On Some Unwarranted Tacit Assumptions in Cognitive Neuroscience†
Identifieur interne : 000164 ( Ncbi/Merge ); précédent : 000163; suivant : 000165On Some Unwarranted Tacit Assumptions in Cognitive Neuroscience†
Auteurs : Rainer Mausfeld [Allemagne]Source :
- Frontiers in Psychology [ 1664-1078 ] ; 2012.
Abstract
The cognitive neurosciences are based on the idea that the level of neurons or neural networks constitutes a privileged level of analysis for the explanation of mental phenomena. This paper brings to mind several arguments to the effect that this presumption is ill-conceived and unwarranted in light of what is currently understood about the physical principles underlying mental achievements. It then scrutinizes the question why such conceptions are nevertheless currently prevailing in many areas of psychology. The paper argues that corresponding conceptions are rooted in four different aspects of our common-sense conception of mental phenomena and their explanation, which are illegitimately transferred to scientific enquiry. These four aspects pertain to the notion of explanation, to conceptions about which mental phenomena are singled out for enquiry, to an inductivist epistemology, and, in the wake of behavioristic conceptions, to a bias favoring investigations of input–output relations at the expense of enquiries into internal principles. To the extent that the cognitive neurosciences methodologically adhere to these tacit assumptions, they are prone to turn into a largely a-theoretical and data-driven endeavor while at the same time enhancing the prospects for receiving widespread public appreciation of their empirical findings.
Url:
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00067
PubMed: 22435062
PubMed Central: 3303139
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<front><div type="abstract" xml:lang="en"><p>The cognitive neurosciences are based on the idea that the level of neurons or neural networks constitutes a privileged level of analysis for the explanation of mental phenomena. This paper brings to mind several arguments to the effect that this presumption is ill-conceived and unwarranted in light of what is currently understood about the physical principles underlying mental achievements. It then scrutinizes the question why such conceptions are nevertheless currently prevailing in many areas of psychology. The paper argues that corresponding conceptions are rooted in four different aspects of our common-sense conception of mental phenomena and their explanation, which are illegitimately transferred to scientific enquiry. These four aspects pertain to the notion of explanation, to conceptions about which mental phenomena are singled out for enquiry, to an inductivist epistemology, and, in the wake of behavioristic conceptions, to a bias favoring investigations of input–output relations at the expense of enquiries into internal principles. To the extent that the cognitive neurosciences methodologically adhere to these tacit assumptions, they are prone to turn into a largely a-theoretical and data-driven endeavor while at the same time enhancing the prospects for receiving widespread public appreciation of their empirical findings.</p>
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<front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="nlm-ta">Front Psychol</journal-id>
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<article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="heading"><subject>Psychology</subject>
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<title-group><article-title>On Some Unwarranted Tacit Assumptions in Cognitive Neuroscience<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn1"><sup>†</sup>
</xref>
</article-title>
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<contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Mausfeld</surname>
<given-names>Rainer</given-names>
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<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"><sup>1</sup>
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<xref ref-type="author-notes" rid="fn001">*</xref>
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<aff id="aff1"><sup>1</sup>
<institution>Department of Psychology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Institut für Psychologie</institution>
<country>Kiel, Germany</country>
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<author-notes><fn fn-type="edited-by"><p>Edited by: Bernhard Hommel, Leiden University, Netherlands</p>
</fn>
<fn fn-type="edited-by"><p>Reviewed by: Lorenza S. Colzato, Leiden University, Netherlands; Bernhard Hommel, Leiden University, Netherlands</p>
</fn>
<corresp id="fn001">*Correspondence: Rainer Mausfeld, Department of Psychology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Institut für Psychologie, Kiel D-24098, Germany. e-mail: <email>mausfeld@psychologie.uni-kiel.de</email>
</corresp>
<fn fn-type="other" id="fn002"><p>This article was submitted to Frontiers in Cognition, a specialty of Frontiers in Psychology.</p>
</fn>
</author-notes>
<pub-date pub-type="epreprint"><day>22</day>
<month>9</month>
<year>2011</year>
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<pub-date pub-type="epub"><day>14</day>
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<year>2012</year>
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<volume>3</volume>
<elocation-id>67</elocation-id>
<history><date date-type="received"><day>11</day>
<month>8</month>
<year>2011</year>
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<date date-type="accepted"><day>21</day>
<month>2</month>
<year>2012</year>
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<permissions><copyright-statement>Copyright © 2012 Mausfeld.</copyright-statement>
<copyright-year>2012</copyright-year>
<license license-type="open-access" xlink:href="http://www.frontiersin.org/licenseagreement"><license-p>This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the <uri xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/">Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License</uri>
, which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in other forums, provided the original authors and source are credited.</license-p>
</license>
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<abstract><p>The cognitive neurosciences are based on the idea that the level of neurons or neural networks constitutes a privileged level of analysis for the explanation of mental phenomena. This paper brings to mind several arguments to the effect that this presumption is ill-conceived and unwarranted in light of what is currently understood about the physical principles underlying mental achievements. It then scrutinizes the question why such conceptions are nevertheless currently prevailing in many areas of psychology. The paper argues that corresponding conceptions are rooted in four different aspects of our common-sense conception of mental phenomena and their explanation, which are illegitimately transferred to scientific enquiry. These four aspects pertain to the notion of explanation, to conceptions about which mental phenomena are singled out for enquiry, to an inductivist epistemology, and, in the wake of behavioristic conceptions, to a bias favoring investigations of input–output relations at the expense of enquiries into internal principles. To the extent that the cognitive neurosciences methodologically adhere to these tacit assumptions, they are prone to turn into a largely a-theoretical and data-driven endeavor while at the same time enhancing the prospects for receiving widespread public appreciation of their empirical findings.</p>
</abstract>
<kwd-group><kwd>cognitive neuroscience</kwd>
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