Ecological validity: Conceptual Origins and Application in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience

Context: The ecological validity of observations derived from clinical and experimental studies has become a central parameter in cognitive neuroscience research. However, this concept rooted in the ecological psychology theories, finds its contemporary definition and use reduced to the external validity criterion of laboratory experimentation. This misapplication of the concept of ecological validity, in which ecological conditions are assumed to be replicated, leads to theoretical ambiguity in all disciplines involved in the study of cognition and behavior. Objective: We propose to explore the concept of ecological validity for cognitive and clinical neuroscience in its original formulation derived from functionalist theories and further developed by theories of direct perception and theories of enaction. This highlights the limitations of experimental and clinical studies in achieving this quality in their observations and results. In the first part, we will describe the origins of contemporary problems of ecological validity in behavioral and cognitive sciences, stemming from the adaptation of Fisher's experimental design for experimental psychology. Then we will address the fundamental importance of the concept of ecological validity in neuroscience and mental health research. Discussion: Finally, we will discuss possible solutions in cognitive and clinical neuroscience to improve ecological validity and enable better transferability of experimental results to various everyday situations.