title: How cognitive theory guides neuroscience.
abstract: The field of cognitive science studies latent, unobservable cognitive processes that generate observable behaviors. Similarly, cognitive neuroscience attempts to link latent cognitive processes with the neural mechanisms that generate them. Although neural processes are partially observable (with imaging and electrophysiology), it would be a mistake to 'skip' the cognitive level and pursue a purely neuroscientific enterprise to studying behavior. In fact, virtually all of the major advances in understanding the neural basis of behavior over the last century have relied fundamentally on principles of cognition for guiding the appropriate measurements, manipulations, tasks, and interpretations. We provide several examples from the domains of episodic memory, working memory and cognitive control, and decision making in which cognitive theorizing and prior experimentation has been essential in guiding neuroscientific investigations and discoveries.
authors.affiliation: Cognitive, Linguistic & Psychological Sciences, Brown Institute for Brain Science, United States. Electronic address: Michael_Frank@Brown.edu.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.affiliation: Cognitive, Linguistic & Psychological Sciences, Brown Institute for Brain Science, United States. Electronic address: David_Badre@Brown.edu.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Badre
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D000066494:Cognitive Neuroscience; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D011582:Psychological Theory
keywords: Cognitive control; Computational models; Decision making; Memory; Neuroscience