You are right. If we can measure the chemistry process of the neural pulse accurately, and we can also calculate some suitable parameters of the nonlinear neural network system of an individual’s brain accurately, I think we can “predict” an individual cognitive process at least in theory.
However, you shall mention that the research domain will not restrict in cognitive area. We will involve something associated with matters that are different from the cognitive processes. The problems of matters can be solved by Newton’s laws, relativity theory, and quantum theory. The observers of matters are human.
The researches of cognitive process of human are different from the studies of matters. The observers of cognitive process are also human. It means that the observers and research objects are the same in cognitive researching.
In quantum theory, we know that if the instruments that used to measure the electron’s behavior are photons or electromagnetic wave, the uncertainty principle will take effects. The reason is simple. It is because the interactions between photons and electrons will generate the errors.
If we study the human’s cognitive process, we must ask what he is thinking. When we ask what, it will interference with his thinking process.