Qualitative Versus Quantitative Individual Differences in Cognitive Neuroscience

Importance of additional behavioral observation in psychopharmacology: a case study on agomelatine's effects on feedback sensitivity in probabilistic reversal learning in rats

Since the second half of the twentieth century, many important discoveries in the field of behavioral psychopharmacology have been made using operant conditioning cages. These cages provide objective data collection and have revolutionized behavioral research. Unfortunately, in the rush towards automation, many mistakes may have been made that could have been avoided by observing experimental animals. The study described in this paper is an excellent example of how important additional behavioral observation can be for interpreting instrumental data. In this study, we evaluated the effects of single injections of 3 different doses of agomelatine (5, 10, and 40 mg/kg) on feedback sensitivity in rats. To this end, we tested 40 animals in the instrumental probabilistic reversal learning task in a Latin square design. The highest applied dose of agomelatine, prima facie, reduced the sensitivity of rats to negative feedback - an effect that can be considered antidepressant. However, additional behavioral observation dramatically changed the interpretation of the results and revealed that the perceived effect of agomelatine on sensitivity to negative feedback can actually be attributed to drug-induced drowsiness.

Impact of swiping direction on the interaction performance of elderly-oriented smart home interface: EEG and eye-tracking evidence

Introduction

Smart home technology is increasingly popular, yet not all seniors are receptive and comfortable with it. This situation recognizes that the usability of smart home interfaces is particularly important. Most studies on interface swiping direction demonstrate the advantages of horizontal over vertical swiping, but the findings lack age-based as well as gender-specific judgments.

Methods

In this paper, we use cognitive neural techniques of EEG and eye-tracking, combined with a subjective preference questionnaire, to analyze the preference of older persons for the swiping direction of smart home interfaces in a multimodal manner.

Results

The EEG data showed that swiping direction had a significant effect on potential values (p = 0.001). Also, the mean power in the δ and the θ band was enhanced during vertical swiping. Gender had no significant effect on potential values (p = 0.085), but the cognitive task was more EEG stimulating for females. The eye-tracking metrics data showed a significant effect of swiping direction on fixation duration (p = 0.047) and a non-significant effect on pupil diameter (p = 0.576). These results were consistent with the results of the subjective preference questionnaire, both demonstrating a preference for vertical swiping among participants.

Discussion

This paper uses three research tools simultaneously, combining objective perceptions as well as subjective preferences, to make the findings more comprehensive and reliable. Gender differences were also taken into account and differentiated in the data processing. The findings of this paper are different from most previous studies and better reflect the preference of elderly people for swiping directions, which can provide a reference for the future elderly-friendly smart home interface design.