Neuroimaging, Software, and Communication: The Social Code of Source Code - Softcover

Bicudo, Edison

Softcover

ISBN 10: 9811370621 ISBN 13: 9789811370625

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020

Synopsis

This book analyses the social contexts in which programmers design neuroimaging software used in brain studies. It shows that in the same way people engage in everyday communication, programmers are involved in a series of communicative processes to realize the negotiations and discussions generated by software development. In this way, highly technical activities such as computer code writing are also underpinned by values, preferences, and power relations.

At the same time, the book sheds new light on scientists’ increasing dependence on software. On the one hand, many scientific tasks can no longer be performed without the help of computational technologies. On the other hand, most scientists have only superficial computing knowledge. As a result, inequalities emerge whereby some scientists take the most strategic methodological decisions whereas other scientists can only rely on the technical help provided by user-friendly computer applications.

About this title

About the Author

Edison Bicudo is a sociologist and geographer. For over twenty years, he has studied the social and geographical implications of biomedical technologies. In 2012 he completed his PhD in International Politics at King’s College London. In 2014 he published his first book, Pharmaceutical Research, Democracy and Conspiracy.

From the Back Cover

This book analyses the social contexts in which programmers design neuroimaging software used in brain studies. It shows that in the same way people engage in everyday communication, programmers are involved in a series of communicative processes to realize the negotiations and discussions generated by software development. In this way, highly technical activities such as computer code writing are also underpinned by values, preferences, and power relations.

At the same time, the book sheds new light on scientists’ increasing dependence on software. On the one hand, many scientific tasks can no longer be performed without the help of computational technologies. On the other hand, most scientists have only superficial computing knowledge. As a result, inequalities emerge whereby some scientists take the most strategic methodological decisions whereas other scientists can only rely on the technical help provided by user-friendly computer applications.

Edition details

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9811370621
• ISBN 13: 9789811370625
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 449