Department of Psychology, Princeton University.
Behav Neurosci. 2021 Oct;135(5):601-609. doi: 10.1037/bne0000471. Epub 2021 Jun 7.
Understanding the brain requires us to answer both what the brain does, and how it does it. Using a series of examples, I make the case that behavior is often more useful than neuroscientific measurements for answering the first question. Moreover, I show that even for "how" questions that pertain to neural mechanism, a well-crafted behavioral paradigm can offer deeper insight and stronger constraints on computational and mechanistic models than do many highly challenging (and very expensive) neural studies. I conclude that purely behavioral research is essential for understanding the brain-especially its cognitive functions-contrary to the opinion of prominent funding bodies and some scientific journals, who erroneously place neural data on a pedestal and consider behavior to be subsidiary. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
理解大脑需要我们回答大脑的功能是什么，以及它是如何工作的。通过一系列的例子，我表明行为通常比神经科学测量更有助于回答第一个问题。此外，我还表明，即使对于涉及神经机制的“如何”问题，精心设计的行为范式也可以为计算和机械模型提供更深入的见解和更强的约束，而不是许多极具挑战性（且非常昂贵）的神经研究。我得出结论，纯粹的行为研究对于理解大脑——尤其是其认知功能——至关重要，这与一些主要的资助机构和一些科学期刊的观点相反，这些机构错误地将神经数据置于崇高的地位，认为行为是次要的。（PsycInfo 数据库记录（c）2021 APA，保留所有权利）。
