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Topologies as Techniques for a Post-Critical Rhetoric pp 125–150Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Mapping Rhetorical Topologies in Cognitive Neuroscience

Abstract

Many tools that neuroscientists use to trace the complex topography of the human brain draw on the neuroscience literature to yield “metanalyses” or “syntheses of data.” These approaches conflate rhetorical connections in the literature with physical connections in the brain. By contrast, the model presented in this chapter seeks not a topography of the brain but a topology of neuroscience. A social network analysis of titles and abstracts for cognitive neuroscience articles yields a topology of brain regions and functions. This map can help researchers identify underresearched areas (e.g., the thalamus) or areas that are oversaturated (e.g., the amygdala). The map also helps researchers identify subdisciplines, such as “neuroeconomics,” that have not yet integrated with the broader field—“islands” where rhetorical work could yield benefits.

Keywords

  • Special Topic
  • Anterior Cingulate Cortex
  • Common Topic
  • Social Network Analysis
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of English and Comparative Literature, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Jordynn Jack

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA

    L. Gregory Appelbaum

  3. Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

    Elizabeth Beam

  4. Department of Sociology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    James Moody

  5. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Scott A. Huettel

Authors
  1. Jordynn Jack
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  2. L. Gregory Appelbaum
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  3. Elizabeth Beam
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  4. James Moody
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  5. Scott A. Huettel
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of English, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA

    Lynda Walsh

  2. Department of Rhetoric and Writing, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA

    Casey Boyle

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Jack, J., Appelbaum, L.G., Beam, E., Moody, J., Huettel, S.A. (2017). Mapping Rhetorical Topologies in Cognitive Neuroscience. In: Walsh, L., Boyle, C. (eds) Topologies as Techniques for a Post-Critical Rhetoric. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51268-6_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51268-6_7

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