From brain–environment connections to temporal dynamics and social interaction: Principles of human brain function

Experimental data about brain function accumulate faster than our understanding of how the brain works. To tackle some general principles at the grain level of behavior, I start from the omnipresent brain–environment connection that forces regularities of the physical world to shape the brain. Based on top-down processing, added by sparse sensory information, people are able to form individual “caricature worlds” which are similar enough to be shared among other people and which allow quick and purposeful reactions to abrupt changes. Temporal dynamics and social interaction in natural environments serve as further essential organizing principles of human brain function.