An integrative explanation of action

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Philosophy of Mind
• Theoretical Neuroscience

Background:

• The Predictive Processing Theory (PP) and Free Energy Principle (FEP) offer a unified framework for perception, cognition, and action.
• Recent critiques question the ability of PP-FEP to adequately explain adaptive action compared to perception.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the explanatory power of PP-FEP for adaptive action.
• To propose a modified framework that enhances the explanation of action within the PP-FEP context.

Main Methods:

• Critically analyzing existing arguments regarding PP-FEP and action.
• Integrating PP-FEP with a high-level psychological theory (Theriault et al., 2020) on social conformation and the sense of 'should'.

Main Results:

• The study argues that PP-FEP alone may not sufficiently explain action.
• Coupling PP-FEP with theories of social conformation provides a more inclusive and symmetrical explanation of action.

Conclusions:

• The integration of PP-FEP with specific psychological theories offers a robust framework for understanding action.
• The symmetry in explanation, arising from this integration, is presented as a feature, not a flaw.