Abstract:

My dissertation advances a novel philosophical account of the relationship between brain mapping and cognitive theorizing in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research. I argue that testing hypotheses about human cognition and behavior with fMRI critically depends on bridging assumptions about how cognitive functions map onto the brain. I demonstrate that in light of recent theoretical (e.g., network thinking) and methodological (e.g., resting state fMRI) advancements, these bridging assumptions are often problematic. I conclude that at this stage of scientific development, fMRI research should focus on articulating and testing new bridging assumptions rather than testing psychological theories.