Mars Rogier B, Shea Nicholas J, Kolling Nils, Rushworth Matthew F S
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Q J Exp Psychol (Hove). 2012;65(2):252-67. doi: 10.1080/17470211003668272. Epub 2011 Jun 24.
We discuss a recent approach to investigating cognitive control, which has the potential to deal with some of the challenges inherent in this endeavour. In a model-based approach, the researcher defines a formal, computational model that performs the task at hand and whose performance matches that of a research participant. The internal variables in such a model might then be taken as proxies for latent variables computed in the brain. We discuss the potential advantages of such an approach for the study of the neural underpinnings of cognitive control and its pitfalls, and we make explicit the assumptions underlying the interpretation of data obtained using this approach.
我们讨论了一种最近用于研究认知控制的方法，该方法有潜力应对这一研究中固有的一些挑战。在基于模型的方法中，研究者定义一个形式化的计算模型，该模型执行手头的任务，并且其表现与研究参与者的表现相匹配。然后，这种模型中的内部变量可被用作大脑中计算出的潜在变量的代理。我们讨论了这种方法在研究认知控制的神经基础方面的潜在优势及其缺陷，并明确了使用该方法获得的数据解释所基于的假设。
