Using fMRI to Test Models of Complex Cognition

This article investigates the potential of fMRI to test assumptions about different components in models of complex cognitive tasks. If the components of a model can be associated with specific brain regions, one can make predictions for the temporal course of the BOLD response in these regions. An event-locked procedure is described for dealing with temporal variability and bringing model runs and individual data trials into alignment. Statistical methods for testing the model are described that deal with the scan-to-scan correlations in the errors of measurement of the BOLD signal. This approach is illustrated using a "sacrificial" ACT-R model that involves mapping 6 modules onto 6 brain regions in an experiment from Ravizza, Anderson, and Carter (in press) concerned with equation solving. The model's visual encoding predicted the BOLD response in the fusiform gyrus, its controlled retrieval predicted the BOLD response in the lateral inferior prefrontal cortex, and it...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2008
• Where: COGSCI
• Authors: John R. Anderson, Cameron S. Carter, Jon M. Fincham, Yulin Qin, Susan M. Ravizza, Miriam Rosenberg-Lee
• Keywords: BOLD Response, Brain Regions, COGSCI 2008, Model