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Updated: May 23, 2026
08:06
Microdissection of Mouse Brain into Functionally and Anatomically Different Regions
Published on: February 15, 2021
Hypothetical high-level cognitive functions cannot be localized in the brain: another argument for a revitalized
1Department of Industrial Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona. aowru@asu.edu
The Behavior Analyst
|April 6, 2012
Summary
Cognitive science
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Behaviorism and cognitivism differ on analyzing cognitive processes into functional modules.
- Cognitivists believe modular analysis is achievable, while behaviorists disagree.
- Recent brain imaging technologies have intensified this debate.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the feasibility of localizing high-level cognitive functions in specific brain regions.
- To critically evaluate the challenges in modular cognitive function localization.
- To reassess the direction of scientific psychology.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of behaviorism and cognitivism.
- Review of challenges in localizing cognitive functions using brain imaging.
- Discussion of technical and conceptual limitations.
Main Results:
- Significant technical and conceptual difficulties hinder the localization of high-level cognitive functions.
- Ambiguous definitions of mental components and the nonlinear complexity of the brain pose major obstacles.
- Limitations of current brain imaging techniques further complicate the localization effort.
Conclusions:
- The cognitive approach's attempt to localize functions may be misguided.
- Current methods face substantial hurdles, potentially rendering the goal unattainable.
- A re-evaluation of behaviorist approaches might be necessary for scientific psychology.
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