RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Decoding the Brain: Neural Representation and the Limits of Multivariate Pattern Analysis in Cognitive Neuroscience
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 127233
DO 10.1101/127233
A1 J. Brendan Ritchie
A1 David Michael Kaplan
A1 Colin Klein
YR 2017
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/04/15/127233.abstract
AB Since its introduction, multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA), or “neural decoding”, has transformed the field of cognitive neuroscience. Underlying its influence is a crucial inference, which we call the Decoder’s Dictum: if information can be decoded from patterns of neural activity, then this provides strong evidence about what information those patterns represent. Although the Dictum is a widely held and well-motivated principle in decoding research, it has received scant philosophical attention. We critically evaluate the Dictum, arguing that it is false: decodability is a poor guide for revealing the content of neural representations. However, we also suggest how the Dictum can be improved on, in order to better justify inferences about neural representation using MVPA.