What field studies the connections between cognitive processes and brain activity?

Cognitive neuroscience is the field that specifically investigates the relationships between cognitive processes and brain activity. This discipline combines principles from psychology and neuroscience to understand how mental functions—such as perception, memory, and decision-making—are influenced by neural mechanisms. Researchers in cognitive neuroscience often employ various methods, including neuroimaging techniques like fMRI and PET scans, to observe how different areas of the brain are activated during specific cognitive tasks, thereby creating a direct link between mental experiences and brain functionality.

Cognitive psychology, while it focuses on mental processes such as thought, memory, and language, does not directly study the underlying biological processes in the brain that support these functions. Behavioral neuroscience, on the other hand, primarily examines how biological processes influence behavior and typically emphasizes behaviors rather than cognitive processes specifically. Lastly, cognitive development pertains more to how thinking and reasoning develop over time, particularly in children, rather than the specific interplay between cognition and brain activity seen in cognitive neuroscience.