The interdisciplinary field studying the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive processes such as perception, memory, language, and decision-making.
From Latin 'cognitio' (knowledge) + Greek 'neuron' (nerve) + Latin 'scientia' (knowledge). The science of knowing through nerves.
Cognitive neuroscience is where psychology meets brain science — it asks 'What is the brain actually DOING when you think, remember, or decide?'
Cognitive neuroscience (1980s-2000s) relied heavily on male-only neuroimaging studies; researchers often excluded menstruating women to 'reduce variability,' resulting in male brains being treated as the standard. This erased understanding of how hormones and neurobiology interact across menstrual cycles and lifespan.
Use 'cognitive neuroscience' but demand gender-disaggregated neuroimaging data and acknowledge that sex/gender differences in cognition are real but often misinterpreted. Avoid universal claims about 'the brain' based on male-only samples.
["sex and gender informed cognitive neuroscience"]
Neuroscientists like Lise Eliot and Sarah-Jayne Blakemore have challenged the 'male brain' default and documented how excluding women from research created false certainty about sex differences.
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