Cognitive Neuroscience Society

The Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

Watch the Debate: Big Data Versus Big Theory

CNS 2018

In the neurosciences, there exists a veritable orgy of data – but is that what we need?

Will the colossal datasets we now enjoy solve the questions we seek to answer, or do we need more ‘big theory’ to provide the necessary intellectual infrastructure?

Four leading researchers, with expertise in neurophysiology, neuroimaging, artificial intelligence, language, and computation debated these big questions in “Big Data Versus Big Theory,” a special session at this year’s 25th annual CNS meeting in Boston:

  • Alona Fyshe (University in Victoria, British Columbia): Data Driven Everything
  • Eve Marder (Brandeis): The Important of the Small for Understanding the Big
  • Gary Marcus (NYU): Neuroscience, Deep Learning, and the Urgent Need for an Enriched Set of Computational Primitives
  • Jack Gallant (University of California, Berkeley): Which Presents the Biggest Obstacle to Advances in Cognitive Neuroscience Today: Lack of Theory or Lack of Data?

Watch their talks here (will play all 4 talks back-to-back plus the intro, debate, and Q&A/group discussion):

Some highlights: