Artikel,
Moving to higher ground: The dynamic field theory and the dynamics of visual cognition
New Ideas in Psychology, (2007)
Zusammenfassung
In the present report, we describe a new dynamic field theory that captures the dynamics of visuo-spatial cognition. This theory grew out of the dynamic systems approach to motor control and
development, and is grounded in neural principles. The initial application of dynamic field theory to
issues in visuo-spatial cognition extended concepts of the motor approach to decision making in a
sensori-motor context, and, more recently, to the dynamics of spatial cognition. Here we extend these
concepts still further to address topics in visual cognition, including visual working memory for non-spatial object properties, the processes that underlie change detection, and the ‘binding problem’ in
vision. In each case, we demonstrate that the general principles of the dynamic field approach can
unify findings in the literature and generate novel predictions. We contend that the application of
these concepts to visual cognition avoids the pitfalls of reductionist approaches in cognitive science,
and points toward a formal integration of brains, bodies, and behavior.
