Computational neuroscience in the study of cognitive processes

Abstract

In recent decades the study of cognitive processes has been influenced by two tendencies: legitimation of several forms and levels of study and the attempt of multidisciplinary integration. The first had great importance in the second half of the 20th century, when research lines in cognitive psychology and neuroscience were strengthened. In this sense, Marr’s three levels of analysis (computational, algorithmic, and implementation) are one way to structure the study of cognitive processes. The second tendency is more recent and, supported by the first one, seeks to deepen the understanding of cognitive processes in their different scales and to integrate several paradigms of studies in order to reach theoretical consilience. This article aims to introduce computational neuroscience and its possible contributions to cognitive psychology, articulating, through Marr’s three levels, a theoretical basis that explains the role of each of the disciplines and their possible interactions.