I feel comfortablearound people’

Yields information on the structureand activity of the brain

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’?

Summary

1) Neuroscience is ‘more real’? Not likely, orinternally consistent

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

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

Thank you!

R.A.Kievit@UVA.nl

Questions?