Percept,Decision,Action:BridgingtheGaps

Seeminglysimplebehavioursturnout,onreflection,tobediscouraginglycomplex.Formanyyears,cognitiveoperationssuchassensation,perception,comparingperceptstostoredmodels(short-termandlong-termmemory),decision-makingandplanningofactionsweretreatedbymostneuroscientistsasseparateareasofresearch.Thiswasnotbecausetheneurosciencecommunitybelievedtheseoperationstoactindependently—itisintuitivethatanycommoncognitiveprocessseamlesslyinterweavestheseoperations—butbecausetoolittlewasknownabouttheindividualprocessesconstitutingthefullbehaviour,andexperimentalparadigmsanddatacollectionmethodswerenotsufficientlywelldevelopedtoputtheprocessesinsequenceinanycontrolledmanner.Theselimitationsarenowbeingovercomeintheleadingcognitiveneurosciencelaboratories,andthisbookisatimelysummaryofthecurrentstateoftheart.Thethemeofthebookishowthebrainusessensoryinformationtodevelopanddecideupontheappropriateaction,andhowthebraindeterminestheappropriateactiontooptimizethecollectionofnewsensoryinformation.Itaddressesseveralkeyquestions.Howareperceptsbuiltupinthecortexandhowarejudgmentsoftheperceptmade?Inwhatwaydoesinformationflowwithinandbetweencorticalregions,andwhatisaccomplishedbysuccessive(andreverberating)stagesofprocessing?Howaredecisionsmadeabouttheperceptsubsequentlyactedupon,throughtheirconversiontoaresponseaccordingtothelearnedcriterionforaction?Howdoesthepredictedorexpectedsensationinteractwiththeactualincomingflowofsensorysignals?Thechaptersanddiscussionsinthebookrevealhowansweringthesequestionsrequiresanunderstandingofsensory–motorloops:ourperceptionoftheworlddrivesnewactions,andtheactionsundertakenatanymomentleadtoanew‘view’oftheworld.Thisbookisafascinatingreadforallclinicalandexperimentalpsychologistsandneuroscientists,aswellasanyoneinterestedinhowweperceivetheworldandactwithinit.