CNRS, UMR 6146, Marseille, France.
PLoS One. 2011;6(9):e24974. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024974. Epub 2011 Sep 28.
Investigating human cognitive faculties such as language, attention, and memory most often relies on testing small and homogeneous groups of volunteers coming to research facilities where they are asked to participate in behavioral experiments. We show that this limitation and sampling bias can be overcome by using smartphone technology to collect data in cognitive science experiments from thousands of subjects from all over the world. This mass coordinated use of smartphones creates a novel and powerful scientific "instrument" that yields the data necessary to test universal theories of cognition. This increase in power represents a potential revolution in cognitive science.
研究人类认知能力，如语言、注意力和记忆，通常依赖于在研究设施中测试小而同质的志愿者群体，这些志愿者被要求参与行为实验。我们表明，可以使用智能手机技术来克服这种局限性和抽样偏差，从而在认知科学实验中从世界各地的数千名受试者那里收集数据。这种大规模协调使用智能手机的方式创造了一种新颖而强大的科学“工具”，可以产生测试认知普遍理论所需的数据。这种力量的增强代表了认知科学的潜在革命。
