Uncovering a Timescale Hierarchy by Studying the Brain in a Natural Context

As we train multiple generations of students to narrowly design clever, carefully controlled experiments in our confined lab spaces, we may fail to notice, as a field, that we have overlooked fundamental aspects of human cognition. This is a first-person account of how our research and understanding of the neural code were forever transformed when we decided to open the lab’s door to the natural world. This journey started with the decision to shift from controlled stimuli to natural dynamic and “messy” stimuli. This transition enabled us to focus on how information is accumulated and processed over time. As a result, we have discovered a new topographic mapping of the hierarchy of cortical processing timescales. I will conclude with a general observation of the paradigm shift occurring in the field as it increasingly emphasizes the study of the neural processes that underlie human behavior in natural, everyday contexts. I am excited to share this journey with you.