Facchin, Marco and Viola, Marco (2025) Structure and function in the predictive brain. [Preprint]
This is the latest version of this item.
![[img]](https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/style/images/fileicons/text.png) |
Text
Structure and Function in the predictive Brain.pdf Download (560kB) |
Abstract
Predictive processing is an ambitious neurocomputational framework, offering an unified
explanation of all cognitive processes in terms of a single computational operation, namely
prediction error minimization. Whilst this ambitious unificatory claim has been thoroughly
analyzed, less attention has been paid to what predictive processing entails for structure-function
mappings in cognitive neuroscience. We argue that, taken at face value, predictive processing
entails an all-to-one structure-function mapping, wherein each individual neural structure is
assigned the same function, namely minimizing prediction error. Such a structure-function
mapping, we show, is highly problematic. For, barring few, rare occasions, such a
structure-function mapping fails to play the predictive, explanatory and heuristic roles
structure-function mappings are expected to play in cognitive neuroscience. Worse still, it offers a
picture of the brain that we know is wrong. For, it depicts the brain as an equipotential organ; an
organ wherein structural differences do not correspond to any appreciable functional difference,
and wherein each component can substitute for any other component without causing any loss or
degradation of functionality. Somewhat ironically, the very neuroscientific roots of predictive
processing motivate a form of skepticism concerning the framework’s most ambitious unificatory
claims. Do these problems force us to abandon predictive processing? Not necessarily. For, once
the assumption that all cognition can be accounted for exclusively in terms of prediction error
minimization is relaxed, the problems we diagnosed lose their bite.
| Export/Citation: | EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL |
| Social Networking: |
| Item Type: | Preprint | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creators: |
|
|||||||||
| Keywords: | Predictive processing, cognitive ontology, structure-function mapping, equipotentialism | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Neuroscience > Cognitive Neuroscience Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Computation Specific Sciences > Neuroscience > Systems Neuroscience |
|||||||||
| Depositing User: | Dr. Marco Facchin | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 09 Oct 2025 10:46 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 09 Oct 2025 10:46 | |||||||||
| Item ID: | 26863 | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Neuroscience > Cognitive Neuroscience Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Computation Specific Sciences > Neuroscience > Systems Neuroscience |
|||||||||
| Date: | 2025 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/26863 |
Available Versions of this Item
-
Structure and function in the predictive brain. (deposited 15 Jul 2025 13:10)
- Structure and function in the predictive brain. (deposited 09 Oct 2025 10:46) [Currently Displayed]
Monthly Views for the past 3 years
Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years
Plum Analytics
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
![[feed]](http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/style/images/feed-icon-32x32.png){kind=icon}