Exploring the Underpinnings of Cognition

Franklin & Marshall College

Michael Anderson remembers a time when his research on cognitive function was rejected for its non-traditional approach. Just a few years later, his work has been published in an exclusive peer-reviewed journal—and has landed him in a prestigious fellowship program at Stanford University.

Anderson, assistant professor of psychology at Franklin & Marshall College, has received a fellowship at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford for the 2012-13 academic year. He will use the award to embark on a book project exploring theories of brain architecture and embodied cognition, building on his research on the evolution of cognitive functions. He will join a community of scholars from a diverse range of disciplines, including anthropology, economics, political science, psychology and sociology.

Former CASBS fellows include 22 Nobel Laureates, 14 Pulitzer Prize winners, 44 winners of MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grants" and hundreds of members of the national academies. Typically, most fellows are professors at large research universities; just one of the 30 participants in the 2011-12 program is from a small liberal arts college.

“One of my friends jokes that this fellowship signals that my work has made the transition from ‘crazy’ to ‘innovative,’” Anderson said. “There’s no doubt it’s a great recognition of its promise. I’m excited to work with high-quality researchers in the program. Everyone I know who has participated has raved about it. It’s been a very transformative experience for them.”

Several years ago, Anderson’s research was often rejected for publication in part, the professor says, because of its nonstandard approach. His work centered on neural reuse, a theory that explains cognitive function as the result of regions of the brain interacting in “multiple coalitions.” The idea runs against traditional thinking that regions of the brain are specialized for specific tasks.

“Individual regions of the brain are part of different teams,” said Anderson, who also authors a blog on Psychology Today. “Neural reuse is a different way of looking at cognitive function. I can have different roles, like being a father, husband, teacher and researcher. I think the brain is also like that. The regions of the brain aren’t specialized the way we think.”

In 2010, Anderson succeeded in publishing his research in the high-impact venue Behavioral and Brain Sciences. His paper argued that neural reuse offers a distinct take on the evolution and development of the brain, the degree of modularity of brain organization, and the degree of localization of cognitive function.

He believes neural reuse and embodied cognition—the realization that the brain is not the sole organ of cognition—are poised to become the dominant lenses through which we explore human cognition and behavior. “How do neural reuse and embodied cognition relate? It’s an open question,” Anderson said. “The relationship has implications for philosophy, anthropology and evolution theory.”

Anderson credits the College for his ability to make so much progress on his research during his first five years as a professor. “F&M gives us the space and support to pursue high-risk, high-reward research,” Anderson said. “Unlike at many other institutions, I am under no particular pressure to bring in external funding, which means that I have the freedom to stray from easily fundable projects. The freedom, that is, to explore.”

Next year, Anderson will continue to explore—and test, refine and revise his research—in a distinguished community of scholars.

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