1
|
Wise TA, Kenett YN. Sparking creativity: Encouraging creative idea generation through automatically generated word recommendations. Behav Res Methods 2024:10.3758/s13428-024-02463-8. [PMID: 39014108 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-024-02463-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
Creative block is a familiar foe to any who attempt to create and is especially related to "writers block". While significant effort has been focused on developing methods to break such blocks, it remains an active challenge. Here, we focus on the role of semantic memory structure in driving creative block, by having people get "stuck" in a certain part of their semantic memory network. We directly examine whether we can "pull out" a participant from where they got "stuck" in their semantic memory, breaking their creative impasse. Our Associative Creativity Sparker (ACS) is a cognitive network science-based online tool that aims to spark creative ideas and break creative impasse: Once a participant runs out of ideas in a creative idea generation task, word recommendations are suggested to prime new ideas. These word recommendations are either towards or away from previous ideas, as well as close or far from the target object, based on a conceptual space extracted from the participants responses using online text analysis. In Study 1, 121 participants use the ACS to generate creative alternative uses for five different objects and completed creativity and Gf tasks. In Study 2, we repeat the design of Study 1, but further examine the impact of writing experience on the ACS, by examining 120 novice and 120 experienced writers. Across both studies, our results indicate that the location of word recommendations affects the fluency and originality of one's ideas, and that novice and experienced writers differently benefit from these word recommendations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Talia A Wise
- Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, 3200003, Haifa, Israel
- Department of Information Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Yoed N Kenett
- Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, 3200003, Haifa, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ribeiro Santiago PH, Soares GH, Quintero A, Jamieson L. Comparing the Clique Percolation algorithm to other overlapping community detection algorithms in psychological networks: A Monte Carlo simulation study. Behav Res Methods 2024:10.3758/s13428-024-02415-2. [PMID: 38693441 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-024-02415-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
In psychological networks, one limitation of the most used community detection algorithms is that they can only assign each node (symptom) to a unique community, without being able to identify overlapping symptoms. The clique percolation (CP) is an algorithm that identifies overlapping symptoms but its performance has not been evaluated in psychological networks. In this study, we compare the CP with model parameters chosen based on fuzzy modularity (CPMod) with two other alternatives, the ratio of the two largest communities (CPRat), and entropy (CPEnt). We evaluate their performance to: (1) identify the correct number of latent factors (i.e., communities); and (2) identify the observed variables with substantive (and equally sized) cross-loadings (i.e., overlapping symptoms). We carried out simulations under 972 conditions (3x2x2x3x3x3x3): (1) data categories (continuous, polytomous and dichotomous); (2) number of factors (two and four); (3) number of observed variables per factor (four and eight); (4) factor correlations (0.0, 0.5, and 0.7); (5) size of primary factor loadings (0.40, 0.55, and 0.70); (6) proportion of observed variables with substantive cross-loadings (0.0%, 12.5%, and 25.0%); and (7) sample size (300, 500, and 1000). Performance was evaluated through the Omega index, Mean Bias Error (MBE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), sensitivity, specificity, and mean number of isolated nodes. We also evaluated two other methods, Exploratory Factor Analysis and the Walktrap algorithm modified to consider overlap (EFA-Ov and Walk-Ov, respectively). The Walk-Ov displayed the best performance across most conditions and is the recommended option to identify communities with overlapping symptoms in psychological networks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Gustavo Hermes Soares
- Adelaide Dental School, The University of Adelaide, Level 4, 50 Rundle Mall, Rundle Mall Plaza, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Adrian Quintero
- ICFES - Colombian Institute for Educational Evaluation, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Lisa Jamieson
- Adelaide Dental School, The University of Adelaide, Level 4, 50 Rundle Mall, Rundle Mall Plaza, Adelaide, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lebkuecher AL, Cosgrove AL, Strober LB, Chiaravalloti ND, Diaz MT. Multiple sclerosis is associated with differences in semantic memory structure. Neuropsychology 2024; 38:42-57. [PMID: 37535532 PMCID: PMC10837332 DOI: 10.1037/neu0000924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Although language is often considered to be largely intact in multiple sclerosis (MS), word-finding difficulties are a common complaint. Recent work suggests that declines in language are not solely the result of motoric and cognitive slowing that is most strongly associated with MS. Network science approaches have been effectively used to examine network structure as it relates to clinical conditions, aging, and language. The present study utilizes a network science approach to investigate whether individuals with MS exhibit less interconnected and resilient semantic networks compared to age-matched neurotypical peers. METHOD We used semantic fluency data from 89 participants with MS and 88 neurotypical participants to estimate and analyze the semantic network structure for each participant group. Additionally, we conducted a percolation analysis to examine the resilience of each network. RESULTS Network measures showed that individuals with MS had lower local and global clustering coefficients, longer average shortest path lengths, and higher modularity values compared to neurotypical peers. Small-worldness, network portrait divergence measures, and community detection analyses were consistent with these results and indicated that macroscopic properties of the two networks differed and that the semantic network for individuals with MS was more fractured than the neurotypical peer network. Moreover, a spreading activation simulation and percolation analysis suggested that the semantic networks of individuals with MS are less flexible and activation degrades faster than those of age-matched neurotypical participants. CONCLUSIONS These differing semantic network structures suggest that language retrieval difficulties in MS partially result from decline in language-specific factors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lauren B. Strober
- Center for Neuropsychology & Neuroscience Research, Kessler Foundation
- Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Rutgers University New Jersey Medical School
| | - Nancy D. Chiaravalloti
- Center for Neuropsychology & Neuroscience Research, Kessler Foundation
- Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Rutgers University New Jersey Medical School
- Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Research, Kessler Foundation
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Zemla JC, Gooding DC, Austerweil JL. Evidence for optimal semantic search throughout adulthood. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22528. [PMID: 38110643 PMCID: PMC10728182 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49858-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
As people age, they learn and store new knowledge in their semantic memory. Despite learning a tremendous amount of information, people can still recall information relevant to the current situation with ease. To accomplish this, the mind must efficiently organize and search a vast store of information. It also must continue to retrieve information effectively despite changes in cognitive mechanisms due to healthy aging, including a general slowing in information processing and a decline in executive functioning. How effectively does the mind of an individual adjust its search to account for changes due to aging? We tested 746 people ages 25 through 69 on a semantic fluency task (free listing animals) and found that, on average, retrieval follows an optimal path through semantic memory. Participants tended to list a sequence of semantically related animals (e.g., lion, tiger, puma) before switching to a semantically unrelated animal (e.g., whale). We found that the timing of these transitions to semantically unrelated animals was remarkably consistent with an optimal strategy for maximizing the overall rate of retrieval (i.e., the number of animals listed per unit time). Age did not affect an individual's deviation from the optimal strategy given their general performance, suggesting that people adapt and continue to search memory optimally throughout their lives. We argue that this result is more likely due to compensating for a general slowing than a decline in executive functioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey C Zemla
- Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
| | - Diane C Gooding
- Department of Psychology, College of Letters and Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, SMPH, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gerontology and Geriatrics, SMPH, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Joseph L Austerweil
- Department of Psychology, College of Letters and Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Robinson MM, DeStefano IC, Vul E, Brady TF. Local but not global graph theoretic measures of semantic networks generalize across tasks. Behav Res Methods 2023:10.3758/s13428-023-02271-6. [PMID: 38017203 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-023-02271-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
"Dogs" are connected to "cats" in our minds, and "backyard" to "outdoors." Does the structure of this semantic knowledge differ across people? Network-based approaches are a popular representational scheme for thinking about how relations between different concepts are organized. Recent research uses graph theoretic analyses to examine individual differences in semantic networks for simple concepts and how they relate to other higher-level cognitive processes, such as creativity. However, it remains ambiguous whether individual differences captured via network analyses reflect true differences in measures of the structure of semantic knowledge, or differences in how people strategically approach semantic relatedness tasks. To test this, we examine the reliability of local and global metrics of semantic networks for simple concepts across different semantic relatedness tasks. In four experiments, we find that both weighted and unweighted graph theoretic representations reliably capture individual differences in local measures of semantic networks (e.g., how related pot is to pan versus lion). In contrast, we find that metrics of global structural properties of semantic networks, such as the average clustering coefficient and shortest path length, are less robust across tasks and may not provide reliable individual difference measures of how people represent simple concepts. We discuss the implications of these results and offer recommendations for researchers who seek to apply graph theoretic analyses in the study of individual differences in semantic memory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria M Robinson
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
| | | | - Edward Vul
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Timothy F Brady
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Fradkin I, Eldar E. Accumulating evidence for myriad alternatives: Modeling the generation of free association. Psychol Rev 2023; 130:1492-1520. [PMID: 36190752 PMCID: PMC10159868 DOI: 10.1037/rev0000397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The associative manner by which thoughts follow one another has intrigued scholars for decades. The process by which an association is generated in response to a cue can be explained by classic models of semantic processing through distinct computational mechanisms. Distributed attractor networks implement rich-get-richer dynamics and assume that stronger associations can be reached with fewer steps. Conversely, spreading activation models assume that a cue distributes its activation, in parallel, to all associations at a constant rate. Despite these models' huge influence, their intractability together with the unconstrained nature of free association have restricted their few previous uses to qualitative predictions. To test these computational mechanisms quantitatively, we conceptualize free association as the product of internal evidence accumulation and generate predictions concerning the speed and strength of people's associations. To this end, we first develop a novel approach to mapping the personalized space of words from which an individual chooses an association to a given cue. We then use state-of-the-art evidence accumulation models to demonstrate the function of rich-get-richer dynamics on the one hand and of stochasticity in the rate of spreading activation on the other hand, in preventing an exceedingly slow resolution of the competition among myriad potential associations. Furthermore, whereas our results uniformly indicate that stronger associations require less evidence, only in combination with rich-get-richer dynamics does this explain why weak associations are slow yet prevalent. We discuss implications for models of semantic processing and evidence accumulation and offer recommendations for practical applications and individual-differences research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isaac Fradkin
- Department of Psychology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
| | - Eran Eldar
- Department of Psychology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Ahmed H, Pauly-Takacs K, Abraham A. Evaluating the effects of episodic and semantic memory induction procedures on divergent thinking in younger and older adults. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286305. [PMID: 37267278 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence suggesting that episodic specificity induction improves divergent thinking performance in younger and older adults has been taken as indicative of the role of declarative memory processes in creativity. A series of studies were carried out to verify the specificity of such findings by investigating the effects of several novel episodic and semantic memory induction procedures on a widely employed measure of divergent creative thinking (the Alternate Uses Task), in comparison to a control induction and a no-induction baseline in both younger and older adults. There was no clear evidence for a specific role played by the induction of episodic or semantic memory processes in facilitating creative thinking across the three experiments, and the effects of the induction procedures (episodic, semantic and control) on divergent thinking were not comparable across age groups. On the other hand, higher levels of creativity were generally associated with older adults (60-80 years). In Experiments 2 and 3, older adults generated a greater number of responses (fluency), more unique responses (average originality, peak originality, creativity ratings) and more varied responses (flexibility) than younger adults (18-30 years). The findings are discussed in relation to the specificity of declarative memory operations and their impact on creative thinking, especially within the context of healthy ageing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Halima Ahmed
- School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Kata Pauly-Takacs
- School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Abraham
- Department of Educational Psychology, Mary Frances Early College of Education, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America
- Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development, Mary Frances Early College of Education, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Merseal HM, Beaty RE, Kenett YN, Lloyd-Cox J, de Manzano Ö, Norgaard M. Representing melodic relationships using network science. Cognition 2023; 233:105362. [PMID: 36628852 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Music is a complex system consisting of many dimensions and hierarchically organized information-the organization of which, to date, we do not fully understand. Network science provides a powerful approach to representing such complex systems, from the social networks of people to modelling the underlying network structures of different cognitive mechanisms. In the present research, we explored whether network science methodology can be extended to model the melodic patterns underlying expert improvised music. Using a large corpus of transcribed improvisations, we constructed a network model in which 5-pitch sequences were linked depending on consecutive occurrences, constituting 116,403 nodes (sequences) and 157,429 edges connecting them. We then investigated whether mathematical graph modelling relates to musical characteristics in real-world listening situations via a behavioral experiment paralleling those used to examine language. We found that as melodic distance within the network increased, participants judged melodic sequences as less related. Moreover, the relationship between distance and reaction time (RT) judgements was quadratic: participants slowed in RT up to distance four, then accelerated; a parallel finding to research in language networks. This study offers insights into the hidden network structure of improvised tonal music and suggests that humans are sensitive to the property of melodic distance in this network. More generally, our work demonstrates the similarity between music and language as complex systems, and how network science methods can be used to quantify different aspects of its complexity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah M Merseal
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, United States.
| | - Roger E Beaty
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, United States
| | - Yoed N Kenett
- Faculty of Data and Decisions Sciences, Technion Institute of Technology, Israel
| | - James Lloyd-Cox
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Goldsmiths, University of London, England, United Kingdom
| | - Örjan de Manzano
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Germany
| | - Martin Norgaard
- Department of Music Education, Georgia State University, United States
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Chen Q, Christensen AP, Kenett YN, Ren Z, Condon DM, Bilder RM, Qiu J, Beaty RE. Mapping the Creative Personality: A Psychometric Network Analysis of Highly Creative Artists and Scientists. CREATIVITY RESEARCH JOURNAL 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/10400419.2023.2184558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Qunlin Chen
- Southwest University
- Pennsylvania State University
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Rehrig G, Hayes TR, Henderson JM, Ferreira F. Visual attention during seeing for speaking in healthy aging. Psychol Aging 2023; 38:49-66. [PMID: 36395016 PMCID: PMC10021028 DOI: 10.1037/pag0000718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
As we age, we accumulate a wealth of information about the surrounding world. Evidence from visual search suggests that older adults retain intact knowledge for where objects tend to occur in everyday environments (semantic information) that allows them to successfully locate objects in scenes, but may overrely on semantic guidance. We investigated age differences in the allocation of attention to semantically informative and visually salient information in a task in which the eye movements of younger (N = 30, aged 18-24) and older (N = 30, aged 66-82) adults were tracked as they described real-world scenes. We measured the semantic information in scenes based on "meaning map" ratings from a norming sample of young and older adults, and image salience as graph-based visual saliency. Logistic mixed-effects modeling was used to determine whether, controlling for center bias, fixated scene locations differed in semantic informativeness and visual salience from locations that were not fixated, and whether these effects differed for young and older adults. Semantic informativeness predicted fixated locations well overall, as did image salience, although unique variance in the model was better explained by semantic informativeness than image salience. Older adults were less likely to fixate informative locations in scenes than young adults were, though the locations older adults' fixated were independently predicted well by informativeness. These results suggest young and older adults both use semantic information to guide attention in scenes and that older adults do not overrely on semantic information across the board. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - John M. Henderson
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis
| | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Vitevitch MS, Castro N, Mullin GJD, Kulphongpatana Z. The Resilience of the Phonological Network May Have Implications for Developmental and Acquired Disorders. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13020188. [PMID: 36831731 PMCID: PMC9954478 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13020188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
A central tenet of network science states that the structure of the network influences processing. In this study of a phonological network of English words we asked: how does damage alter the network structure (Study 1)? How does the damaged structure influence lexical processing (Study 2)? How does the structure of the intact network "protect" processing with a less efficient algorithm (Study 3)? In Study 1, connections in the network were randomly removed to increasingly damage the network. Various measures showed the network remained well-connected (i.e., it is resilient to damage) until ~90% of the connections were removed. In Study 2, computer simulations examined the retrieval of a set of words. The performance of the model was positively correlated with naming accuracy by people with aphasia (PWA) on the Philadelphia Naming Test (PNT) across four types of aphasia. In Study 3, we demonstrated another way to model developmental or acquired disorders by manipulating how efficiently activation spread through the network. We found that the structure of the network "protects" word retrieval despite decreases in processing efficiency; words that are relatively easy to retrieve with efficient transmission of priming remain relatively easy to retrieve with less efficient transmission of priming. Cognitive network science and computer simulations may provide insight to a wide range of speech, language, hearing, and cognitive disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael S. Vitevitch
- Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-785-864-9312
| | - Nichol Castro
- Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
12
|
Grajzel K, Acar S, Dumas D, Organisciak P, Berthiaume K. Measuring flexibility: A text-mining approach. Front Psychol 2023; 13:1093343. [PMID: 36743636 PMCID: PMC9889931 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1093343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
In creativity research, ideational flexibility, the ability to generate ideas by shifting between concepts, has long been the focus of investigation. However, psychometric work to develop measurement procedures for flexibility has generally lagged behind other creativity-relevant constructs such as fluency and originality. Here, we build from extant research to theoretically posit, and then empirically validate, a text-mining based method for measuring flexibility in verbal divergent thinking (DT) responses. The empirical validation of this method is accomplished in two studies. In the first study, we use the verbal form of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) to demonstrate that our novel flexibility scoring method strongly and positively correlates with traditionally used TTCT flexibility scores. In the second study, we conduct a confirmatory factor analysis using the Alternate Uses Task to show reliability and construct validity of our text-mining based flexibility scoring. In addition, we also examine the relationship between personality facets and flexibility of ideas to provide criterion validity of our scoring methodology. Given the psychometric evidence presented here and the practicality of automated scores, we recommend adopting this new method which provides a less labor-intensive and less costly objective measurement of flexibility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katalin Grajzel
- University of Denver, Denver, CO, United States,*Correspondence: Katalin Grajzel, ✉
| | - Selcuk Acar
- University of North Texas, Denton, TX, United States
| | - Denis Dumas
- University of Denver, Denver, CO, United States,University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Davis CP. Emergence of Covid-19 as a Novel Concept Shifts Existing Semantic Spaces. Cogn Sci 2023; 47:e13237. [PMID: 36637976 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.13237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Conceptual knowledge is dynamic, fluid, and flexible, changing as a function of contextual factors at multiple scales. The Covid-19 pandemic can be considered a large-scale, global context that has fundamentally altered most people's experiences with the world. It has also introduced a new concept, COVID (or COVID-19), into our collective knowledgebase. What are the implications of this introduction for how existing conceptual knowledge is structured? Our collective emotional and social experiences with the world have been profoundly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and experience-based perspectives on concept representation suggest that emotional and social experiences are critical components of conceptual knowledge. Such changes in collective experience should, then, have downstream consequences on knowledge of emotion- and social-related concepts. Using a naturally occurring dataset derived from the social media platform Twitter, we show that semantic spaces for concepts related to our emotional experiences with Covid-19 (i.e., emotional concepts like FEAR)-but not for unrelated concepts (i.e., animals like CAT)-show quantifiable shifts as a function of the emergence of COVID-19 as a concept and its associated emotional and social experiences, shifts which persist 6 months after the onset of the pandemic. The findings support a dynamic view of conceptual knowledge wherein shared experiences affect conceptual structure.
Collapse
|
14
|
Wulff DU, Hills TT, Mata R. Structural differences in the semantic networks of younger and older adults. Sci Rep 2022; 12:21459. [PMID: 36509768 PMCID: PMC9744829 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11698-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive science invokes semantic networks to explain diverse phenomena, from memory retrieval to creativity. Research in these areas often assumes a single underlying semantic network that is shared across individuals. Yet, recent evidence suggests that content, size, and connectivity of semantic networks are experience-dependent, implying sizable individual and age-related differences. Here, we investigate individual and age differences in the semantic networks of younger and older adults by deriving semantic networks from both fluency and similarity rating tasks. Crucially, we use a megastudy approach to obtain thousands of similarity ratings per individual to allow us to capture the characteristics of individual semantic networks. We find that older adults possess lexical networks with smaller average degree and longer path lengths relative to those of younger adults, with older adults showing less interindividual agreement and thus more unique lexical representations relative to younger adults. Furthermore, this approach shows that individual and age differences are not evenly distributed but, rather, are related to weakly connected, peripheral parts of the networks. All in all, these results reveal the interindividual differences in both the content and the structure of semantic networks that may accumulate across the life span as a function of idiosyncratic experiences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dirk U. Wulff
- grid.6612.30000 0004 1937 0642Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Missionsstrasse 60-62, 4055 Basel, Switzerland ,grid.419526.d0000 0000 9859 7917Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas T. Hills
- grid.7372.10000 0000 8809 1613University of Warwick, Coventry, England
| | - Rui Mata
- grid.6612.30000 0004 1937 0642Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Missionsstrasse 60-62, 4055 Basel, Switzerland ,grid.419526.d0000 0000 9859 7917Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Rastelli C, Greco A, De Pisapia N, Finocchiaro C. Balancing novelty and appropriateness leads to creative associations in children. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac273. [PMID: 36712330 PMCID: PMC9802071 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Creative problem solving is a fundamental skill of human cognition and is conceived as a search process whereby a novel and appropriate solution is generated. However, it is unclear whether children are able to balance novelty and appropriateness to generate creative solutions and what are the underlying computational mechanisms. Here, we asked children, ranging from 10 to 11 years old, to perform a word association task according to three instructions, which triggered a more appropriate (ordinary), novel (random), or balanced (creative) response. Results revealed that children exhibited greater cognitive flexibility in the creative condition compared to the control conditions, as revealed by the structure and resiliency of the semantic networks. Moreover, responses' word embeddings extracted from pretrained deep neural networks showed that semantic distance and category switching index increased in the creative condition with respect to the ordinary condition and decreased compared to the random condition. Critically, we showed how children efficiently solved the exploration/exploitation trade-off to generate creative associations by fitting a computational reinforcement learning (RL) model that simulates semantic search strategies. Our findings provide compelling evidence that children balance novelty and appropriateness to generate creative associations by optimally regulating the level of exploration in the semantic search. This corroborates previous findings on the adult population and highlights the crucial contribution of both components to the overall creative process. In conclusion, these results shed light on the connections between theoretical concepts such as bottom-up/top-down modes of thinking in creativity research and the exploration/exploitation trade-off in human RL research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Antonino Greco
- MEG Center, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany,Department of Neural Dynamics and Magnetoencephalography, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany,Werner Reichardt Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Nicola De Pisapia
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
| | - Chiara Finocchiaro
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Weiss S, Wilhelm O. Is Flexibility More than Fluency and Originality? J Intell 2022; 10:jintelligence10040096. [PMID: 36412776 PMCID: PMC9680284 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence10040096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Flexibility (i.e., the number of categorically different ideas), fluency (i.e., the answer quantity), and originality (i.e., the quality of ideas) are essential aspects of the ability to think divergently. Theoretically, fluency and ideational flexibility tasks are akin to one another. However, flexibility was also considered to be uniquely related to working memory capacity due to the task requirements involved in generating diverse answers (e.g., self-monitoring, suppression, and category generation). Given that the role of working memory is strengthened in flexibility tasks relative to fluency and originality tasks, flexibility should be more strongly related with working memory. Additionally, mental speed should show a similar pattern of results because mental speed has been previously related to task complexity. Based on a sample of N = 409 adults (Mage = 24.01 years), we found in latent variable models that fluency/originality strongly predicts flexibility and accounts for 61% of its variance. Creative flexibility was unrelated to working memory and mental speed after controlling for fluency/originality. Additionally, the residual of a latent flexibility factor was unrelated to self-reported creative activities. We concluded that flexibility, as measured here, can be deemed primarily a method factor that did not show value over and above fluency/originality as assessed in traditional fluency and originality tasks. We discussed perspectives for disentangling trait and method variance in flexibility tasks.
Collapse
|
17
|
Millington T. An investigation into the effects and effectiveness of correlation network filtration methods with financial returns. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0273830. [PMID: 36070303 PMCID: PMC9451073 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
When studying financial markets, we often look at estimating a correlation matrix from asset returns. These tend to be noisy, with many more dimensions than samples, so often the resulting correlation matrix is filtered. Popular methods to do this include the minimum spanning tree, planar maximally filtered graph and the triangulated maximally filtered graph, which involve using the correlation network as the adjacency matrix of a graph and then using tools from graph theory. These assume the data fits some form of shape. We do not necessarily have a reason to believe that the data does fit into this shape, and there have been few empirical investigations comparing how the methods perform. In this paper we look at how the filtered networks are changed from the original networks using stock returns from the US, UK, German, Indian and Chinese markets, and at how these methods affect our ability to distinguish between datasets created from different correlation matrices using a graph embedding algorithm. We find that the relationship between the full and filtered networks depends on the data and the state of the market, and decreases as we increase the size of networks, and that the filtered networks do not provide an improvement in classification accuracy compared to the full networks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tristan Millington
- Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, NINE Bioquarter, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Diaz MT, Zhang H, Cosgrove AL, Gertel VH, Troutman SBW, Karimi H. Neural sensitivity to semantic neighbors is stable across the adult lifespan. Neuropsychologia 2022; 171:108237. [PMID: 35413304 PMCID: PMC10022434 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
As we age, language reflects patterns of both stability and change. On the one hand, vocabulary and semantic abilities are largely stable across the adult lifespan, yet lexical retrieval is often slower and less successful (i.e., slower picture naming times, increased tip of the tongue incidents). Although the behavioral bases of these effects have been well established, less is known about the brain regions that support these age-related differences. We used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to examine the neural basis of picture naming. Specifically, we were interested in whether older adults would be equally sensitive to semantic characteristics, specifically the number of semantic near neighbors. Near neighbors, defined here as items with a high degree of semantic feature overlap, were of interest as these are thought to elicit competition among potential candidates and increase naming difficulty. Consistent with prior reports, pictures with more semantic near neighbors were named more slowly and less accurately for all adults. Additionally, this interference for naming times was larger as age increased, starting around 30 years old. In contrast to the age-related behavioral slowing, the neural basis of these effects was stable across adulthood. Across all adults, a number of language-relevant regions including left posterior middle temporal gyrus and left inferior frontal gyrus, pars triangularis were sensitive to the number of near neighbors. Our results suggest that although middle-aged and older adults' picture naming is more slowed by increased semantic competition, the brain regions supporting semantic processes remain stable across the adult lifespan.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michele T Diaz
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, USA; Social, Life, and Engineering Sciences Imaging Center, The Pennsylvania State University, USA.
| | - Haoyun Zhang
- Social, Life, and Engineering Sciences Imaging Center, The Pennsylvania State University, USA
| | | | | | | | - Hossein Karimi
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, USA
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Valba O, Gorsky A. K-clique percolation in free association networks and the possible mechanism behind the [Formula: see text] law. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5540. [PMID: 35365717 PMCID: PMC8975849 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09499-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
It is important to reveal the mechanisms of propagation in different cognitive networks. In this study, we discuss the k-clique percolation phenomenon as related to the free association networks including the English Small World of Words project (SWOW-EN). We compared different semantic networks and networks of free associations for various languages. Surprisingly, k-clique percolation for all [Formula: see text] 6-7 is possible on free association networks of different languages. Our analysis suggests new universality patterns for a community organization of free association networks. We conjecture that our result can provide a qualitative explanation of Miller's [Formula: see text] rule for the capacity limit of working memory. A new model of network evolution extending the preferential attachment is suggested, providing the observed value of [Formula: see text].
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Olga Valba
- Department of Applied Mathematics, MIEM, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, 123458 Russia
| | - Alexander Gorsky
- Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems RAS, Moscow, 127051 Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, 141700 Russia
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Simulated visual hallucinations in virtual reality enhance cognitive flexibility. Sci Rep 2022; 12:4027. [PMID: 35256740 PMCID: PMC8901713 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08047-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Historically, psychedelic drugs are known to modulate cognitive flexibility, a central aspect of cognition permitting adaptation to changing environmental demands. Despite proof suggesting phenomenological similarities between artificially-induced and actual psychedelic altered perception, experimental evidence is still lacking about whether the former is also able to modulate cognitive flexibility. To address this, we measure participants' cognitive flexibility through behavioral tasks after the exposure to virtual reality panoramic videos and their hallucinatory-like counterparts generated by the DeepDream algorithm. Results show that the estimated semantic network has a flexible structure when preceded by altered videos. Crucially, following the simulated psychedelic exposure, individuals also show an attenuated contribution of the automatic process and chaotic dynamics underlying the decision process. This suggests that simulated altered perceptual phenomenology enhances cognitive flexibility, presumably due to a reorganization in the cognitive dynamics that facilitates the exploration of uncommon decision strategies and inhibits automated choices.
Collapse
|
21
|
Kenett YN, Hills TT. Editors' Introduction to Networks of the Mind: How Can Network Science Elucidate Our Understanding of Cognition? Top Cogn Sci 2022; 14:45-53. [PMID: 35104923 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Thinking is complex. Over the years, several types of methods and paradigms have developed across the psychological, cognitive, and neural sciences to study such complexity. A rapidly growing multidisciplinary quantitative field of network science offers quantitative methods to represent complex systems as networks, or graphs, and study the network properties of these systems. While the application of network science to study the brain has greatly advanced our understanding of the brains structure and function, the application of these tools to study cognition has been done to a much lesser account. This topic is a collection of papers that discuss the fruitfulness of applying network science to study cognition across a wide scope of research areas from generalist accounts of memory and encoding, to individual differences, to communities, and finally to cultural and individual change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yoed N Kenett
- Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
| | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Wulff DU, De Deyne S, Aeschbach S, Mata R. Using Network Science to Understand the Aging Lexicon: Linking Individuals' Experience, Semantic Networks, and Cognitive Performance. Top Cogn Sci 2022; 14:93-110. [PMID: 35040557 PMCID: PMC9303352 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
People undergo many idiosyncratic experiences throughout their lives that may contribute to individual differences in the size and structure of their knowledge representations. Ultimately, these can have important implications for individuals' cognitive performance. We review evidence that suggests a relationship between individual experiences, the size and structure of semantic representations, as well as individual and age differences in cognitive performance. We conclude that the extent to which experience‐dependent changes in semantic representations contribute to individual differences in cognitive aging remains unclear. To help fill this gap, we outline an empirical agenda that utilizes network analysis and involves the concurrent assessment of large‐scale semantic networks and cognitive performance in younger and older adults. We present preliminary data to establish the feasibility and limitations of such empirical, network‐analytical approaches. Whether it is possible to define a rational standard in decision making and, if yes, whether such a standard is achievable by finite agents (such as humans) has been a hotly debated issue. This special issue offers an overview of some promising modern approaches to these questions, taking advantage of the latest developments in decision theory. We review evidence that suggests links between individual experiences, semantic representations, and age differences in cognitive performance, and present an empirical agenda and pilot data involving the assessment of large‐scale, individual semantic networks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dirk U Wulff
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel.,Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development
| | - Simon De Deyne
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne
| | | | - Rui Mata
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel.,Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
He D, Workman CI, Kenett YN, He X, Chatterjee A. The effect of aging on facial attractiveness: An empirical and computational investigation. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2021; 219:103385. [PMID: 34455180 PMCID: PMC8438792 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2021.103385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 07/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
How does aging affect facial attractiveness? We tested the hypothesis that people find older faces less attractive than younger faces, and furthermore, that these aging effects are modulated by the age and sex of the perceiver and by the specific kind of attractiveness judgment being made. Using empirical and computational network science methods, we confirmed that with increasing age, faces are perceived as less attractive. This effect was less pronounced in judgments made by older than younger and middle-aged perceivers, and more pronounced by men (especially for female faces) than women. Attractive older faces were perceived as elegant more than beautiful or gorgeous. Furthermore, network analyses revealed that older faces were more similar in attractiveness and were segregated from younger faces. These results indicate that perceivers tend to process older faces categorically when making attractiveness judgments. Attractiveness is not a monolithic construct. It varies by age, sex, and the dimensions of attractiveness being judged.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dexian He
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, China; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, China; Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Clifford I Workman
- Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Yoed N Kenett
- Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Xianyou He
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, China; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, China.
| | - Anjan Chatterjee
- Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Hills TT, Kenett YN. Is the Mind a Network? Maps, Vehicles, and Skyhooks in Cognitive Network Science. Top Cogn Sci 2021; 14:189-208. [PMID: 34435461 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive researchers often carve cognition up into structures and processes. Cognitive processes operate on structures, like vehicles driving over a map. Language alongside semantic and episodic memory are proposed to have structure, as are perceptual systems. Over these structures, processes operate to construct memory and solve problems by retrieving and manipulating information. Network science offers an approach to representing cognitive structures and has made tremendous inroads into understanding the nature of cognitive structure and process. But is the mind a network? If so, what kind? In this article, we briefly review the main metaphors, assumptions, and pitfalls prevalent in cognitive network science (maps and vehicles; one network/process to rule them all), highlight the need for new metaphors that elaborate on the map-and-vehicle framework (wormholes, skyhooks, and generators), and present open questions in studying the mind as a network (the challenge of capturing network change, what should the edges of cognitive networks be made of, and aggregated vs. individual-based networks). One critical lesson of this exercise is that the richness of the mind as network approach makes it a powerful tool in its own right; it has helped to make our assumptions more visible, generating new and fascinating questions, and enriching the prospects for future research. A second lesson is that the mind as a network-though useful-is incomplete. The mind is not a network, but it may contain them.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Yoed N Kenett
- Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Kenett YN, Ungar L, Chatterjee A. Beauty and Wellness in the Semantic Memory of the Beholder. Front Psychol 2021; 12:696507. [PMID: 34421747 PMCID: PMC8376150 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.696507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Beauty and wellness are terms used often in common parlance, however their meaning and relation to each other is unclear. To probe their meaning, we applied network science methods to estimate and compare the semantic networks associated with beauty and wellness in different age generation cohorts (Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers) and in women and men. These mappings were achieved by estimating group-based semantic networks from free association responses to a list of 47 words, either related to Beauty, Wellness, or Beauty + Wellness. Beauty was consistently related to Elegance, Feminine, Gorgeous, Lovely, Sexy, and Stylish. Wellness was consistently related Aerobics, Fitness, Health, Holistic, Lifestyle, Medical, Nutrition, and Thrive. In addition, older cohorts had semantic networks that were less connected and more segregated from each other. Finally, we found that women compared to men had more segregated and organized concepts of Beauty and Wellness. In contemporary societies that are pre-occupied by the pursuit of beauty and a healthy lifestyle, our findings shed novel light on how people think about beauty and wellness and how they are related across different age generations and by sex.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yoed N. Kenett
- Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Faculty of Industrial Engineering & Management, Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Lyle Ungar
- Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Anjan Chatterjee
- Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Kumar AA, Steyvers M, Balota DA. A Critical Review of Network-Based and Distributional Approaches to Semantic Memory Structure and Processes. Top Cogn Sci 2021; 14:54-77. [PMID: 34092042 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Some of the earliest work on understanding how concepts are organized in memory used a network-based approach, where words or concepts are represented as nodes, and relationships between words are represented by links between nodes. Over the past two decades, advances in network science and graph theoretical methods have led to the development of computational semantic networks. This review provides a modern perspective on how computational semantic networks have proven to be useful tools to investigate the structure of semantic memory as well as search and retrieval processes within semantic memory, to ultimately model performance in a wide variety of cognitive tasks. Regarding representation, the review focuses on the distinctions and similarities between network-based (based on behavioral norms) approaches and more recent distributional (based on natural language corpora) semantic models, and the potential overlap between the two approaches. Capturing the type of relation between concepts appears to be particularly important in this modeling endeavor. Regarding processes, the review focuses on random walk models and the degree to which retrieval processes demand attention in pursuit of given task goals, which dovetails with the type of relation retrieved during tasks. Ultimately, this review provides a critical assessment of how the network perspective can be reconciled with distributional and machine-learning-based perspectives to meaning representation, and describes how cognitive network science provides a useful conceptual toolkit to probe both the structure and retrieval processes within semantic memory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark Steyvers
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine
| | - David A Balota
- Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis
| |
Collapse
|