Keep it real: rethinking the primacy of experimental control in cognitive neuroscience

In short

The authors argue that researchers should prioritize naturalistic experiments over highly controlled ones because the latter often fail to reflect how the brain functions in a complex, real-world environment. They contend that artificially isolating variables limits our ability to build accurate models of behavior, suggesting instead that we learn from recent successes where control was relinquished. Ultimately, this perspective matters because it urges scientists to design studies that capture the full range of interacting factors necessary for understanding the brain outside the laboratory.

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