Defining representations

Recent articles

This series explores the often-fuzzy concept of representation and the different ways researchers employ the term.

What do neuroscientists mean when they use the term ‘representation’?

A group of neuroscientists and philosophers discuss the use and misuse of the term "representation" across the cognitive sciences and how it influences the way we interpret the connection between neural, behavioral and mental activity.

By Paul Middlebrooks
4 June 2025 | 127 min listen
Illustration of a frog in front of a composite of images of flora and fauna in the frog’s surroundings.

When do neural representations give rise to mental representations?

To answer this question, consider the animal’s umwelt, or what it needs to know about the world.

By Kevin Mitchell
13 February 2024 | 7 min read
Illustration of a scientist looking a grid of four pictures; each picture gets blurrier proceeding from left to right.

What are we talking about? Clarifying the fuzzy concept of representation in neuroscience and beyond

To foster discourse, scientists need to account for all the different ways they use the term “representation.”

By Francis T. Fallon, Tomás J. Ryan, John W. Krakauer, The RPPF group
13 November 2023 | 6 min read

Get notified every time a new column in this series is published.

Explore more from The Transmitter

Howard Fields.

In memoriam: Howard Fields, pain research pioneer

Over six decades, Fields mapped out the circuits of both pain and addiction.

By Natalia Mesa
22 May 2026 | 7 min read
Hand points to letters on a board.

Still no proof for facilitated spelling methods

A systematic review into whether the “rapid prompting method” or “spelling to communicate” can help autistic people express themselves comes up empty yet again.

By Brendan Borrell
21 May 2026 | 6 min read
Billboard reads Protect Life-Saving Science.

Oregon primate center scientists fight proposed sanctuary transition

A group of employees has launched a series of campaigns to advocate for their work and argue against the center’s potential transition to an animal sanctuary.

By Calli McMurray
21 May 2026 | 6 min read