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Defining an Ontology of Cognitive Control Requires Attention to Component Interactions
Author(s) -
Badre David
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
topics in cognitive science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.191
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1756-8765
pISSN - 1756-8757
DOI - 10.1111/j.1756-8765.2011.01141.x
Subject(s) - component (thermodynamics) , cognition , cognitive psychology , cognitive science , control (management) , computer science , ontology , psychology , artificial intelligence , neuroscience , epistemology , philosophy , physics , thermodynamics
Cognitive control is not only componential, but those components may interact in complicated ways in the service of cognitive control tasks. This complexity poses a challenge for developing an ontological description, because the mapping may not be direct between our task descriptions and true component differences reflected in indicators. To illustrate this point, I discuss two examples: (a) the relationship between adaptive gating and working memory and (b) the recent evidence for a control hierarchy. From these examples, I argue that an ontological program must simultaneously seek to identify component processes and their interactions within a broader processing architecture.