|
For the past twenty years Scott Kelso's research has focused
on extending the physical concepts of self-organization and the mathematical tools
of nonlinear dynamics to understand how human beings (and human brains) perceive,
intend, learn, control, and coordinate complex behaviors. In this book Kelso proposes
a new, general framework within which to connect brain, mind, and behavior.
Kelso's prescription for mental life breaks dramatically with
the classical computational approach that is still the operative framework for
many newer psychological and neurophysiological studies. His core thesis is that
the creation and evolution of patterned behavior at all levels -- from neurons
to mind -- is governed by the generic processes of self-organization. Both human
brain and behavior are shown to exhibit features of pattern-forming dynamical
systems, including multistability, abrupt phase transitions, crises, and intermittency.
Dynamic Patterns brings together different aspects of
this approach to the study of human behavior, using simple experimental examples
and illustrations to convey essential concepts, strategies, and methods, with
a minimum of mathematics. Kelso begins with a general
account of dynamic pattern formation. He then takes up behavior, focusing initially
on identifying pattern-forming instabilities in human sensorimotor coordination.
Moving back and forth between theory and experiment, he establishes the notion
that the same pattern-forming mechanisms apply regardless of the component parts
involved (parts of the body, parts of the nervous system, parts of society) and
the medium through which the parts are coupled. Finally, employing the latest
techniques to observe spatiotemporal patterns of brain activity, Kelso shows that
the human brain is fundamentally a pattern-forming dynamical system, poised on
the brink of instability. Self-organization thus underlies the cooperative action
of neurons that produces human behavior in all its forms. J.
A. Scott Kelso is Glenwood and Martha Creech Professor of Science and Director
of the Center for Complex Systems at Florida Atlantic University. |
