Towards a Full Lifetime Experiential Dataset

An aspirational research design philosophy - The data could always be better.

The Aspirational Ultimate Dream of Empirical Behavioral Research

Obviously that's impossible, but let's give it a shot!

we would need tobe able to measure all of the inputs to and outputs from their peripheral nervous system, especially:

• The full 3d kinematic state of their musculoskeletal system

• The light entering their eyes

• The pressure waves entering their ears

• the pressures/temperatures across their entire body

• their mechanical state (mass, density, velocity, acceleration, stored elastic/chemical energy)

• genetic makeup

• neurophysiological, biochemical, etc...

We would also need to be able to manipulate the inputs to the peripheral nervous system (with a domain-appropriate level of fidelity and latency)

This would allow us to capture and control every aspect of the agent/environment interaction described in Warran 2006 (Behavioral Dynamics/Dynamics of Perception and Action, or whatever)

In the logical extreme - the limit of what we could empirically deduce about the organism in question would only be constrained by our cleverness and computational capacity.

But, we can still make do with imperfect measurements and experimental control - we just have to be sure to ask questionst that are within the domain of what we can answer with our available resources.

And we can assume the technology will continue to get better, so we can and should be doing as speculative future looking as possible to make sure that we're properly arranged from the next vista of technical capabilities.