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Pan X, Liang B, Li X. Flexible and fine-grained simulation of speed in language processing. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1333598. [PMID: 38659688 PMCID: PMC11040083 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1333598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
According to the embodied cognition theory, language comprehension is achieved through mental simulation. This account is supported by a number of studies reporting action simulations during language comprehension. However, which details of sensory-motor experience are included in these simulations is still controversial. Here, three experiments were carried out to examine the simulation of speed in action language comprehension. Experiment 1 adopted a lexical decision task and a semantic similarity judgment task on isolated fast and slow action verbs. It has been shown that fast action verbs were processed significantly faster than slow action verbs when deep semantic processing is required. Experiment 2 and Experiment 3 investigated the contextual influence on the simulation of speed, showing that the processing of verbs, either depicting fast actions or neutral actions, would be slowed down when embedded in the slow action sentences. These experiments together demonstrate that the fine-gained information, speed, is an important part of action representation and can be simulated but may not in an automatic way. Moreover, the speed simulation is flexible and can be modulated by the context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueyao Pan
- School of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
| | - Bingqian Liang
- School of Foreign Studies, Anhui Xinhua University, Hefei, China
| | - Xi Li
- Foreign Language College, Chengdu Normal University, Chengdu, China
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2
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Moscovitch DA, Moscovitch M, Sheldon S. Neurocognitive Model of Schema-Congruent and -Incongruent Learning in Clinical Disorders: Application to Social Anxiety and Beyond. Perspect Psychol Sci 2023; 18:1412-1435. [PMID: 36795637 PMCID: PMC10623626 DOI: 10.1177/17456916221141351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Negative schemas lie at the core of many common and debilitating mental disorders. Thus, intervention scientists and clinicians have long recognized the importance of designing effective interventions that target schema change. Here, we suggest that the optimal development and administration of such interventions can benefit from a framework outlining how schema change occurs in the brain. Guided by basic neuroscientific findings, we provide a memory-based neurocognitive framework for conceptualizing how schemas emerge and change over time and how they can be modified during psychological treatment of clinical disorders. We highlight the critical roles of the hippocampus, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and posterior neocortex in directing schema-congruent and -incongruent learning (SCIL) in the interactive neural network that comprises the autobiographical memory system. We then use this framework, which we call the SCIL model, to derive new insights about the optimal design features of clinical interventions that aim to strengthen or weaken schema-based knowledge through the core processes of episodic mental simulation and prediction error. Finally, we examine clinical applications of the SCIL model to schema-change interventions in psychotherapy and provide cognitive-behavior therapy for social anxiety disorder as an illustrative example.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research & Treatment, University of Waterloo
| | - Morris Moscovitch
- Rotman Research Institute and Department of Psychology, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto
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Ibáñez A, Kühne K, Miklashevsky A, Monaco E, Muraki E, Ranzini M, Speed LJ, Tuena C. Ecological Meanings: A Consensus Paper on Individual Differences and Contextual Influences in Embodied Language. J Cogn 2023; 6:59. [PMID: 37841670 PMCID: PMC10573819 DOI: 10.5334/joc.228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Embodied theories of cognition consider many aspects of language and other cognitive domains as the result of sensory and motor processes. In this view, the appraisal and the use of concepts are based on mechanisms of simulation grounded on prior sensorimotor experiences. Even though these theories continue receiving attention and support, increasing evidence indicates the need to consider the flexible nature of the simulation process, and to accordingly refine embodied accounts. In this consensus paper, we discuss two potential sources of variability in experimental studies on embodiment of language: individual differences and context. Specifically, we show how factors contributing to individual differences may explain inconsistent findings in embodied language phenomena. These factors include sensorimotor or cultural experiences, imagery, context-related factors, and cognitive strategies. We also analyze the different contextual modulations, from single words to sentences and narratives, as well as the top-down and bottom-up influences. Similarly, we review recent efforts to include cultural and language diversity, aging, neurodegenerative diseases, and brain disorders, as well as bilingual evidence into the embodiment framework. We address the importance of considering individual differences and context in clinical studies to drive translational research more efficiently, and we indicate recommendations on how to correctly address these issues in future research. Systematically investigating individual differences and context may contribute to understanding the dynamic nature of simulation in language processes, refining embodied theories of cognition, and ultimately filling the gap between cognition in artificial experimental settings and cognition in the wild (i.e., in everyday life).
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustín Ibáñez
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés and CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California San Francisco (UCSF), California, US
- Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Dublin, Ireland, IE
| | - Katharina Kühne
- Potsdam Embodied Cognition Group, Cognitive Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, DE
| | - Alex Miklashevsky
- Potsdam Embodied Cognition Group, Cognitive Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, DE
| | - Elisa Monaco
- Laboratory for Cognitive and Neurological Sciences, Department of Neuroscience and Movement Science, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, CH
| | - Emiko Muraki
- Department of Psychology & Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, CA
| | | | | | - Cosimo Tuena
- Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, IT
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Medernach JP, Henz J, Memmert D. Mechanisms underlying superior memory of skilled climbers in indoor bouldering. J Sports Sci 2023; 41:1837-1844. [PMID: 38166602 DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2023.2300569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Bouldering is an Olympic climbing discipline that encompasses short climbing sequences, referred to as boulders, set up on low-height bouldering walls. Memory plays a critical role in bouldering, as it allows climbers to develop climbing strategies, to mentally rehearse climbing movements, and to recall climbing holds of boulders. This study extends previous research on memory in climbing and bouldering with the purpose to elucidate potential mechanisms underlying superior memory abilities of skilled climbers. METHODS Sixty climbers with intermediate (n = 20), advanced (n = 20), or elite (n = 20) skill levels were tasked to memorise the climbing holds and movements of a boulder, set up on a spray wall and demonstrated by a bouldering expert. RESULTS Findings revealed a positive relation between the participants' bouldering skills and sport-specific movement knowledge and both, the number of climbing holds and movements they were able to memorise following a two-minute rehearsal period. CONCLUSION Consistent with previous research, bouldering expertise is positively associated with the ability to memorise domain-specific information. Superior memory abilities among skilled climbers appear to be associated with climbing-specific movement knowledge, coupled with better mental visualisation and increased attentional focus towards functional aspects of boulders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerry Prosper Medernach
- Institute of Exercise Training and Sport Informatics, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Institut National de l´Activité Physique et des Sports, Ministry of Sport, Luxembourg
| | - Julian Henz
- Institute of Exercise Training and Sport Informatics, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Daniel Memmert
- Institute of Exercise Training and Sport Informatics, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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Ianì F, Limata T, Bucciarelli M, Mazzoni G. The implicit effect of action mental simulation on action evaluation. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2023; 76:257-270. [PMID: 35306935 DOI: 10.1177/17470218221091096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The main assumption underlying the present investigation is that action observation elicits a mandatory mental simulation representing the action forward in time. In Experiment 1, participants observed pairs of photos portraying the initial and the final still frames of an action video; then they observed a photo depicting the very same action but either forward or backward in time. Their task was to tell whether the action in the photo portrayed something happened before or after the action seen at encoding. In this explicit task, the evaluation was faster for forward photos than for backward photos. Crucially, the effect was replicated when instructions asked only to evaluate at test whether the photo depicted a scene congruent with the action seen at encoding (implicit task from two still frames, Experiment 2), and when at encoding, they were presented a single still frame and evaluated at test whether a photo depicted a scene congruent with the action seen at encoding (implicit task from single still frame; Experiment 3). Overall, the results speak in favour of a mandatory mechanism through which our brain simulates the action also in tasks that do not explicitly require action simulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Ianì
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Torino, Turin, Italy.,Centro di Logica, Linguaggio, e Cognizione, Università di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Teresa Limata
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Monica Bucciarelli
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Torino, Turin, Italy.,Centro di Logica, Linguaggio, e Cognizione, Università di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Giuliana Mazzoni
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
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Bayram M, Palluel-Germain R, Lebon F, Durand E, Harquel S, Perrone-Bertolotti M. Motor imagery training to improve language processing: What are the arguments? Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:982849. [PMID: 36816506 PMCID: PMC9929469 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.982849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies showed that motor expertise was found to induce improvement in language processing. Grounded and situated approaches attributed this effect to an underlying automatic simulation of the motor experience elicited by action words, similar to motor imagery (MI), and suggest shared representations of action conceptualization. Interestingly, recent results also suggest that the mental simulation of action by MI training induces motor-system modifications and improves motor performance. Consequently, we hypothesize that, since MI training can induce motor-system modifications, it could be used to reinforce the functional connections between motor and language system, and could thus lead to improved language performance. Here, we explore these potential interactions by reviewing recent fundamental and clinical literature in the action-language and MI domains. We suggested that exploiting the link between action language and MI could open new avenues for complementary language improvement programs. We summarize the current literature to evaluate the rationale behind this novel training and to explore the mechanisms underlying MI and its impact on language performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariam Bayram
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | | | - Florent Lebon
- Laboratoire INSERM U1093 Cognition, Action, et Plasticité Sensorimotrice, Université de Bourgogne, Faculté des Sciences du Sport (UFR STAPS), Dijon, France,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
| | - Edith Durand
- Département d’Orthophonie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada
| | - Sylvain Harquel
- Defitech Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering, Center for Neuroprosthetics (CNP) and Brain Mind Institute (BMI), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Marcela Perrone-Bertolotti
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, 38000 Grenoble, France,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France,*Correspondence: Marcela Perrone-Bertolotti,
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Liddell BJ, Das P, Malhi GS, Nickerson A, Felmingham KL, Askovic M, Aroche J, Coello M, Cheung J, Den M, Outhred T, Bryant RA. Refugee visa insecurity disrupts the brain's default mode network. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2023; 14:2213595. [PMID: 37289090 PMCID: PMC10251781 DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2023.2213595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research has largely focused on the psychological consequences of refugee trauma exposure, but refugees living with visa insecurity face an uncertain future that also adversely affects psychological functioning and self-determination. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine how refugee visa insecurity affects the functional brain. METHOD We measured resting state brain activity via fMRI in 47 refugees with insecure visas (i.e. temporary visa status) and 52 refugees with secure visas (i.e. permanent visa status) residing in Australia, matched on key demographic, trauma exposure and psychopathology. Data analysis comprised independent components analysis to identify active networks and dynamic functional causal modelling tested visa security group differences in network connectivity. RESULTS We found that visa insecurity specifically affected sub-systems within the default mode network (DMN) - an intrinsic network subserving self-referential processes and mental simulations about the future. The insecure visa group showed less spectral power in the low frequency band in the anterior ventromedial DMN, and reduced activity in the posterior frontal DMN, compared to the secure visa group. Using functional dynamic causal modelling, we observed positive coupling between the anterior and posterior midline DMN hubs in the secure visa group, while the insecure visa group displayed negative coupling that correlated with self-reported fear of future deportation. CONCLUSIONS Living with visa-related uncertainty appears to undermine synchrony between anterior-posterior midline components of the DMN responsible for governing the construction of the self and making mental representations of the future. This could represent a neural signature of refugee visa insecurity, which is marked by a perception of living in limbo and a truncated sense of the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Pritha Das
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Northern Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Academic Department of Psychiatry, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Australia
- CADE Clinic, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Australia
| | - Gin S. Malhi
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Northern Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Academic Department of Psychiatry, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Australia
- CADE Clinic, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Australia
| | | | - Kim L. Felmingham
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Mirjana Askovic
- NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS), Sydney, Australia
| | - Jorge Aroche
- NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS), Sydney, Australia
| | - Mariano Coello
- NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS), Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Miriam Den
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Tim Outhred
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Northern Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Academic Department of Psychiatry, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Australia
- CADE Clinic, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Australia
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Smallman R, Summerville A, Lowe JC. The Spontaneous Counterfactual Inference Task: Misremembering What Might Have Been. Pers Soc Psychol Bull 2022:1461672221142181. [PMID: 36575966 DOI: 10.1177/01461672221142181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Counterfactuals, thoughts about "what might have been," play an important role in causal judgment, emotion, and motivation, and spontaneously arise during daily life. However, current methods to measure spontaneous counterfactual thinking are cumbersome and subjective. The current research adapts a paradigm from the Spontaneous Trait Inference literature to develop the Spontaneous Counterfactual Inference measure (SCFI), which uses false recognition of counterfactual statements as a measure of spontaneous counterfactual thought. Studies 1a and 1b demonstrate that the SCFI is sensitive to precursors of counterfactual thinking: norm violation and counterfactual closeness. Study 2 demonstrates that the SCFI converges with the generation of counterfactual statements in an open-ended writing task. The SCFI also predicts two important consequences of counterfactual thought, blame (Study 3), and intention endorsement (Study 4). The SCFI thus offers a new tool for researchers interested in counterfactual thinking.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amy Summerville
- Kairos Research, Dayton, OH, USA
- Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA
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Redshaw J, Ganea PA. Thinking about possibilities: mechanisms, ontogeny, functions and phylogeny. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210333. [PMID: 36314156 PMCID: PMC9620743 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans possess the remarkable capacity to imagine possible worlds and to demarcate possibilities and impossibilities in reasoning. We can think about what might happen in the future and consider what the present would look like had the past turned out differently. We reason about cause and effect, weigh up alternative courses of action and regret our mistakes. In this theme issue, leading experts from across the life sciences provide ground-breaking insights into the proximate questions of how thinking about possibilities works and develops, and the ultimate questions of its adaptive functions and evolutionary history. Together, the contributions delineate neurophysiological, cognitive and social mechanisms involved in mentally simulating possible states of reality; and point to conceptual changes in the understanding of singular and multiple possibilities during human development. The contributions also demonstrate how thinking about possibilities can augment learning, decision-making and judgement, and highlight aspects of the capacity that appear to be shared with non-human animals and aspects that may be uniquely human. Throughout the issue, it becomes clear that many developmental milestones achieved during childhood, and many of the most significant evolutionary and cultural triumphs of the human species, can only be understood with reference to increasingly complex reasoning about possibilities. This article is part of the theme issue 'Thinking about possibilities: mechanisms, ontogeny, functions and phylogeny'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Redshaw
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Patricia A. Ganea
- Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada M5S 1V6
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Gerstenberg T. What would have happened? Counterfactuals, hypotheticals and causal judgements. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210339. [PMID: 36314143 PMCID: PMC9629435 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
How do people make causal judgements? In this paper, I show that counterfactual simulations are necessary for explaining causal judgements about events, and that hypotheticals do not suffice. In two experiments, participants viewed video clips of dynamic interactions between billiard balls. In Experiment 1, participants either made hypothetical judgements about whether ball B would go through the gate if ball A were not present in the scene, or counterfactual judgements about whether ball B would have gone through the gate if ball A had not been present. Because the clips featured a block in front of the gate that sometimes moved and sometimes stayed put, hypothetical and counterfactual judgements came apart. A computational model that evaluates hypotheticals and counterfactuals by running noisy physical simulations accurately captured participants' judgements. In Experiment 2, participants judged whether ball A caused ball B to go through the gate. The results showed a tight fit between counterfactual and causal judgements, whereas hypotheticals did not predict causal judgements. I discuss the implications of this work for theories of causality, and for studying the development of counterfactual thinking in children. This article is part of the theme issue 'Thinking about possibilities: mechanisms, ontogeny, functions and phylogeny'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Gerstenberg
- Stanford University, Department of Psychology, 450 Jane Stanford Way, Bldg 420, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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Leng X, Zhou X, Wang S, Xiang Y. Can visual language convey tactile experience? A study of the tactile compensation effect of visual language for online products. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1034872. [PMID: 36600710 PMCID: PMC9807036 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1034872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction There is a common phenomenon of tactile missing in online retail. How to realize consumer tactile compensation is a consensus problem in the field of e-commerce. More and more marketeers and scholars convey their ideas via visual display, but few researches have focused on the tactile compensatory effect of visual language. Methods Study 1 collected data from nearly 13,000 online purchases to analyze the impact of haptic cues on sales in real online shopping platforms; Study 2 used a experimental research method to design three experimental groups: hand haptic cue group vs. Object haptic cue group vs. control group (N = 165) to investigate whether the main effect of haptic cues and the dual mediating effect of mental simulation held. Study 3 also adopted a simulated experimental research approach to design a two-factor group: 2 (haptic cue: hand vs. object) × 2 (product type: tactile functional product vs. tactile experiential product) (N = 198). To further explore whether the moderating effect of product type holds based on Study 2. Results Therefore, based on the visualization theory and mental simulation theory, and through a second-hand data experiment and two simulated experiments, this study confirmed that visual language did have a compensation effect on tactile missing specifically. Haptic cues in metaphorical visual language can actively compensate for consumers' tactile loss, thus affecting the purchase intention. Mental simulation plays a mediating role in the tactile compensation effect. Product type has a moderating effect, and the use of hand (object) haptic cues in metaphorical visual language in tactile functional products (tactile experiential products) can lead to a more active purchase intention. Discussion This study not only enriches the theoretical research on the tactile compensation effect of visual language, but also provides valuable management enlightenment for e-commerce enterprises to improve the effectiveness of online product display and online sensory marketing strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xionghui Leng
- School of Economics and Management, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Xiaoyu Zhou
- School of Economics and Management, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Shuting Wang
- Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China,*Correspondence: Shuting Wang,
| | - Yibin Xiang
- School of Economics and Management, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
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12
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Epstude K, Effron DA, Roese NJ. Polarized imagination: partisanship influences the direction and consequences of counterfactual thinking. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210342. [PMID: 36314153 PMCID: PMC9619232 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Four studies examine how political partisanship qualifies previously documented regularities in people's counterfactual thinking (n = 1186 Democrats and Republicans). First, whereas prior work finds that people generally prefer to think about how things could have been better instead of worse (i.e. entertain counterfactuals in an upward versus downward direction), studies 1a-2 find that partisans are more likely to generate and endorse counterfactuals in whichever direction best aligns with their political views. Second, previous research finds that the closer someone comes to causing a negative event, the more blame that person receives; study 3 finds that this effect is more pronounced among partisans who oppose (versus support) a leader who 'almost' caused a negative event. Thus, partisan reasoning may influence which alternatives to reality people will find most plausible, will be most likely to imagine spontaneously, and will view as sufficient grounds for blame. This article is part of the theme issue 'Thinking about possibilities: mechanisms, ontogeny, functions and phylogeny'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Epstude
- Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Grote Kruisstraat 2/1, 9717TS Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Daniel A. Effron
- London Business School, Sussex Place, Regent's Park, London NW1 4SA, UK
| | - Neal J. Roese
- Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 2211 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, United States
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Clement JJ. Multiple Levels of Heuristic Reasoning Processes in Scientific Model Construction. Front Psychol 2022; 13:750713. [PMID: 35619778 PMCID: PMC9127582 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.750713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Science historians have recognized the importance of heuristic reasoning strategies for constructing theories, but their extent and degree of organization are still poorly understood. This paper first consolidates a set of important heuristic strategies for constructing scientific models from three books, including studies in the history of genetics and electromagnetism, and an expert think-aloud study in the field of mechanics. The books focus on qualitative reasoning strategies (processes) involved in creative model construction, scientific breakthroughs, and conceptual change. Twenty four processes are examined, most of which are field-general, but all are heuristic in not being guaranteed to work. An organizing framework is then proposed as a four-level hierarchy of nested reasoning processes and subprocesses at different size and time scales, including: Level (L4) Several longer-time-scale Major Modeling Modes, such as Model Evolution and Model Competition; the former mode utilizes: (L3) Modeling Cycle Phases of Model Generation, Evaluation, and Modification under Constraints; which can utilize: (L2) Thirteen Tactical Heuristic Processes, e.g., Analogy, Infer new model feature (e.g., by running the model), etc.; many of which selectively utilize: (L1) Grounded Imagistic Processes, namely Mental Simulations and Structural Transformations. Incomplete serial ordering in the framework gives it an intermediate degree of organization that is neither anarchistic nor fully algorithmic. Its organizational structure is hypothesized to promote a difficult balance between divergent and convergent processes as it alternates between them in modeling cycles with increasingly constrained modifications. Videotaped think-aloud protocols that include depictive gestures and other imagery indicators indicate that the processes in L1 above can be imagistic. From neurological evidence that imagery uses many of the same brain regions as actual perception and action, it is argued that these expert reasoning processes are grounded in the sense of utilizing the perceptual and motor systems, and interconnections to and possible benefits for reasoning processes at higher levels are examined. The discussion examines whether this grounding and the various forms of organization in the framework may begin to explain how processes that are only sometimes useful and not guaranteed to work can combine successfully to achieve innovative scientific model construction.
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Affiliation(s)
- John J. Clement
- Scientific Reasoning Research Institute, College of Education, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States
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Short D. Beyond words: Conceptual framework for the study and practice of hypnotherapeutic imagery. Am J Clin Hypn 2022; 64:316-338. [PMID: 35143735 DOI: 10.1080/00029157.2021.2020709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
This paper provides a conceptual framework for the study and clinical application of hypnotherapeutic imagery (HTI). Using the grounded theory method of conceptual analysis, a unified theoretical framework is constructed from a multidisciplinary review of literature (i.e., this new theory is based on the collection and analysis of independently sourced data). The aim is to enumerate the chorographical features of HTI simulations within the mental landscape, rather than seeking to predict them. This is achieved using a combination of ontological, epistemological, and methodological inquires. Because mental simulation is both symptomatic of mental disorders and a psychotherapeutic agent, used across various treatment modalities, an attempt is made to isolate those variables that differentiate HTI from other instances of mental simulation. Lastly, applied principles from multiple disciplines are used to formulate HTI methodology designed to effectively enhance intuitive understanding and unconscious problem-solving.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Short
- Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences, Tempe, AZ, USA
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15
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Wiepke A, Miklashevsky A. Imaginary Worlds and Their Borders: An Opinion Article. Front Psychol 2021; 12:793764. [PMID: 34956021 PMCID: PMC8702435 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.793764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Axel Wiepke
- Complex Multimedia Application Architectures, Institute of Computer Science, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Alex Miklashevsky
- Potsdam Embodied Cognition Group, Cognitive Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
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16
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Abstract
Mental simulation, which employs specific patterns of imagery, can increase the intention to exercise as well as actual engagement in exercise. The present studies explored the effects of mental simulation on the intention to engage in exercise while regulating emotions. The first study confirmed that mental simulation did promote intentions of participants. The second found that video-primed mental simulation was a more effective method of exercise intention promotion than semantic-primed and image-primed mental simulation. In the third study, it was found that combining process-based and outcome-based mental simulations increased exercise intentions. Positive emotions mediated imagery ability and intention to exercise. The final study found that the mental simulation interventions most effective for exercise adherence were those that balanced the valence of process and outcome components in such a way that a challenging process results in a positive outcome, or a smooth process results in a negative outcome. Each of these results has practical implications for exercise interventions that will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weitan Zhong
- School of Psychology, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
| | - Guoli Zhang
- School of Psychology, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
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17
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Abstract
The interrelation between motor and emotional processes has been a recurrent question since several decades in the scientific literature. An interesting experimental technique to explore this question is posturography which assess the modulation of human postural control. In an emerging scientific field, this technique has been used to explore the reaction of the body in different emotional conditions. However, among available studies, some inconsistencies appear. In this brief report, we want to show how a widely used experimental model, i.e., empathy for pain, allowed in several study to provide comprehensive understanding elements on the postural correlates of socioemotional information processing. In particular, the role of mental simulation is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harold Mouras
- UR-UPJV 4559, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Fonctionnelles et Pathologies, UFR de Médecine, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 80000 Amiens, France
| | - Thierry Lelard
- UR-UPJV 3300, Adaptations Physiologiques à l’Exercice et Réadaptation à l’Effort (EA 3300), UFR des Sciences du Sport, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 80000 Amiens, France;
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18
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Raos V, Savaki HE. Functional Imaging of the Cerebellum during Action Execution and Observation. Cereb Cortex Commun 2021; 2:tgab041. [PMID: 34409298 PMCID: PMC8366719 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgab041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We employed the 14C-deoxyglucose autoradiographic method to map the activity in the cerebellar cortex of rhesus monkeys that performed forelimb movements either in the light or in the dark and of monkeys that observed forelimb movements executed by a human experimenter. The execution of forelimb movements, both in the light and in the dark, activated the forelimb representations in the cerebellar hemispheric extensions of 1) vermian lobules IV-VI and 2) vermian lobule VIIIB, ipsilaterally to the moving forelimb. Activations in the former forelimb representation involved both a paravermal and a lateral hemispheric region. Also, Crus II posterior in the ansiform lobule (the hemispheric expansion of lobule VIIB) was activated bilaterally by execution of movements in the light but not in the dark. Action observation activated the lateral-most region of the forelimb representation in the lateral hemispheric extension of vermian lobules IV-VI, as well as the crus II posterior, bilaterally. Our results demonstrate that the cerebellar cortex, in addition to its involvement in the generation of movement, is also recruited in the perception of observed movements. Moreover, our findings suggest a modularity gradient in the primate cerebellar cortex, which progresses from unimodal (medially) to multimodal (laterally) functional areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vassilis Raos
- Institute of Applied and Computational Mathematics, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Crete 70013, Greece
| | - Helen E Savaki
- Institute of Applied and Computational Mathematics, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Crete 70013, Greece
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Nour MM, Liu Y, Arumuham A, Kurth-Nelson Z, Dolan RJ. Impaired neural replay of inferred relationships in schizophrenia. Cell 2021; 184:4315-4328.e17. [PMID: 34197734 PMCID: PMC8357425 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
An ability to build structured mental maps of the world underpins our capacity to imagine relationships between objects that extend beyond experience. In rodents, such representations are supported by sequential place cell reactivations during rest, known as replay. Schizophrenia is proposed to reflect a compromise in structured mental representations, with animal models reporting abnormalities in hippocampal replay and associated ripple activity during rest. Here, utilizing magnetoencephalography (MEG), we tasked patients with schizophrenia and control participants to infer unobserved relationships between objects by reorganizing visual experiences containing these objects. During a post-task rest session, controls exhibited fast spontaneous neural reactivation of presented objects that replayed inferred relationships. Replay was coincident with increased ripple power in hippocampus. Patients showed both reduced replay and augmented ripple power relative to controls, convergent with findings in animal models. These abnormalities are linked to impairments in behavioral acquisition and subsequent neural representation of task structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew M Nour
- Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London WC1B 5EH, UK; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (WCHN), University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK; Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK.
| | - Yunzhe Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Atheeshaan Arumuham
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Zeb Kurth-Nelson
- Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London WC1B 5EH, UK; Deepmind, London NC1 4AG, UK
| | - Raymond J Dolan
- Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London WC1B 5EH, UK; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (WCHN), University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK; State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; BIH Visiting Professor, Stiftung Charité, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
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20
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Abstract
Action observation triggers by default a mental simulation of action unfolding in time. We assumed that this simulation is "embodied": the body is the medium through which observer's sensorimotor modalities simulate the observed action. The participants in two experiments observed videos, each depicting the central part of an action performed by an actress on an object (e.g., answering the phone) and soon after each video they observed a photo portraying a state of the action not observed in the video, either depicting the initial part or the final part of the whole action. Their task was to evaluate whether the photo portrayed something before (backward photo) or after the action in the video (forward photo). Results showed that evaluation of forward photos was faster than evaluation of backward photos (Experiment 1). Crucially, participants' body posture modulated this effect: keeping the hands crossed behind the back interfered with forward simulations (Experiment 2). These results speak about the role of the observer's body posture in processing other people's actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Ianì
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Teresa Limata
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Giuliana Mazzoni
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Monica Bucciarelli
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Torino, Turin, Italy.,Centro di Logica, Linguaggio e Cognizione, Università di Torino, Turin, Italy
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Abstract
Young children often struggle to answer the question "what would have happened?" particularly in cases where the adult-like "correct" answer has the same outcome as the event that actually occurred. Previous work has assumed that children fail because they cannot engage in accurate counterfactual simulations. Children have trouble considering what to change and what to keep fixed when comparing counterfactual alternatives to reality. However, most developmental studies on counterfactual reasoning have relied on binary yes/no responses to counterfactual questions about complex narratives and so have only been able to document when these failures occur but not why and how. Here, we investigate counterfactual reasoning in a domain in which specific counterfactual possibilities are very concrete: simple collision interactions. In Experiment 1, we show that 5- to 10-year-old children (recruited from schools and museums in Connecticut) succeed in making predictions but struggle to answer binary counterfactual questions. In Experiment 2, we use a multiple-choice method to allow children to select a specific counterfactual possibility. We find evidence that 4- to 6-year-old children (recruited online from across the United States) do conduct counterfactual simulations, but the counterfactual possibilities younger children consider differ from adult-like reasoning in systematic ways. Experiment 3 provides further evidence that young children engage in simulation rather than using a simpler visual matching strategy. Together, these experiments show that the developmental changes in counterfactual reasoning are not simply a matter of whether children engage in counterfactual simulation but also how they do so. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
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Nicholson DH, Hopthrow T, de Moura GR, Travaglino GA. 'I've Just Been Pretending I Can See This Stuff!': Group member voice in decision-making with a hidden profile. Br J Soc Psychol 2021; 60:1096-1124. [PMID: 33511671 DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This research seeks to expand our knowledge of what underlies group performance in Hidden Profile decision tasks, adopting a mixed methods approach. We created a new mental simulation intervention designed to improve group decision outcomes and information exchange and tested it across two studies. We supplemented our quantitative statistical analysis with Thematic Analysis, to explore and better understand the motivations and utterances of individual group members, which we contend are key to increasing understanding of the challenges operating at individual and group levels in Hidden Profile decision tasks. Much group decision-making research uses quantitative methodologies, searching for causal explanations of why things happen as they do in group processes. As a subset of this area, existent Hidden Profile research is centred in the quantitative domain. Yet qualitative research can improve the understanding of group phenomena, such as communication style, which is important in groups' decision-making. To our knowledge, no Hidden Profile research has taken a similar approach, so this paper makes a unique contribution. Results indicated the mental simulation had a positive effect on information exchange and decision quality in a Hidden Profile hiring task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawn H Nicholson
- Centre for the Study of Group Processes, School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Tim Hopthrow
- Centre for the Study of Group Processes, School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | | | - Giovanni A Travaglino
- Centre for the Study of Group Processes, School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
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23
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Looney K, El-Leithy S, Brown G. The role of simulation in imagery rescripting for post-traumatic stress disorder: a single case series. Behav Cogn Psychother 2021; 49:257-71. [PMID: 33153512 DOI: 10.1017/S1352465820000806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Imagery rescripting (ImRs) is an experiential therapy technique used to change the content and meaning of intrusive imagery in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by imagining alternative endings to traumatic events. There is growing evidence that ImRs is an effective treatment for PTSD; however, little is known about how it brings about change. AIMS This study aimed to explore the role of mental simulation as a candidate mechanism of action in ImRs, and, specifically, whether well-simulated imagery rescripts are associated with greater change in symptom severity during ImRs. METHOD Using a single-case experimental design, seven participants receiving cognitive therapy for PTSD were assessed before, during and after sessions of imagery rescripting for one intrusive image. Participants completed continuous symptom severity measures. Sessions were recorded, then coded for goodness of simulation (GOS) as well as additional factors (e.g. rescript believability, vividness). RESULTS Participants were divided into high- and low-responders and coding was compared across groups. Correlational analyses were supported by descriptive analysis of individual sessions. High-responders' rescripts tended to be rated as well-simulated compared with those of low-responders. Specific factors (e.g. intensity of thoughts/emotions related to original and new imagery elements, level of cognitive and emotional shift and belief in the resultant rescript) were also associated with reductions in symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS There was tentative evidence that well-simulated rescripted images tended to be associated with greater reductions in symptom severity of the target image. Clinical implications and avenues for further research are discussed.
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24
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Muñoz-Vilches NC, van Trijp HCM, Piqueras-Fiszman B. Pleasure or Health? The Role of Mental Simulation in Desire and Food Choices. Foods 2020; 9:foods9081099. [PMID: 32806505 PMCID: PMC7465831 DOI: 10.3390/foods9081099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Many times, desire possesses us and impedes us from making healthier food choices. From a grounded cognition perspective, we investigated the role of two types of mental simulation (process and outcome) in desire and food choice to understand the processes that modulate them and find strategies that encourage healthier food choices. In addition to these explicit measures, we used two implicit methods to measure approach-avoidance tendencies and visual attention. Our results showed that imagining the consumption of vice and virtue foods increased desire for the product imagined and seemed to favor the choice of a vice food. However, at an implicit level, the motivation to approach and avoid food products was neutral. Imagining the post-consumption of a vice food decreased desire for the imagined food and although it tempted people at an implicit level, it made people more prone to choose a virtue food. When a vice food was imagined, attentional bias increased for all types of food regardless of the simulation. When a virtue food was imagined, there was no effect on choice, motivation nor attentional bias. In conclusion, simply imagining certain foods is a potential solution for promoting healthier and thoughtful choices.
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25
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Soto D, Sheikh UA, Mei N, Santana R. Decoding and encoding models reveal the role of mental simulation in the brain representation of meaning. R Soc Open Sci 2020; 7:192043. [PMID: 32537202 PMCID: PMC7277265 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.192043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
How the brain representation of conceptual knowledge varies as a function of processing goals, strategies and task-factors remains a key unresolved question in cognitive neuroscience. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging study, participants were presented with visual words during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). During shallow processing, participants had to read the items. During deep processing, they had to mentally simulate the features associated with the words. Multivariate classification, informational connectivity and encoding models were used to reveal how the depth of processing determines the brain representation of word meaning. Decoding accuracy in putative substrates of the semantic network was enhanced when the depth processing was high, and the brain representations were more generalizable in semantic space relative to shallow processing contexts. This pattern was observed even in association areas in inferior frontal and parietal cortex. Deep information processing during mental simulation also increased the informational connectivity within key substrates of the semantic network. To further examine the properties of the words encoded in brain activity, we compared computer vision models-associated with the image referents of the words-and word embedding. Computer vision models explained more variance of the brain responses across multiple areas of the semantic network. These results indicate that the brain representation of word meaning is highly malleable by the depth of processing imposed by the task, relies on access to visual representations and is highly distributed, including prefrontal areas previously implicated in semantic control.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Soto
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Paseo Mikeletegi 69, 2nd Floor, 20009 San Sebastian, Spain
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Usman Ayub Sheikh
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Paseo Mikeletegi 69, 2nd Floor, 20009 San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Ning Mei
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Paseo Mikeletegi 69, 2nd Floor, 20009 San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Roberto Santana
- Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Basque Country, Leioa, Spain
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26
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Hoppen TH, Heinz-Fischer I, Morina N. If only… a systematic review and meta-analysis of social, temporal and counterfactual comparative thinking in PTSD. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2020; 11:1737453. [PMID: 32341763 PMCID: PMC7170331 DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2020.1737453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Revised: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Comparative thinking is ubiquitous in human cognition. Empirical evidence is accumulating that PTSD symptomatology is linked to various changes in social, temporal and counterfactual comparative thinking. However, no systematic review and meta-analysis in this line of research have been conducted to this date. We searched titles, abstracts and subject terms of electronic records in PsycInfo and Medline from inception to January 2019 with various search terms for social, temporal and counterfactual comparative thinking as well as PTSD. Journal articles were included if they reported a quantitative association between PTSD and social, temporal and/or counterfactual comparative thinking in trauma-exposed clinical or sub-clinical samples. A total of 36 publications were included in the qualitative synthesis. The number of publications on the association between PTSD and social and temporal comparative thinking was too scarce to warrant a meta-analytic review. A narrative review of available literature suggests that PTSD is associated with distortions in social and temporal comparative thinking. A meta-analysis of 24 independent samples (n = 4423) assessing the association between PTSD and the frequency of counterfactual comparative thinking yielded a medium to large positive association of r =.464 (p <.001, 95% CI =.404; .520). Higher study quality was associated with higher magnitude of association in a meta-regression. Most studies collected data cross-sectionally, precluding conclusions regarding causality. Overall, study quality was found to be moderate. More longitudinal and experimental research with validated comparative thinking measures in clinical samples is needed to acquire a more sophisticated understanding of the role of comparative cognitions in the aetiology and maintenance of PTSD. Comparative thinking might be a fruitful avenue for a better understanding of posttraumatic reactions and improving treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thole H. Hoppen
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | - Nexhmedin Morina
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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27
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Samur D, Tops M, Slapšinskaitė R, Koole SL. Getting lost in a story: how narrative engagement emerges from narrative perspective and individual differences in alexithymia. Cogn Emot 2020; 35:576-588. [PMID: 32151217 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2020.1732876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The present research examines how narrative engagement, or the extent to which people immerse themselves into the world of a story, varies as a function of narrative perspective and individual differences in alexithymia. The authors hypothesised that narrative engagement would be higher when people assume a first-person (rather than third-person) perspective and for people lower (rather than higher) on alexithymia. In an online study (N = 541) and a lab study (N = 55), participants with varying levels of alexithymia read first- and/or third-person narrated texts and then rated their narrative engagement. As expected, first-person stories evoked more narrative engagement than third-person stories, and global alexithymia was negatively correlated with narrative engagement. Narrative perspective did not interact with cognitive facets of alexithymia (i.e. difficulties identifying, verbalising, and understanding feelings). However, narrative perspective did interact with affective facets of alexithymia (i.e. emotionalising and fantasising): First-person (rather than third-person) stories elicited more narrative engagement at lower levels of affective alexithymia, but not at higher levels of affective alexithymia. The interaction effect was significant in Study 1; the interaction was significant in Study 2 after controlling for trait absorption. Together, these findings suggest that alexithymia is linked to difficulties in mentally simulating narrative worlds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalya Samur
- Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Mattie Tops
- Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Sander L Koole
- Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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28
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Li J, Yang R, Cui J, Guo Y. Imagination Matters When You Shop Online: The Moderating Role of Mental Simulation Between Materialism and Online Impulsive Buying. Psychol Res Behav Manag 2019; 12:1071-1079. [PMID: 31819682 PMCID: PMC6890214 DOI: 10.2147/prbm.s227403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Several studies have demonstrated that materialistic people tend to engage in impulsive buying. However, how to help them reduce such irrational behavior, especially in online shopping context, is not known. This study aimed to explore whether mental simulation moderates the relationship between materialism and online impulsive buying. Methods A total of 200 Chinese college students participated in the experiment. We adopted an imaginary priming paradigm to manipulate three types of mental simulation: process simulation (i.e., imagining the detailed process of purchasing goods), upward outcome simulation (i.e., imagining possible positive outcomes after purchasing), and downward outcome simulation (i.e., imagining possible negative outcomes after purchasing). Then we asked participants to make purchase decisions in a simulated online store. Results Results showed that mental simulation exerted a significant moderating effect. In the upward outcome simulation group, a higher level of materialism predicted more online impulsive buying. However, this association was not significant in the downward outcome simulation and process simulation groups. Conclusion Our findings have implications for interventions in that mental simulation (process simulation or downward outcome simulation) can act as an effective way to help materialists reduce online impulsive buying.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Li
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Key Laboratory of Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Ministry of Education, and Hubei Human Development and Mental Health Key Laboratory, Wuhan 430079, People's Republic of China
| | - Ruirui Yang
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Key Laboratory of Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Ministry of Education, and Hubei Human Development and Mental Health Key Laboratory, Wuhan 430079, People's Republic of China.,Zhengzhou Innovative Experimental School, Zhengzhou 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Junjie Cui
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Key Laboratory of Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Ministry of Education, and Hubei Human Development and Mental Health Key Laboratory, Wuhan 430079, People's Republic of China
| | - Yongyu Guo
- School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Nanjing 210097, People's Republic of China
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29
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Abstract
In recent years, scientists have increasingly taken to investigate the predictive nature of cognition. We argue that prediction relies on abstraction, and thus theories of predictive cognition need an explicit theory of abstract representation. We propose such a theory of the abstract representational capacities that allow humans to transcend the "here-and-now." Consistent with the predictive cognition literature, we suggest that the representational substrates of the mind are built as a hierarchy, ranging from the concrete to the abstract; however, we argue that there are qualitative differences between elements along this hierarchy, generating meaningful, often unacknowledged, diversity. Echoing views from philosophy, we suggest that the representational hierarchy can be parsed into: modality-specific representations, instantiated on perceptual similarity; multimodal representations, instantiated primarily on the discovery of spatiotemporal contiguity; and categorical representations, instantiated primarily on social interaction. These elements serve as the building blocks of complex structures discussed in cognitive psychology (e.g., episodes, scripts) and are the inputs for mental representations that behave like functions, typically discussed in linguistics (i.e., predicators). We support our argument for representational diversity by explaining how the elements in our ontology are all required to account for humans' predictive cognition (e.g., in subserving logic-based prediction; in optimizing the trade-off between accurate and detailed predictions) and by examining how the neuroscientific evidence coheres with our account. In doing so, we provide a testable model of the neural bases of conceptual cognition and highlight several important implications to research on self-projection, reinforcement learning, and predictive-processing models of psychopathology.
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30
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Abstract
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the idea that we may gain new insights in cognitive science by studying the art of magic. Here, I offer a first exploratory overview and preliminary conceptual analysis of a class of magic tricks, which has been largely neglected in this pursuit, namely, a set of tricks that can be loosely defined as topological tricks. The deceptive powers of many of these tricks are difficult to understand in light of known psychological principles, which suggests that closer scientific scrutiny may raise interesting questions and challenges for cognitive science. I discuss a number of known and novel psychological principles that may explain why these tricks evoke the strong feelings of impossibility that are characteristic of magical experiences. A profound and detailed understanding of how topological tricks evoke magical experiences remains elusive, though, and more research on this topic could advance our understanding of perception, imagery and reasoning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vebjørn Ekroll
- Department of Psychosocial Science, University of
Bergen, Norway
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31
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Paravlić A, Pišot S, Mitić P. Validation of the Slovenian Version of Motor Imagery Questionnaire 3 (MIQ-3): Promising Tool in Modern Comprehensive Rehabilitation Practice. Zdr Varst 2018; 57:201-10. [PMID: 30294361 DOI: 10.2478/sjph-2018-0025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2018] [Accepted: 08/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose The high rate of injury incidence and its severity is estimated to cause approximately 9% of global mortality, while a large proportion of people surviving their injuries experience temporary or permanent disabilities. To reduce the occurrence of disability and improve general health of survivors, a more comprehensive rehabilitation approach is needed. Motor imagery is recognized as the promising cognitive strategy to counteract impaired functional capacity of the neuromuscular system. Thus, we aimed to provide to the Slovenian-speaking community a valid and reliable version of Motor Imagery Questionnaire – 3 [MIQ-3], that consists of kinaesthetic imagery [KI] and visual [i.e., Internal Imagery [IMI] and external imagery [EVI]] items. Methods We investigated both absolute and relative test-retest repeatability; construct validity and internal consistency of the KI, IMI and EMI items of the Slovenian version of MIQ-3 in 86 healthy adult subjects. Results Results showed high to very high average intra-class correlation coefficient [ICC] for the visual items [ICC=0.89] and KI items [ICC=0.92], whilst the measure of absolute variability presented as coefficient of variation [CV%] ranged from 4.9% [EVI] to 6.7% [KI]. The internal consistency was satisfactory [Cronbach α=0.91 [KI] and 0.89]) for both visual items. Confirmatory analysis confirmed a two-factorial structure of MIQ-3. Conclusion Understanding the content of the questionnaire is of utmost importance to ensure its effectiveness in rehabilitation practice. The Slovenian translation of the MIQ-3 is culturally and linguistically equivalent to the original English version.
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Tanaka S, Kirino E. Dynamic Reconfiguration of the Supplementary Motor Area Network during Imagined Music Performance. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:606. [PMID: 29311870 PMCID: PMC5732967 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The supplementary motor area (SMA) has been shown to be the center for motor planning and is active during music listening and performance. However, limited data exist on the role of the SMA in music. Music performance requires complex information processing in auditory, visual, spatial, emotional, and motor domains, and this information is integrated for the performance. We hypothesized that the SMA is engaged in multimodal integration of information, distributed across several regions of the brain to prepare for ongoing music performance. To test this hypothesis, functional networks involving the SMA were extracted from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data that were acquired from musicians during imagined music performance and during the resting state. Compared with the resting condition, imagined music performance increased connectivity of the SMA with widespread regions in the brain including the sensorimotor cortices, parietal cortex, posterior temporal cortex, occipital cortex, and inferior and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Increased connectivity of the SMA with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex suggests that the SMA is under cognitive control, while increased connectivity with the inferior prefrontal cortex suggests the involvement of syntax processing. Increased connectivity with the parietal cortex, posterior temporal cortex, and occipital cortex is likely for the integration of spatial, emotional, and visual information. Finally, increased connectivity with the sensorimotor cortices was potentially involved with the translation of thought planning into motor programs. Therefore, the reconfiguration of the SMA network observed in this study is considered to reflect the multimodal integration required for imagined and actual music performance. We propose that the SMA network construct “the internal representation of music performance” by integrating multimodal information required for the performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoji Tanaka
- Department of Information and Communication Sciences, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Eiji Kirino
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo Shizuoka Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan
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33
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Abstract
Preferences and behavior are heavily influenced by one’s current visceral experience, yet people often fail to anticipate such effects. Although research suggests that this gap is difficult to overcome—to act as if in another visceral state—research on mental simulation has demonstrated that simulations can substitute for experiences, albeit to a weaker extent. We examine whether mentally simulating visceral states can impact preferences and behavior. We show that simulating a specific visceral state (e.g., being cold or hungry) shifts people’s preferences for relevant activities (Studies 1a-2) and choices of food portion sizes (Study 3). Like actual visceral experiences, mental simulation only affects people’s current preferences but not their general preferences (Study 4). Finally, people project simulated states onto similar others, as is the case for actual visceral experiences (Study 5). Thus, mental simulation may help people anticipate their own and others’ future preferences, thereby improving their decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janina Steinmetz
- Utrecht University, The Netherlands
- Janina Steinmetz, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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34
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Abstract
How do people make causal judgments? What role, if any, does counterfactual simulation play? Counterfactual theories of causal judgments predict that people compare what actually happened with what would have happened if the candidate cause had been absent. Process theories predict that people focus only on what actually happened, to assess the mechanism linking candidate cause and outcome. We tracked participants' eye movements while they judged whether one billiard ball caused another one to go through a gate or prevented it from going through. Both participants' looking patterns and their judgments demonstrated that counterfactual simulation played a critical role. Participants simulated where the target ball would have gone if the candidate cause had been removed from the scene. The more certain participants were that the outcome would have been different, the stronger the causal judgments. These results provide the first direct evidence for spontaneous counterfactual simulation in an important domain of high-level cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Gerstenberg
- 1 Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
| | - Matthew F Peterson
- 1 Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
| | - Noah D Goodman
- 2 Departments of Psychology and Computer Science, Stanford University
| | | | - Joshua B Tenenbaum
- 1 Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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35
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Cross L, Atherton G, Wilson AD, Golonka S. Imagined Steps: Mental Simulation of Coordinated Rhythmic Movements Effects on Pro-sociality. Front Psychol 2017; 8:1798. [PMID: 29081761 PMCID: PMC5646020 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhythmically coordinating with a partner can increase pro-sociality, but pro-sociality does not appear to change in proportion to coordination success, or particular classes of coordination. Pro-social benefits may have more to do with simply coordinating in a social context than the details of the actual coordination (Cross et al., 2016). This begs the question, how stripped down can a coordination task be and still affect pro-sociality? Would it be sufficient simply to imagine coordinating with others? Imagining a social interaction can lead to many of the same effects as actual interaction (Crisp and Turner, 2009). We report the first experiments to explore whether imagined coordination affects pro-sociality similarly to actual coordination. Across two experiments and over 450 participants, mentally simulated coordination is shown to promote some, but not all, of the pro-social consequences of actual coordination. Imagined coordination significantly increased group cohesion and de-individuation, but did not consistently affect cooperation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam Cross
- Psychology, School of Science, University of Buckingham, Buckingham, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, School of Science and Technology, Sunway University, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Gray Atherton
- Department of Psychology, School of Science and Technology, Sunway University, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Psychology, Health and Learning Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Andrew D. Wilson
- Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Sabrina Golonka
- Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom
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36
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Abstract
Meaning-making in the brain has become one of the most intensely discussed topics in cognitive science. Traditional theories on cognition that emphasize abstract symbol manipulations often face a dead end: The symbol grounding problem. The embodiment idea tries to overcome this barrier by assuming that the mind is grounded in sensorimotor experiences. A recent surge in behavioral and brain-imaging studies has therefore focused on the role of the motor cortex in language processing. Concrete, action-related words have received convincing evidence to rely on sensorimotor activation. Abstract concepts, however, still pose a distinct challenge for embodied theories on cognition. Fully embodied abstraction mechanisms were formulated but sensorimotor activation alone seems unlikely to close the explanatory gap. In this respect, the idea of integration areas, such as convergence zones or the ‘hub and spoke’ model, do not only appear like the most promising candidates to account for the discrepancies between concrete and abstract concepts but could also help to unite the field of cognitive science again. The current review identifies milestones in cognitive science research and recent achievements that highlight fundamental challenges, key questions and directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedric Galetzka
- Division of Cognitive Sciences, University of PotsdamPotsdam, Germany
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37
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Abstract
Donald proposes that early Homo evolved mimesis as a new form of cognition. This article investigates the mimesis hypothesis in relation to the evolution of teaching. The fundamental capacities that distinguish hominin teaching from that of other animals are demonstration and pantomime. A conceptual analysis of the instructional and communicative functions of demonstration and pantomime is presented. Archaeological evidence that demonstration was used for transmitting the Oldowan technology is summarized. It is argued that pantomime develops out of demonstration so that the primary objective of pantomime is that the onlooker learns the motoric patterns shown in the pantomime. The communicative use of pantomime is judged to be secondary. This use of pantomime is also contrasted with other forms of gestures. A key feature of the analysis is that the meaning of a pantomime is characterized by the force patterns of the movements. These force patterns form the core of a model of the cognitive mechanism behind pantomime. Finally, the role of pantomime in the evolution of language is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Gärdenfors
- Cognitive Science, Lund UniversityLund, Sweden; Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Studies, Wallenberg Research CentreStellenbosch, South Africa
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38
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Abstract
We suggest that research in vestibular cognition will benefit from the theoretical framework of probabilistic models. This will aid in developing an understanding of how interactions between high-level cognition and low-level sensory processing might occur. Many such interactions have been shown experimentally; however, to date, no attempt has been made to systematically explore vestibular cognition by using computational modeling. It is widely assumed that mental imagery and perception share at least in part neural circuitry, and it has been proposed that mental simulation is closely connected to the brain’s ability to make predictions. We claim that this connection has been disregarded in the vestibular domain, and we suggest ways in which future research may take this into consideration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew W Ellis
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
| | - Fred W Mast
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
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39
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Meslot C, Gauchet A, Allenet B, François O, Hagger MS. Theory-Based Interventions Combining Mental Simulation and Planning Techniques to Improve Physical Activity: Null Results from Two Randomized Controlled Trials. Front Psychol 2016; 7:1789. [PMID: 27899904 PMCID: PMC5110541 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Interventions to assist individuals in initiating and maintaining regular participation in physical activity are not always effective. Psychological and behavioral theories advocate the importance of both motivation and volition in interventions to change health behavior. Interventions adopting self-regulation strategies that foster motivational and volitional components may, therefore, have utility in promoting regular physical activity participation. We tested the efficacy of an intervention adopting motivational (mental simulation) and volitional (implementation intentions) components to promote a regular physical activity in two studies. Study 1 adopted a cluster randomized design in which participants (n = 92) were allocated to one of three conditions: mental simulation plus implementation intention, implementation intention only, or control. Study 2 adopted a 2 (mental simulation vs. no mental simulation) × 2 (implementation intention vs. no implementation intention) randomized controlled design in which fitness center attendees (n = 184) were randomly allocated one of four conditions: mental simulation only, implementation intention only, combined, or control. Physical activity behavior was measured by self-report (Study 1) or fitness center attendance (Study 2) at 4- (Studies 1 and 2) and 19- (Study 2 only) week follow-up periods. Findings revealed no statistically significant main or interactive effects of the mental simulation and implementation intention conditions on physical activity outcomes in either study. Findings are in contrast to previous research which has found pervasive effects for both intervention strategies. Findings are discussed in light of study limitations including the relatively small sample sizes, particularly for Study 1, deviations in the operationalization of the intervention components from previous research and the lack of a prompt for a goal intention. Future research should focus on ensuring uniformity in the format of the intervention components, test the effects of each component alone and in combination using standardized measures across multiple samples, and systematically explore effects of candidate moderators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carine Meslot
- TIMC-IMAG UMR CNRS 5525, Grenoble Alpes UniversityGrenoble, France; Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Psychologie, Grenoble Alpes UniversityGrenoble, France
| | - Aurélie Gauchet
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Psychologie, Grenoble Alpes University Grenoble, France
| | - Benoît Allenet
- TIMC-IMAG UMR CNRS 5525, Grenoble Alpes UniversityGrenoble, France; Pharmacy Department, Grenoble University HospitalGrenoble, France
| | - Olivier François
- TIMC-IMAG UMR CNRS 5525, Grenoble Alpes University Grenoble, France
| | - Martin S Hagger
- Health Psychology and Behavioural Medicine Research Group, School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, PerthWA, Australia; Department of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of JyväskyläJyväskylä, Finland
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40
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Abstract
To engage with the world-to understand the scene in front of us, plan actions, and predict what will happen next-we must have an intuitive grasp of the world's physical structure and dynamics. How do the objects in front of us rest on and support each other, how much force would be required to move them, and how will they behave when they fall, roll, or collide? Despite the centrality of physical inferences in daily life, little is known about the brain mechanisms recruited to interpret the physical structure of a scene and predict how physical events will unfold. Here, in a series of fMRI experiments, we identified a set of cortical regions that are selectively engaged when people watch and predict the unfolding of physical events-a "physics engine" in the brain. These brain regions are selective to physical inferences relative to nonphysical but otherwise highly similar scenes and tasks. However, these regions are not exclusively engaged in physical inferences per se or, indeed, even in scene understanding; they overlap with the domain-general "multiple demand" system, especially the parts of that system involved in action planning and tool use, pointing to a close relationship between the cognitive and neural mechanisms involved in parsing the physical content of a scene and preparing an appropriate action.
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41
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Willems RM, Jacobs AM. Caring About Dostoyevsky: The Untapped Potential of Studying Literature. Trends Cogn Sci 2016; 20:243-245. [PMID: 26809726 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2015.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2015] [Revised: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 12/30/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Should cognitive scientists and neuroscientists care about Dostoyevsky? Engaging with fiction is a natural and rich behavior, providing a unique window onto the mind and brain, particularly for mental simulation, emotion, empathy, and immersion. With advances in analysis techniques, it is time that cognitive scientists and neuroscientists embrace literature and fiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roel M Willems
- Centre for Language Studies, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Arthur M Jacobs
- Department of Education and Psychology, Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin (CCNB), Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotions (DINE), Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Bonasia K, Blommesteyn J, Moscovitch M. Memory and navigation: Compression of space varies with route length and turns. Hippocampus 2015; 26:9-12. [PMID: 26418606 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2015] [Revised: 08/27/2015] [Accepted: 09/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
For memory to be efficient and useful during recall, problem-solving, and planning, retrieval must be compressed in time. Evidence from rodents suggests that neural compression during replay of spatial memories varies widely, with a range of compression ratios reported from 6:1 to 64:1. Anecdotal evidence suggests that similar compression occurs during mental navigation in humans: we recall how to get from one place to another countless times almost every day of our lives, and this recall never takes as long as physically travelling those routes would take. In this experiment we sought to determine whether this behavioural compression could be measured during mental navigation in humans (spatial memory replay), and which factors might affect the compression of such spatial memories. To this end, thirty participants mentally navigated routes between two landmarks, which varied in length and number of turns, as we measured replay times and recorded ratings of familiarity, detail, and presence. A multi-level model was used to determine which factors were associated with variation in compression. Route length and number of turns emerged from this model as significantly correlated with compression, such that longer routes were more compressed while compression was attenuated as the number of turns in a route increased. This suggests that compression during recall may be affected by specific features of a route, especially those that may act to segment the space or event being represented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyra Bonasia
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Hospital, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Morris Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Hospital, Toronto, Canada
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43
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Tanaka H, Mizuno W, Iwami M. Ball Throwing Without a Ball: Pantomimed Motor Execution Primes the Imagination That an Object is Traveling the Required Distance. Motor Control 2016; 20:429-43. [PMID: 26407452 DOI: 10.1123/mc.2015-0024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
This study used a pantomime paradigm to investigate whether simulated motor actions are generally effective in estimating the force necessary to accurately drive an object toward the required target. Eleven subjects were asked to vertically throw a rubber ball toward three different targets and then catch it, all while sitting in a chair (ACT). In addition, they performed the same task under a condition whereby mechanical interactions with the rubber ball were minimized. This condition encompassed two different modes: pantomime (PANTO) and imagination without swings (IMAGE). PANTO reproduced the motor patterns observed during ACT. The maximum amplitudes and maximum accelerations of the upward swing movements scaled well in linear proportion to the target distances, although the maximum accelerations were significantly smaller than those in the ACT trials. IMAGE led to the overestimation of the ball's flight time, which is represented by the release-catch intervals. PANTO significantly reduced this tendency. These results suggest that pantomimed motor execution can prime more realistic mental simulations of object motion when compared with purely imagined motor execution.
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44
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Abstract
Counterfactual reasoning is a hallmark of human thought, enabling the capacity to shift from perceiving the immediate environment to an alternative, imagined perspective. Mental representations of counterfactual possibilities (e.g., imagined past events or future outcomes not yet at hand) provide the basis for learning from past experience, enable planning and prediction, support creativity and insight, and give rise to emotions and social attributions (e.g., regret and blame). Yet remarkably little is known about the psychological and neural foundations of counterfactual reasoning. In this review, we survey recent findings from psychology and neuroscience indicating that counterfactual thought depends on an integrative network of systems for affective processing, mental simulation, and cognitive control. We review evidence to elucidate how these mechanisms are systematically altered through psychiatric illness and neurological disease. We propose that counterfactual thinking depends on the coordination of multiple information processing systems that together enable adaptive behavior and goal-directed decision making and make recommendations for the study of counterfactual inference in health, aging, and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Van Hoeck
- Psychology and Educational Sciences, Vrije Universiteit BrusselBrussels, Belgium
| | - Patrick D. Watson
- Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of IllinoisUrbana, IL, USA
| | - Aron K. Barbey
- Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of IllinoisUrbana, IL, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of IllinoisChampaign, IL, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of IllinoisChampaign, IL, USA
- Department of Speech and Hearing Science, University of IllinoisChampaign, IL, USA
- Neuroscience Program, University of IllinoisChampaign, IL, USA
- Carle R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of IllinoisChampaign, IL, USA
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45
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES Prospection, the mental representation of possible futures, is usually adaptive. When it goes awry, however, it disrupts emotion and motivation. A negative view of the future is typically seen as one symptom of depression, but we suggest that such negative prospection is the core causal element of depression. Here, we describe the empirical evidence supporting this framework, and we explore the implications for clinical interventions. METHODS We integrate several literatures: Using the database PsycInfo, we retrieved empirical studies with the keywords prospection, prediction, expectation, pessimism, mental simulation, future-thinking, future-directed thinking, foresight, and/or mental time travel, in conjunction with depression, depressed, or depressive. RESULTS Three kinds of faulty prospection, taken together, could drive depression: Poor generation of possible futures, poor evaluation of possible futures, and negative beliefs about the future. Depressed mood and poor functioning, in turn, may maintain faulty prospection and feed a vicious cycle. Future-oriented treatment strategies drawn from cognitive-behavioural therapy help to fix poor prospection, and they deserve to be developed further. CONCLUSIONS Prospection-based techniques may lead to transdiagnostic treatment strategies for depression and other disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Marie Roepke
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Martin E P Seligman
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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46
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Abstract
Embodied theories of cognition propose that humans use sensorimotor systems in processing language. The Action-Sentence Compatibility Effect (ACE) refers to the finding that motor responses are facilitated after comprehending sentences that imply movement in the same direction. In sign languages there is a potential conflict between sensorimotor systems and linguistic semantics: movement away from the signer is perceived as motion toward the comprehender. We examined whether perceptual processing of sign movement or verb semantics modulate the ACE. Deaf ASL signers performed a semantic judgment task while viewing signed sentences expressing toward or away motion. We found a significant congruency effect relative to the verb's semantics rather than to the perceived motion. This result indicates that (a) the motor system is involved in the comprehension of a visual-manual language, and (b) motor simulations for sign language are modulated by verb semantics rather than by the perceived visual motion of the hands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen Secora
- San Diego State University, and University of California San Diego
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47
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Ono K, Nakamura A, Maess B. Keeping an eye on the conductor: neural correlates of visuo-motor synchronization and musical experience. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9:154. [PMID: 25883561 PMCID: PMC4382975 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2014] [Accepted: 03/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
For orchestra musicians, synchronized playing under a conductor’s direction is necessary to achieve optimal performance. Previous studies using simple auditory/visual stimuli have reported cortico-subcortical networks underlying synchronization and that training improves the accuracy of synchronization. However, it is unclear whether people who played regularly under a conductor and non-musicians activate the same networks when synchronizing with a conductor’s gestures. We conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment testing nonmusicians and musicians who regularly play music under a conductor. Participants were required to tap the rhythm they perceived from silent movies displaying either conductor’s gestures or a swinging metronome. Musicians performed tapping under a conductor with more precision than nonmusicians. Results from fMRI measurement showed greater activity in the anterior part of the left superior frontal gyrus (SFG) in musicians with more frequent practice under a conductor. Conversely, tapping with the metronome did not show any difference between musicians and nonmusicians, indicating that the expertize effect in tapping under the conductor does not result in a general increase in tapping performance for musicians. These results suggest that orchestra musicians have developed an advanced ability to predict conductor’s next action from the gestures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kentaro Ono
- Human Brain Research Center, Kyoto University Kyoto, Japan ; Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, Germany ; National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology Aichi, Japan
| | | | - Burkhard Maess
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, Germany
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48
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Abstract
Causal composition allows people to generate new causal relations by combining existing causal knowledge. We introduce a new computational model of such reasoning, the force theory, which holds that people compose causal relations by simulating the processes that join forces in the world, and compare this theory with the mental model theory (Khemlani et al., 2014) and the causal model theory (Sloman et al., 2009), which explain causal composition on the basis of mental models and structural equations, respectively. In one experiment, the force theory was uniquely able to account for people's ability to compose causal relationships from complex animations of real-world events. In three additional experiments, the force theory did as well as or better than the other two theories in explaining the causal compositions people generated from linguistically presented causal relations. Implications for causal learning and the hierarchical structure of causal knowledge are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip Wolff
- Department of Psychology, Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA, USA
| | - Aron K. Barbey
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUrbana, IL, USA
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49
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Lind SE, Bowler DM, Raber J. Spatial navigation, episodic memory, episodic future thinking, and theory of mind in children with autism spectrum disorder: evidence for impairments in mental simulation? Front Psychol 2014; 5:1411. [PMID: 25538661 PMCID: PMC4256988 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2014] [Accepted: 11/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This study explored spatial navigation alongside several other cognitive abilities that are thought to share common underlying neurocognitive mechanisms (e.g., the capacity for self-projection, scene construction, or mental simulation), and which we hypothesized may be impaired in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Twenty intellectually high-functioning children with ASD (with a mean age of ~8 years) were compared to 20 sex, age, IQ, and language ability matched typically developing children on a series of tasks to assess spatial navigation, episodic memory, episodic future thinking (also known as episodic foresight or prospection), theory of mind (ToM), relational memory, and central coherence. This is the first study to explore these abilities concurrently within the same sample. Spatial navigation was assessed using the "memory island" task, which involves finding objects within a realistic, computer simulated, three-dimensional environment. Episodic memory and episodic future thinking were assessed using a past and future event description task. ToM was assessed using the "animations" task, in which children were asked to describe the interactions between two animated triangles. Relational memory was assessed using a recognition task involving memory for items (line drawings), patterned backgrounds, or combinations of items and backgrounds. Central coherence was assessed by exploring differences in performance across segmented and unsegmented versions of block design. Children with ASD were found to show impairments in spatial navigation, episodic memory, episodic future thinking, and central coherence, but not ToM or relational memory. Among children with ASD, spatial navigation was found to be significantly negatively related to the number of repetitive behaviors. In other words, children who showed more repetitive behaviors showed poorer spatial navigation. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie E Lind
- Autism Research Team, Department of Psychology, Durham University Durham, UK
| | - Dermot M Bowler
- Autism Research Group, Department of Psychology, City University London London, UK
| | - Jacob Raber
- Departments of Behavioral Neuroscience, Neurology, and Radiation Medicine, Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University Portland, OR, USA
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50
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Abstract
Research in sports, dance and rehabilitation has shown that basic action concepts (BACs) are fundamental building blocks of mental action representations. BACs are based on chunked body postures related to common functions for realizing action goals. In this paper, we outline issues in research methodology and an experimental method, the structural dimensional analysis of mental representation (SDA-M), to assess action-relevant representational structures that reflect the organization of BACs. The SDA-M reveals a strong relationship between cognitive representation and performance if complex actions are performed. We show how the SDA-M can improve motor imagery training and how it contributes to our understanding of coaching processes. The SDA-M capitalizes on the objective measurement of individual mental movement representations before training and the integration of these results into the motor imagery training. Such motor imagery training based on mental representations (MTMR) has been applied successfully in professional sports such as golf, volleyball, gymnastics, windsurfing, and recently in the rehabilitation of patients who have suffered a stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Schack
- Neurocognition and Action-Biomechanics Research Group, Center of Excellence "Cognitive Interaction Technology", Research Institute for Cognition and Robotics, Bielefeld University Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Kai Essig
- Neurocognition and Action-Biomechanics Research Group, Center of Excellence "Cognitive Interaction Technology", Research Institute for Cognition and Robotics, Bielefeld University Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Cornelia Frank
- Neurocognition and Action-Biomechanics Research Group, Center of Excellence "Cognitive Interaction Technology", Research Institute for Cognition and Robotics, Bielefeld University Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Dirk Koester
- Neurocognition and Action-Biomechanics Research Group, Center of Excellence "Cognitive Interaction Technology", Research Institute for Cognition and Robotics, Bielefeld University Bielefeld, Germany
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