Editorial: The Variable Mind? How Apparently Inconsistent Effects Might Inform Model Building

Frontiers in Psychology

Simona Amenta¹ 

关键词: experimental variability;    individual differences;    reading;    bilingualism;    dyslexia;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00185

学科分类：心理学（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Human behavior is very difficult to predict precisely, as even the exact same cognitive system may respond differently to very similar input. That is, the study of experimental psychology and neuroscience requires dealing with a huge amount of variability. Our response to this state of affairs, as a field, has been dominated by the (rather tacit) assumption that variability means noise, and thus it is something we need to (i) ignore theoretically; and (ii) fight against experimentally, searching for stable effects. Although it remains obvious that part of the variability we see in our experiments is indeed noise, a different approach emerged recently, based on the assumption that the cognitive system is guided by dynamic and flexible architectures that adapt quickly to different contexts. Thus, how psychological effects emerge and disappear in different, e.g., people, contexts, languages, brings light into the features of the cognitive system itself (e.g., Norris, 2006; Andrews and Lo, 2013). Variability is in focus as an intrinsic aspect of cognitive processing, rather than a sign of experimental weakness; and the experimental and theoretical enterprise is directed toward the validation of consistently variable facts. The present E-book is a collection of experimental and theoretical work that moves in this direction, focusing on how variability may inform theoretical advance.

【 授权许可】

CC BY