Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T00:26:28.045Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Explanatory Force of Dynamical and Mathematical Models in Neuroscience: A Mechanistic Perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

David Michael Kaplan  and
Carl F. Craver
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

We argue that dynamical and mathematical models in systems and cognitive neuroscience explain (rather than redescribe) a phenomenon only if there is a plausible mapping between elements in the model and elements in the mechanism for the phenomenon. We demonstrate how this model-to-mechanism-mapping constraint, when satisfied, endows a model with explanatory force with respect to the phenomenon to be explained. Several paradigmatic models including the Haken-Kelso-Bunz model of bimanual coordination and the difference-of-Gaussians model of visual receptive fields are explored.

Type
Research Article
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 78 , Issue 4 , October 2011 , pp. 601 - 627
Copyright
Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

‡

Thanks to Lindley Darden, Peter French, Peter Machamer, Gualtiero Piccinini, Dan Weiskopf, and two anonymous referees for helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article.

References

Baker, Jason M. 2005. “Adaptive Speciation: The Role of Natural Selection in Mechanisms of Geographic and Non-geographic Speciation.” Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 36:303–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bechtel, William. 2008. Mental Mechanisms: Philosophical Perspectives on Cognitive Neuroscience. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Bechtel, William, and Abrahamsen, Adele. 2002. Connectionism and the Mind: Parallel Processing, Dynamics, and Evolution in Networks. 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Bechtel, William, and Abrahamsen, Adele. 2005. “Explanation: A Mechanistic Alternative.” Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 36:421–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bechtel, William, and Abrahamsen, Adele. 2010. “Dynamic Mechanistic Explanation: Computational Modeling of Circadian Rhythms as an Exemplar for Cognitive Science.” Studies in History and Philosophy of Science A 41:321–33.Google ScholarPubMed
Bechtel, William, and Richardson, Robert C.. 1993/2010. Discovering Complexity: Decomposition and Localization as Strategies in Scientific Research. Repr. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Bliss, Timothy V., and Lomo, Terje. 1973. “Long-Lasting Potentiation of Synaptic Transmission in the Dentate Area of the Anaesthetized Rabbit following Stimulation of the Perforant Path.” Journal of Physiology 232 (2): 331–56.Google ScholarPubMed
Bogen, James. 2005. “Regularities and Causality: Generalizations and Causal Explanations.” Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 36:397–420.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bogen, James. 2008. “The Hodgkin-Huxley Equations and the Concrete Model: Comments on Craver, Schaffner, and Weber.” Philosophy of Science 75:1034–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bressler, Steven, and Scott Kelso, J. A.. 2001. “Cortical Coordination Dynamics and Cognition.” Trends in Cognitive Sciences 5:26–36.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Buchanan, John J., Scott Kelso, J. A., and DeGuzman, Gonzalo C.. 1997. “The Self-Organization of Trajectory Formation.” Pt. 1, “Experimental Evidence.” Biological Cybernetics 76:257–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carson, Richard G., and Scott Kelso, J. A.. 2004. “Governing Coordination: Behavioural Principles and Neural Correlates.” Experimental Brain Research 154 (3): 267–74.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carson, Richard G., Riek, Stephan, Smethurst, Christopher J., Párraga, Juan Franscisco Lisón, and Byblow, Wintson D.. 2000. “Neuromuscular-Skeletal Constraints upon the Dynamics of Unimanual and Bimanual Coordination.” Experimental Brain Research 131:196–214.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chemero, Anthony, and Silberstein, Michael. 2008. “After the Philosophy of Mind: Replacing Scholasticism with Science.” Philosophy of Science 75:1–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, Ethan, and Sterling, Peter. 1991. “Microcircuitry Related to the Receptive Field Center of the On-Beta Ganglion Cell.” Journal of Neurophysiology 65 (2): 352–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Craver, Carl F. 2006. “When Mechanistic Models Explain.” Synthese 153:355–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Craver, Carl F.. 2007. Explaining the Brain. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Craver, Carl F.. 2008. “Physical Law and Mechanistic Explanation in the Hodgkin and Huxley Model of the Action Potential.” Philosophy of Science 75:1022–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Craver, Carl F., and Alexandrova, Anna. 2008. “No Revolution Necessary: Neural Mechanisms for Economics.” Philosophy and Economics 24 (3): 381–406.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cummins, Robert. 2000. “‘How Does It Work’ versus ‘What Are the Laws’: Two Conceptions of Psychological Explanation.” In Explanation and Cognition, ed. Keil, Frank and Wilson, Robert A., 117–45. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Darden, Lindley. 2006. Reasoning in Biological Discoveries: Mechanisms, Interfield Relations, and Anomaly Resolution. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Darden, Lindley, and Craver, Carl F.. 2002. “Strategies in the Interfield Discovery of the Mechanism of Protein Synthesis.” Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 33:1–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dawis, Steven, Shapley, Robert, Kaplan, Ehud, and Tranchina, Daniel. 1984. “The Receptive Field Organization of X-Cells in the Cat: Spatiotemporal Coupling and Asymmetry.” Vision Research 24 (6): 549–64.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dayan, Peter, and Abbott, Larry F.. 2001. Theoretical Neuroscience: Computational and Mathematical Modeling of Neural Systems. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Douglas, Heather E. 2009. “Reintroducing Prediction to Explanation.” Philosophy of Science 76:444–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Doyle, Declan A., Cabral, João Morais, Pfuetzner, Richard A., Kuo, Anling, Gulbis, Jacqueline M., Cohen, Steven L., Chait, Brian T., and MacKinnon, Roderick. 1998. “The Structure of the Potassium Channel: Molecular Basis of K+ Conduction and Selectivity.” Science 280:69–77.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dray, William. 1957. Law and Explanation in History. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Einevoll, Gaute T., and Heggelund, Paul. 2000. “Mathematical Models for the Spatial Receptive-Field Organization of Nonlagged X-Cells in Dorsal Lateral Geniculate Nucleus of Cat.” Visual Neuroscience 17 (6): 871–85.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Einevoll, Gaute T., and Plesser, Hans Ekkehard. 2005. “Responses of the Difference-of-Gaussians Model to Circular Drifting-Grating Patches.” Visual Neuroscience 22 (4): 437–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Enroth-Cugell, Christina, and Robson, John G.. 1966. “The Contrast Sensitivity of Retinal Ganglion Cells of the Cat.” Journal of Physiology 187 (3): 517–52.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Enroth-Cugell, Christina, and Robson, John G.. 1984. “Functional Characteristics and Diversity of Cat Retinal Ganglion Cells: Basic Characteristics and Quantitative Description.” Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science 25 (3): 250–67.Google ScholarPubMed
Fuchs, Armin, Jirsa, Viktor K., and Scott Kelso, J. A.. 2000a. “Issues in the Coordination of Human Brain Activity and Motor Behavior.” Neuroimage 11 (5): 375–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fuchs, Armin, Jirsa, Viktor K., and Scott Kelso, J. A.. 2000b. “Theory of the Relation between Human Brain Activity (MEG) and Hand Movements.” Neuroimage 11 (5): 359–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glennan, Stuart. 1996. “Mechanisms and the Nature of Causation.” Erkenntnis 44:49–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haken, Hermann, Scott Kelso, J. A., and Bunz, H.. 1985. “A Theoretical Model of Phase Transitions in Human Hand Movements.” Biological Cybernetics 51 (5): 347–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Haugeland, John. 1998a. “Mind Embodied and Embedded.” In Having Thought: Essays in the Metaphysics of Mind, ed. Haugeland, John, 207–40. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Haugeland, John. 1998b. “The Nature and Plausibility of Cognitivism.” In Having Thought: Essays in the Metaphysics of Mind, ed. Haugeland, John, 9–46. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Hedström, Peter, and Ylikoski, Petri. 2010. “Causal Mechanisms in the Social Sciences.” Annual Review of Sociology 36:49–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hempel, Carl G. 1965. Aspects of Scientific Explanation and Other Essays in the Philosophy of Science. New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Hille, Bertil. 1992. Ion Channels of Excitable Membranes. 2nd ed. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer.Google Scholar
Hodgkin, Alan L. 1992. Chance and Design: Reminiscences of Science in Peace and War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Hodgkin, Alan L., and Huxley, Andrew F.. 1952. “A Quantitative Description of Membrane Current and Its Application to Conduction and Excitation in Nerve.” Journal of Physiology 117:500–544.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jantzen, Kelly J., Steinberg, Fred L., and Scott Kelso, J. A.. 2009. “Coordination Dynamics of Large-Scale Neural Circuitry Underlying Rhythmic Sensorimotor Behavior.” Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 21 (12): 2420–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jirsa, Viktor K., Fuchs, Armin, and Scott Kelso, J. A.. 1998. “Connecting Cortical and Behavioral Dynamics: Bimanual Coordination.” Neural Computation 10:2019–45.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kelso, J. A. Scott. 1995. Dynamic Patterns: The Self-Organization of Brain and Behavior. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Kelso, J. A. Scott. 2010. “Instabilities and Phase Transitions in Human Brain and Behavior.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 4:23.Google ScholarPubMed
Kelso, J. A. Scott, Fuchs, Armin, Lancaster, R., Holroyd, T., Cheyne, Douglas, and Weinberg, Harold. 1998. “Dynamic Cortical Activity in the Human Brain Reveals Motor Equivalence.” Nature 392 (6678): 814–18.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kelso, J. A. Scott, and Jeka, John J.. 1992. “Symmetry Breaking Dynamics of Human Multilimb Coordination.” Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance 18 (3): 645–68.Google ScholarPubMed
Kitcher, Philip. 1989. “Explanatory Unification and the Causal Structure of the World.” In Minnesota Studies in the Philosophy of Science, Vol. 13, Scientific Explanation, ed. Kitcher, Philip and Salmon, Wesley, 410–505. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.Google Scholar
Kuffler, Steven. 1953. “Discharge Patterns and Functional Organization of Mammalian Retina.” Journal of Neurophysiology 16 (1): 37–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lewis, David. 1986. “Events.” In Philosophical Papers, Vol. 2, ed. David Lewis, 241–69. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Machamer, Peter, Darden, Lindley, and Craver, Carl F.. 2000. “Thinking about Mechanisms.” Philosophy of Science 67:1–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mastronarde, David N. 1992. “Nonlagged Relay Cells and Interneurons in the Cat Lateral Geniculate Nucleus: Receptive-Field Properties and Retinal Inputs.” Visual Neuroscience 8 (5): 407–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McDowell, John. 1996. Mind and World. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oullier, Olivier, DeGuzman, Gonzalo C., Jantzen, Kelly J., Lagarde, Julien, and Scott Kelso, J. A.. 2008. “Social Coordination Dynamics: Measuring Human Bonding.” Social Neuroscience 3 (2): 178–92.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Piccinini, G., and Craver, Carl F.. Forthcoming. “Integrating Psychology and Neuroscience: Functional Analyses as Mechanism Sketches.” Synthese.Google Scholar
Port, Robert F., and van Gelder, Timothy. 1995. Mind as Motion: Explorations in the Dynamics of Cognition. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Rodieck, Robert W. 1965. “Quantitative Analysis of Cat Retinal Ganglion Cell Response to Visual Stimuli.” Vision Research 5 (11): 583–601.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rodieck, Robert W., and Stone, Jonathan. 1965a. “Analysis of Receptive Fields of Cat Retinal Ganglion Cells.” Journal of Neurophysiology 28 (5): 832–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rodieck, Robert W., and Stone, Jonathan. 1965b. “Response of Cat Retinal Ganglion Cells to Moving Visual Patterns.” Journal of Neurophysiology 28 (5): 819–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenberg, Alex. 2001. “How Is Biological Explanation Possible?” British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 52:735–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salmon, Wesley. 1984. Scientific Explanation and the Causal Structure of the World. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Salmon, Wesley. 1989. “Four Decades of Scientific Explanation.” In Minnesota Studies in the Philosophy of Science, Vol. 13, Scientific Explanation, ed. Kitcher, Philip and Salmon, Wesley. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.Google Scholar
Schmidt, Richard C., Carello, Claudia, and Turvey, Michael T.. 1990. “Phase Transitions and Critical Fluctuations in the Visual Coordination of Rhythmic Movements between People.” Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance 16:247–77.Google ScholarPubMed
Schöner, Gregor, Jiang, W. Y., and Scott Kelso, J. A.. 1990. “A Synergetic Theory of Quadrupedal Gaits and Gait Transitions.” Journal of Theoretical Biology 142:359–91.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schöner, Gregor, and Scott Kelso, J. A.. 1988. “Dynamic Pattern Generation in Behavioral and Neural Systems.” Science 239 (4847): 1513–20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shapley, Robert, and Lennie, Peter. 1985. “Spatial Frequency Analysis in the Visual System.” Annual Review of Neuroscience 8:547–83.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Skipper, Robert A., and Millstein, Roberta L.. 2005. “Thinking about Evolutionary Mechanisms: Natural Selection.” Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 36:327–47.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
So, Yuen T., and Shapley, Robert. 1981. “Spatial Tuning of Cells in and around Lateral Geniculate Nucleus of the Cat: X and Y Relay Cells and Perigeniculate Interneurons.” Journal of Neurophysiology 45 (1): 41–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Strevens, Michael. 2004. “The Causal and Unification Accounts of Explanation Unified—Causally.” Noûs 38:154–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thelen, Esther, and Smith, Linda. 1994. A Dynamic Systems Approach to the Development of Cognition and Action. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Tognoli, Emmanuelle, and Scott Kelso, J. A.. 2009. “Brain Coordination Dynamics: True and False Faces of Phase Synchrony and Metastability.” Progress in Neurobiology 87 (1): 31–40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
van Gelder, Timothy. 1995. “What Might Cognition Be, If Not Computation?” Journal of Philosophy 92:345–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van Gelder, Timothy. 1998. “The Dynamical Hypothesis in Cognitive Science.” Behavioral and Brain Sciences 21:1–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
van Gelder, Timothy, and Port, Robert F.. 1995. “It’s about Time: An Overview of the Dynamical Approach to Cognition.” In Port and van Gelder, 1995, 1–43.Google Scholar
Walmsley, Joel. 2008. “Explanation in Dynamical Cognitive Science.” Minds and Machines 18 (3): 331–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woodward, James. 2003. Making Things Happen. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar