{"pk":31699,"title":"Modularity and the Possibility of a Cognitive Neuroscience of Central Systems","subtitle":null,"abstract":"The methodology of cognitive neuroscience presup-\nposes that cognitive functions are modular. Fodor\n(1983) offered an interesting charactoization of various\nforms of modularity and an argument to the effect that\nwhile language and input systems are probably modu-\nlar, higher cognitive processes such as problem solv-\ning probably are not. If this is the case, there will be\nmethodological obstacles in developing a neuroscience\nof higher cognitive functions. We offer an analysis of\nthe issue of modularity as it affects the cognitive sci-\nences, evaluate Fodor's characterization with respect to\nthis analysis, and suggest that his argument for the\nnonmodularity of central systems has a very narrow\nscope. It is not something that neuroscience needs to\nnecessarily worry about.","language":"eng","license":{"name":"","short_name":"","text":null,"url":""},"keywords":[],"section":"Submitted Presentations","is_remote":true,"remote_url":"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3t2265sj","frozenauthors":[{"first_name":"Vinod","middle_name":"","last_name":"Goel","name_suffix":"","institution":"NINDS / NIH","department":""},{"first_name":"Jordan","middle_name":"","last_name":"Grafman","name_suffix":"","institution":"NINDS / NIH","department":""}],"date_submitted":null,"date_accepted":null,"date_published":"1993-01-01T18:00:00Z","render_galley":null,"galleys":[{"label":"PDF","type":"pdf","path":"https://journalpub.escholarship.org/cognitivesciencesociety/article/31699/galley/22767/download/"}]}