William Uttal

William Uttal's abstract for this dialogue.

William Uttal is the author of The New Phrenology: The Limits of Localizing Cognitive Processes in the Brain.

                                              click here for a bigger image of the book cover

MIT Press page about The New Phrenology, or just their blurb.

Buy this book from the Seminary Co-op Bookstore.

 

An article by William Uttal called, "Can High-Level Cognitive Functions be Localized?"

"Cognitive function–imaging comparisons may represent a new phrenology in which ill-defined

cognitive concepts are erroneously localized to narrowly specified regions of the brain."

 

A review (.pdf file) of The New Phrenology from Trends in Cognitive Sciences written by Northwestern

University Cognitive Science Program and Psychology Department faculty member Peter Vishton.

 

The review from Nature by John C. Marshall.

 

A discussion (.pdf file) from Cognitive Science Online by Edward M. Hubbard.

 

Visit the Department of Psychology, University of Michigan

or the Department of Industrial Engineering, Arizona State University

 

A website devoted to the old phrenology.

 

 

Abstract for this Dialogue:  

Technical and conceptual difficulties abound in the effort to localize high-level cognitive functions to narrowly circumscribed regions of the brain. Some of the most serious involve the ambiguous definition of the putative mental components that are to be localized and the generally unacknowledged nonlinear complexity of both the mind and the brain. In addition, the imaging techniques themselves are replete with technical difficulties that raise additional questions about this particular application even though these wonderful machines can make extraordinary contributions to our knowledge of brain anatomy and physiology. — William Uttal

From MIT Press about The New Phrenology:

    William Uttal is concerned that in an effort to prove itself a hard science, psychology may have thrown away one of its most important methodological toolsa critical analysis of the fundamental assumptions that underlie day-to-day empirical research. In this book Uttal addresses the question of localization: whether psychological processes can be defined and isolated in a way that permits them to be associated with particular brain regions.

    New, noninvasive imaging technologies allow us to observe the brain while it is actively engaged in mental activities. Uttal cautions, however, that the excitement of these new research tools can lead to a neuroreductionist wild goose chase. With more and more cognitive neuroscientific data forthcoming, it becomes critical to question their limitations as well as their potential. Uttal reviews the history of localization theory, presents the difficulties of defining cognitive processes, and examines the conceptual and technical difficulties that should make us cautious about falling victim to what may be a "neo-phrenological" fad.