title: Generalizing the dynamic field theory of spatial cognition across real and developmental time scales.
abstract: Within cognitive neuroscience, computational models are designed to provide insights into the organization of behavior while adhering to neural principles. These models should provide sufficient specificity to generate novel predictions while maintaining the generality needed to capture behavior across tasks and/or time scales. This paper presents one such model, the dynamic field theory (DFT) of spatial cognition, showing new simulations that provide a demonstration proof that the theory generalizes across developmental changes in performance in four tasks-the Piagetian A-not-B task, a sandbox version of the A-not-B task, a canonical spatial recall task, and a position discrimination task. Model simulations demonstrate that the DFT can accomplish both specificity-generating novel, testable predictions-and generality-spanning multiple tasks across development with a relatively simple developmental hypothesis. Critically, the DFT achieves generality across tasks and time scales with no modification to its basic structure and with a strong commitment to neural principles. The only change necessary to capture development in the model was an increase in the precision of the tuning of receptive fields as well as an increase in the precision of local excitatory interactions among neurons in the model. These small quantitative changes were sufficient to move the model through a set of quantitative and qualitative behavioral changes that span the age range from 8 months to 6 years and into adulthood. We conclude by considering how the DFT is positioned in the literature, the challenges on the horizon for our framework, and how a dynamic field approach can yield new insights into development from a computational cognitive neuroscience perspective.
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, USA. vanessa-simmering@uiowa.edu
authors: Vanessa R
authors: VR
authors: Simmering
authors: Anne R
authors: AR
authors: Schutte
authors: John P
authors: JP
authors: Spencer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors
references: Science. 1988 Mar 25;239(4847):1513-20
references: 3281253
references: Cogn Psychol. 1994 Oct;27(2):115-47
references: 7956105
references: Infancy. 2004 Mar;5(2):131-151
references: 33401785
references: Child Dev. 2001 Sep-Oct;72(5):1327-46
references: 11699674
references: Eur J Neurosci. 2003 Oct;18(7):2047-58
references: 14622238
references: J Exp Child Psychol. 2001 Mar;78(3):263-90
references: 11222002
references: Dev Psychobiol. 2002 Apr;40(3):255-65
references: 11891637
references: Mem Cognit. 2002 Jul;30(5):718-30
references: 12219889
references: J Cogn Neurosci. 2007 May;19(5):750-60
references: 17488202
references: Neural Netw. 2006 Oct;19(8):1059-74
references: 16942860
references: Psychol Rev. 1995 Jul;102(3):419-457
references: 7624455
references: Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1990;608:xiii-lvi
references: 2127510
references: Percept Psychophys. 2006 Aug;68(6):1027-46
references: 17153196
references: Neuroreport. 1998 Jan 26;9(2):315-9
references: 9507975
references: Cogn Psychol. 2003 Dec;47(4):432-80
references: 14642291
references: Biol Cybern. 1977 Aug 3;27(2):77-87
references: 911931
references: J Exp Psychol Gen. 1989 Dec;118(4):387-98
references: 2531198
references: Psychophysiology. 1993 Jan;30(1):90-7
references: 8416066
references: Science. 1989 Jan 13;243(4888):234-6
references: 2911737
references: Exp Brain Res. 2002 Jun;144(3):303-13
references: 12021812
references: Trends Neurosci. 2001 Aug;24(8):455-63
references: 11476885
references: Behav Brain Sci. 2001 Feb;24(1):1-34; discussion 34-86
references: 11515285
references: Neuropsychol Rev. 2000 Jun;10(2):101-13
references: 10937918
references: Motor Control. 2007 Apr;11(2):166-208
references: 17575340
references: Neuropsychologia. 1990;28(6):517-27
references: 2203993
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 May 25;101(21):8174-9
references: 15148381
references: Infant Behav Dev. 2006 Jul;29(3):435-44
references: 17138296
references: Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1990;608:637-69; discussion 669-76
references: 2075965
references: Brain Res. 1979 Mar 16;163(2):195-205
references: 427544
references: Psychol Rev. 1991 Jul;98(3):352-76
references: 1891523
references: New Ideas Psychol. 2008 Aug;26(2):227-251
references: 19173013
references: J Neurosci. 1993 Mar;13(3):1227-43
references: 8441009
references: Annu Rev Neurosci. 2005;28:357-76
references: 16022600
references: Psychol Rev. 2004 Apr;111(2):309-32
references: 15065912
references: Dev Sci. 2007 Jan;10(1):69-74
references: 17181702
references: J Neurophysiol. 1996 Aug;76(2):1352-5
references: 8871242
references: Science. 1995 Mar 10;267(5203):1512-5
references: 7878473
references: Dev Sci. 2008 Jul;11(4):541-55
references: 18576962
references: J Exp Psychol Gen. 1996 Mar;125(1):96-108
references: 8851739
references: Biol Cybern. 1995 Jun;73(1):49-60
references: 7654850
references: Psychol Rev. 1999 Apr;106(2):235-60
references: 10378013
references: Br J Psychol. 1978 Feb;69(1):77-84
references: 626806
references: J Exp Psychol Gen. 2000 Jun;129(2):220-41
references: 10868335
references: J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 1978 Nov;4(4):691-702
references: 722256
references: Child Dev. 2003 Sep-Oct;74(5):1393-417
references: 14552405
references: Neural Netw. 2008 May;21(4):562-76
references: 18501555
references: Dev Psychol. 2000 Jan;36(1):109-16
references: 10645748
references: Percept Psychophys. 1991 Oct;50(4):321-32
references: 1758764
references: J Exp Child Psychol. 1977 Feb;23(1):162-71
references: 839157
references: J Neurosci Methods. 1999 Dec 15;94(1):53-66
references: 10638815
references: Psychol Rev. 1992 Jan;99(1):45-77
references: 1546118
references: J Neurosci. 2001 Nov 15;21(22):8819-29
references: 11698594
references: Behav Brain Sci. 1999 Aug;22(4):577-609; discussion 610-60
references: 11301525
references: J Cogn Neurosci. 2001 Aug 15;13(6):766-85
references: 11564321
references: Science. 1993 Jun 25;260(5116):1955-8
references: 8316836
references: Cereb Cortex. 2000 Sep;10(9):910-23
references: 10982751
references: Psychol Rev. 2002 Jul;109(3):545-72
references: 12088245
references: Vision Res. 1986;26(12):1939-47
references: 3617534
references: Child Dev. 2002 Mar-Apr;73(2):377-404
references: 11949898
references: Nat Neurosci. 2000 Nov;3 Suppl:1184-91
references: 11127836
references: Adv Neurol. 1995;66:1-6; discussion 6-8
references: 7771295
references: J Neurosci. 1999 Oct 15;19(20):9016-28
references: 10516319
references: Exp Brain Res. 1989;74(1):24-40
references: 2924839
references: Nature. 1988 Mar 31;332(6163):444-5
references: 3352741
references: J Exp Psychol Gen. 2002 Mar;131(1):16-37
references: 11900101
references: Psychol Rev. 1997 Oct;104(4):686-713
references: 9337629
references: J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 1986 Nov;12(4):411-21
references: 2946798
references: Cereb Cortex. 1995 Sep-Oct;5(5):448-56
references: 8547791
references: J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 2006 Apr;32(2):473-90
references: 16634683
references: Science. 1993 Apr 2;260(5104):47-52
references: 8465199