How fMRI Can Inform Cognitive Theories
How can functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) advance cognitive theory? Some have argued that fMRI can do little beyond localizing brain regions that carry out certain cognitive functions (and may not even be able to do that). However, in this article, we argue that fMRI can inform theories o...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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Sage Publications
2014
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/91026 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3853-7885 |
| _version_ | 1826204705193197568 |
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| author | Kanwisher, Nancy Mather, Mara Cacioppo, John T. |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences Kanwisher, Nancy Mather, Mara Cacioppo, John T. |
| author_sort | Kanwisher, Nancy |
| collection | MIT |
| description | How can functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) advance cognitive theory? Some have argued that fMRI can do little beyond localizing brain regions that carry out certain cognitive functions (and may not even be able to do that). However, in this article, we argue that fMRI can inform theories of cognition by helping to answer at least four distinct kinds of questions. Which mental functions are performed in brain regions specialized for just that function (and which are performed in more general-purpose brain machinery)? When fMRI markers of a particular Mental Process X are found, is Mental Process X engaged when people perform Task Y? How distinct are the representations of different stimulus classes? Do specific pairs of tasks engage common or distinct processing mechanisms? Thus, fMRI data can be used to address theoretical debates that have nothing to do with where in the brain a particular process is carried out. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T12:59:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/91026 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T12:59:44Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publisher | Sage Publications |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/910262022-09-28T11:20:02Z How fMRI Can Inform Cognitive Theories Kanwisher, Nancy Mather, Mara Cacioppo, John T. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences Kanwisher, Nancy How can functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) advance cognitive theory? Some have argued that fMRI can do little beyond localizing brain regions that carry out certain cognitive functions (and may not even be able to do that). However, in this article, we argue that fMRI can inform theories of cognition by helping to answer at least four distinct kinds of questions. Which mental functions are performed in brain regions specialized for just that function (and which are performed in more general-purpose brain machinery)? When fMRI markers of a particular Mental Process X are found, is Mental Process X engaged when people perform Task Y? How distinct are the representations of different stimulus classes? Do specific pairs of tasks engage common or distinct processing mechanisms? Thus, fMRI data can be used to address theoretical debates that have nothing to do with where in the brain a particular process is carried out. 2014-10-21T15:29:14Z 2014-10-21T15:29:14Z 2013-01 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 1745-6916 1745-6924 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/91026 Mather, M., J. T. Cacioppo, and N. Kanwisher. “How fMRI Can Inform Cognitive Theories.” Perspectives on Psychological Science 8, no. 1 (January 1, 2013): 108–113. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3853-7885 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1745691612469037 Perspectives on Psychological Science Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ application/pdf Sage Publications PMC |
| spellingShingle | Kanwisher, Nancy Mather, Mara Cacioppo, John T. How fMRI Can Inform Cognitive Theories |
| title | How fMRI Can Inform Cognitive Theories |
| title_full | How fMRI Can Inform Cognitive Theories |
| title_fullStr | How fMRI Can Inform Cognitive Theories |
| title_full_unstemmed | How fMRI Can Inform Cognitive Theories |
| title_short | How fMRI Can Inform Cognitive Theories |
| title_sort | how fmri can inform cognitive theories |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/91026 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3853-7885 |
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