Dynamic Thinking: A Primer on Dynamic Field Theory introduces the reader to a new approach to understanding cognitive and neural dynamics using the concepts of Dynamic Field Theory (DFT). Dynamic Neural Fields are formalizations of how neural populations represent the continuous dimensions of perceptual features, movements, and cognitive decisions. The concepts of DFT establish links between brain and behavior, revealing ways in which models of brain function can be tested with both neural and behavioral measures. Thus, DFT bridges the gap between brain and behavior, between neuroscience and the behavioral sciences. The book provides systematic tutorials on the central concepts of DFT and their grounding in both dynamical systems theory and neurophysiology. The concrete mathematical implementation of these concepts is laid out, supported by hands-on exercises that make use of interactive simulators in MATLAB. The book also contains a large set of exemplary case studies in which the concepts and associated models are used to understand how elementary forms of embodied cognition emerge and develop.

Autorentext

Gregor Schöner is a Professor and Chair of Theory of Cognitive Systems as well as the Director at the Institut für Neuroinformatik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum. John P. Spencer is a Professor of Psychology at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK.

Zusammenfassung
Dynamic Thinking: A Primer on Dynamic Field Theory introduces the reader to a new approach to understanding cognitive and neural dynamics using the concepts of Dynamic Field Theory (DFT). Dynamic Neural Fields are formalizations of how neural populations represent the continuous dimensions of perceptual features, movements, and cognitive decisions. The concepts of DFT establish links between brain and behavior, revealing ways in which models of brain function can be tested with both neural and behavioral measures. Thus, DFT bridges the gap between brain and behavior, between neuroscience and the behavioral sciences. The book provides systematic tutorials on the central concepts of DFT and their grounding in both dynamical systems theory and neurophysiology. The concrete mathematical implementation of these concepts is laid out, supported by hands-on exercises that make use of interactive simulators in MATLAB. The book also contains a large set of exemplary case studies in which the concepts and associated models are used to understand how elementary forms of embodied cognition emerge and develop.

Inhalt

Contributors Abbreviations General Introduction John Spencer and Gregor Schöner Part 1 Integrating Lower-Level Perception-Action with Higher-Level Cognition Introduction to Part 1 Gregor Schöner and John P. Spencer Chapter 1: The Dynamics of Neural Activation Variables Gregor Schöner, Hendrik Reimann, and Jonas Lins Chapter 2: Dynamic Field Theory Gregor Schöner and Anne Schutte Chapter 3: The Ties of DFT to Neurophyisology Sebastian Schneegans, Jonas Lins, and Gregor Schöner Chapter 4: Embodied Neural Dynamics Gregor Schöner, Christian Faubel, Evelina Dineva, and Estela Bicho Part 2 Integrating Lower-Level Perception-Action with Higher-Level Cognition Introduction to Part 2 John P. Spencer and Gregor Schöner Chapter 5: Integration and Selection in Multi-Dimensional Dynamic Fields. Sebastian Schneegans, Jonas Lins, and John P. Spencer Chapter 6: Integrating Perception and Working Memory in a Three-Layer Dynamic Field Model Jeffrey S. Johnson and Vanessa R. Simmering Chapter 7: Sensory-Motor and Cognitive Transformation Sebastian Schneegans Chapter 8: Integrating "What" and "Where": Visual Working Memory for Objects in a Scene Sebastian Schneegans, John P. Spencer, and Gregor Schöner Chapter 9: Dynamic Scene Representations and Autonomous Robotics Stephan K. U. Zibner and Christian Faubel Part 3 Integrating Thinking over Multiple Timescales Introduction to Part 3 John P. Spencer and Gregor Schöner Chapter 10: Developmental Dynamics: The Spatial Precision Hypothesis Vanessa Simmering and Anne Schutte Chapter 11: A Process View of Learning and Development in an Autonomous Exploratory System Sammy Perone and Joseph P. Ambrose Chapter 12: Grounding Word Learning in Space and Time Larissa K. Samuelson and Christian Faubel Chapter 13: The Emergence of Higher-level Cognitive Flexibility: DFT and Executive Function Aaron T. Buss, Timothy Wifall, and Eliot Hazeltine Chapter 14: Autonomous Sequence Generation in Dynamic Field Theory Yulia Sandamirskaya Conclusions: A 'How-to' Guide to Modeling with Dynamic Field Theory Joseph Ambrose, Sebastian Schneegans, Gregor Schöner, and John P. Spencer