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The Dissenter

#903 Luis Favela - The Ecological Brain: Unifying the Sciences of Brain, Body, and Environment

Feb 22, 2024
The podcast explores the integration of ecological psychology and neuroscience, discussing the historical split between the two fields. It contrasts biological and abstract views in neuroscience, delves into complexity science, and advocates for a holistic understanding of cognition. The challenges of interdisciplinary collaboration in academia are also addressed.
01:30:44

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Quick takeaways

  • Ecological psychology emphasizes how organisms interact with their environment to gather information, contrasting with brain-centered cognitive approaches.
  • Complexity science provides tools for integrating ecological psychology and neuroscience, offering a comprehensive view of cognition within larger ecological systems.

Deep dives

Understanding Ecological Psychology and Neuroscience

Ecological psychology, as discussed in the podcast, focuses on understanding perception through James and Eleanor Gibson's tradition, reacting against the cognitive revolution's brain-centered approaches. This perspective emphasizes how organisms interact with their environment to gather information, such as using optic flow for tasks like landing planes. In contrast, neuroscience, influenced by computational and representational approaches, tends to overlook the rich environmental information influencing intelligent actions. The split between these fields presents challenges in reconciling brain-centered and ecological perspectives.

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