The Neuroscience of Spontaneous Thought

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica R. Andrews-Hanna ◽  
Zachary C. Irving ◽  
Kieran C.R. Fox ◽  
R. Nathan Spreng ◽  
Kalina Christoff
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Properties ◽  
Mind Wandering ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Human Mind ◽  
Additional Research ◽  
Science Of Mind ◽  
Mind And Brain ◽  
Spontaneous Thought ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Over Time

An often-overlooked characteristic of the human mind is its propensity to wander. Despite growing interest in the science of mind-wandering, most studies operationalize mind-wandering by its task-unrelated contents, which may be orthogonal to the processes constraining how thoughts are evoked and unfold over time. This chapter emphasizes the importance of incorporating such processes into current definitions of mind-wandering, and proposes that mind-wandering and other forms of spontaneous thought (such as dreaming and creativity) are mental states that arise and transition relatively freely due to an absence of constraints on cognition. The chapter reviews existing psychological, philosophical, and neuroscientific research on spontaneous thought through the lens of this framework, and calls for additional research into the dynamic properties of the mind and brain.

The Mind Wanders with Ease

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dylan Stan ◽  
Kalina Christoff
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Neuroscience ◽  
Mind Wandering ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ongoing Activity ◽  
Spontaneous Thought ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Independent Thought ◽  
Over Time ◽  
The Way

Although mind-wandering has received increased attention in the field of cognitive neuroscience, definitions have not always aligned. Most have emphasized the contents of thought, treating it as synonymous with either task-unrelated thought or stimulus-independent thought. Such definitions miss an important aspect of what it means to let one’s mind wander: the easeful way that thoughts move about. A more recent definition looks, instead, at the dynamics of thought—the way that thoughts unfold over time—positioning mind-wandering as a type of spontaneous thought. By doing so, it is therefore more readily equipped to incorporate this quality of ease. While the term mind-wandering can sometimes refer either to a momentary event or to an ongoing activity, both usages, this chapter argues, will be unsatisfactory if they do not address this gentle mode of movement. Some benefits that ease can provide for future research are proposed.

scholarly journals Catching the wandering mind: Meditation as a window into spontaneous thought

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Hasenkamp
Keyword(s):  
Mind Wandering ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Physiological Measures ◽  
Great Utility ◽  
Spontaneous Thought ◽  
New Research ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Subjective Reports ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Research Recommendations

This chapter considers a form of attention-based meditation as a novel means to gain insight into the mechanisms and phenomenology of spontaneous thought. Focused attention (FA) meditation involves keeping one’s attention on a chosen object, and repeatedly catching the mind when it strays from the object into spontaneous thought. This practice can thus be viewed as a kind of self-caught mind wandering paradigm, which suggests it may have great utility for research on spontaneous thought. Current findings about the effects of meditation on mind wandering and meta-awareness are reviewed, and implications for new research paradigms that leverage first-person reporting during FA meditation are discussed. Specifically, research recommendations are made that may enable customized analysis of individual episodes of mind wandering and their neural correlates. It is hoped that by combining detailed subjective reports from experienced meditators with rigorous objective physiological measures, we can advance our understanding of human consciousness.

scholarly journals The Mind-Brain Relationship as a Mathematical Problem

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgio A. Ascoli
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Physics ◽  
Mathematical Problem ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Human Mind ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Neural Connectivity ◽  
Human Communication ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽  
Scientific Phenomena ◽  
The Mind

This paper aims to frame certain fundamental aspects of the human mind (content and meaning of mental states) and foundational elements of brain computation (spatial and temporal patterns of neural activity) so as to enable at least in principle their integration within one and the same quantitative representation. Through the history of science, similar approaches have been instrumental to bridge other seemingly mysterious scientific phenomena, such as thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, optics and electromagnetism, or chemistry and quantum physics, among several other examples. Identifying the relevant levels of analysis is important to define proper mathematical formalisms for describing the brain and the mind, such that they could be mapped onto each other in order to explain their equivalence. Based on these premises, we overview the potential of neural connectivity to provide highly informative constraints on brain computational process. Moreover, we outline approaches for representing cognitive and emotional states geometrically with semantic maps. Next, we summarize leading theoretical framework that might serve as an explanatory bridge between neural connectivity and mental space. Furthermore, we discuss the implications of this framework for human communication and our view of reality. We conclude by analyzing the practical requirements to manage the necessary data for solving the mind-brain problem from this perspective.

Beckett and the Cognitive Method

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Bernini
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Mind ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Human Mind ◽  
Scientific Debate ◽  
Modeling Technology ◽  
Dialogic Interaction ◽  
The Mind

How can literature enhance, parallel or reassess the scientific study of the mind? Or is literature instead limited to the ancillary role of representing cognitive processes? Beckett and the Cognitive Method argues that Beckett’s narrative work, rather than just expressing or rendering cognition and mental states, inaugurates an exploratory use of narrative as an introspective modeling technology (defined as “introspection by simulation”). Through a detailed analysis of Beckett’s entire corpus and published volumes of letters, the book argues that Beckett pioneered a new method of writing to construct (in a mode analogous to scientific inquiry) “models” for the exploration of core laws, processes, and dynamics in the human mind. Marco Bernini integrates models, problems, and interpretive frameworks from contemporary narrative theory, cognitive sciences, phenomenology, and philosophy of mind to make a case for Beckett’s modeling practice of a vast array of processes including: the (narrative) illusion of a sense of self, the hallucinatory quality of inner speech, the dialogic interaction with memories and felt presences, the synesthetic nature of inner experience and mental imagery, the developmental cooperation of language and locomotion, the role of moods and emotions as cognitive drives, the layered complexity of the mind, and the emergent quality of consciousness. Beckett and the Cognitive Method also reflects on how Beckett’s “fictional cognitive models” are transformed into reading, auditory, or spectatorial experiences generating through narrative devices insights on which the sciences can only discursively or descriptively report. As such, the study advocates for their relevance to the contemporary scientific debate toward an interdisciplinary co-modeling of cognition.

scholarly journals Neuromodulation of the mind-wandering brain state: the interaction between neuromodulatory tone, sharp wave-ripples and spontaneous thought

2020 ◽  
Vol 376 (1817) ◽  
pp. 20190699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire O'Callaghan ◽  
Ishan C. Walpola ◽  
James M. Shine
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Mind Wandering ◽  
Brain State ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
External Stimulation ◽  
Sharp Wave ◽  
Brain States ◽  
Spontaneous Thought ◽  
The Mind

Mind-wandering has become a captivating topic for cognitive neuroscientists. By now, it is reasonably well described in terms of its phenomenology and the large-scale neural networks that support it. However, we know very little about what neurobiological mechanisms trigger a mind-wandering episode and sustain the mind-wandering brain state. Here, we focus on the role of ascending neuromodulatory systems (i.e. acetylcholine, noradrenaline, serotonin and dopamine) in shaping mind-wandering. We advance the hypothesis that the hippocampal sharp wave-ripple (SWR) is a compelling candidate for a brain state that can trigger mind-wandering episodes. This hippocampal rhythm, which occurs spontaneously in quiescent behavioural states, is capable of propagating widespread activity in the default network and is functionally associated with recollective, associative, imagination and simulation processes. The occurrence of the SWR is heavily dependent on hippocampal neuromodulatory tone. We describe how the interplay of neuromodulators may promote the hippocampal SWR and trigger mind-wandering episodes. We then identify the global neuromodulatory signatures that shape the evolution of the mind-wandering brain state. Under our proposed framework, mind-wandering emerges due to the interplay between neuromodulatory systems that influence the transitions between brain states, which either facilitate, or impede, a wandering mind. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Offline perception: voluntary and spontaneous perceptual experiences without matching external stimulation'.

scholarly journals Reading Minds in Greek Tragedy

2010 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
FELIX BUDELMANN ◽  
PAT EASTERLING
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Development ◽  
Greek Tragedy ◽  
Popular Science ◽  
Human Mind ◽  
Human Consciousness ◽  
Cognitive Sciences ◽  
The Past ◽  
Mind And Brain ◽  
The Mind ◽  
And Linguistics

A notable intellectual development of the past decade or two has been the ever-growing interest in human consciousness and the workings of the mind. Sometimes grouped under the umbrella term ‘cognitive sciences’, diverse disciplines such as neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, computer science, and linguistics have all made major contributions to our understanding of the human mind and brain; and the large number of popular science books published in this area show that this can be an engrossing topic for the layperson as much as for experts. In this article we want to explore, at a rather general and non-technical level, how this focus on matters of cognition can help us think about an aspect of Greek tragedy.

Electrophysiological Evidence for Attentional Decoupling during Mind-Wandering

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia W.Y. Kam ◽  
Todd C. Handy
Keyword(s):  
Resting State ◽  
Mind Wandering ◽  
Human Mind ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Cognitive Responses ◽  
Potential Mechanism ◽  
Intracranial Eeg ◽  
Electrophysiological Evidence ◽  
External Events ◽  
The Mind

The tendency to disengage from the immediate environment and to wander off to another time and place is a unique characteristic of the human mind. While much research has focused on the neural origins of such mind-wandering experience, less understood is the mechanism by which the mind facilitates task-unrelated thoughts. This chapter presents electrophysiological evidence demonstrating a widespread attenuation of numerous cognitive responses to external events during mind-wandering, suggesting that this transient modulation of the depth of the cognitive investment in external events may be one potential mechanism in which the mind facilitates these task-unrelated thoughts. The chapter also highlights the utility of resting-state and intracranial EEG as valuable methodology in illuminating the neural mechanisms underlying these internally directed mental experiences.

scholarly journals nature of human nature

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
André C Pieterse
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Human Mind ◽  
Physical Characteristics ◽  
Body Of Christ ◽  
Comprehensive Understanding ◽  
Mind And Brain ◽  
The Mind

This article will argue from a Scriptural viewpoint that human nature is not reducible to a set of individual physical characteristics but is embodied and all the qualities of being human are mutually dependent. The substance for this statement is rooted in the biblical confession about the characteristics of the resurrected Body of Christ. This premise could assist the sciences in their quest to define human nature, specifically relating to the mind/brain problem. In addition, it could contribute to the need for consilience and lead scientific research into a more comprehensive understanding of the human mind and brain and its embedded nature.

scholarly journals RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RAGA RAGINI AND ENVIRONMENT

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (9SE) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Varsha Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Human Mind ◽  
The Body ◽  
Musical Sound ◽  
Geographical Environment ◽  
Clean Environment ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
Good Music ◽  
Mind And Brain ◽  
Indian Music ◽  
The Mind

The mind and the mind attached to it are enamored by looking at our geographical environment and the body with a good clean environment leads the human mind towards peace.The focus of various raga-raganis in Indian music is a close relationship with the environment. It is well known that a good thinking, good thoughts, good music etc. all create a good environment.The flow of the river, the flow of air, the noise of trees all create a pleasant musical sound that is supernatural, universal. But in our Samaveda, the pronunciation of Oun, the chanting of mantras, the effect of its sound along with the eloquence, the resonance, the tone of the atmosphere, on the human mind and brain refreshes the mental environment along with the geographical environment and imparts consciousness and consciousness.Therefore, if along with biology, botanical and scientific efforts, all the raga-raginis of Indian music will be used for conservation of the environment, then it will be a perfect and complete tool. In this present age, environmental protection is an important issue and debate on it is to find its remedies and to present them on the path of world welfare. मन और उससे जुड़ा मस्तिष्क जिस प्रकार हमारे भौगोलिक पर्यावरण को देखकर उस पर आसक्त होता है और शरीर को अच्छे स्वच्छ पर्यावरण का साथ मानव मन को सुख शान्ति की ओर ले जाता है। भारतीय संगीत में विभिन्न राग-रागनियों का ध्यान पर्यावरण के साथ घनिष्ठ सम्बन्ध है। ऐसा सर्वविदित है कि एक अच्छा सोच, अच्छे विचार, अच्छा संगीत आदि सभी अच्छे पर्यावरण का निर्माण करते हैं। नदी का बहना, वायु का प्रवाहमान होना, वृक्षों की सांय-सांय सभी एक सुखद संगीत ध्वनि का निर्माण करते हैं जो अलौकिक है, सार्वभौमिक है। परन्तु हमारे सामवेद में ऊँ का उच्चारण, मंत्रों का उच्चारण उद्दात, अनुद्दात, स्वरित के साथ उसकी ध्वनि का वायुमण्डल पर असर मानव मन और मस्तिष्क पर भौगोलिक पर्यावरण के साथ मानसिक पर्यावरण को तरोताजा कर स्फूर्ति और चेतना प्रदान करता है। अतः पर्यावरण के संरक्षण हेतु यदि जैविकी, वानस्पतिकीय व वैज्ञानिक प्रयासों के साथ-साथ भारतीय संगीत की समस्त राग-रागिनियों का भी प्रयोग किया जाएगा तो वह उत्तम और सम्पूर्ण साधन होगा। आज के इस वर्तमान युग में पर्यावरण सरंक्षण महत्वर्पूण मुद्दा है व इस पर बहस होना इसके उपायों को खोजना और उनको प्रतिपादित करना विष्व के कल्याण के पथ पर अग्रसर होना है।

The Definition of the Human Mind in Its Derivation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ursula Renz
Keyword(s):  
Mental Content ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Human Mind ◽  
The Body ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Finite Minds

This chapter analyzes the passages in which Spinoza develops his definition of the human mind. It begins by reading 2p11 as denying that the mind is something like a bearer of mental states. Next, the chapter argues that, in claiming that the mind is part of the infinite intellect, Spinoza is not referring to the mind’s activity but rather defending holism with respect to mental content. Through an examination of the wording of 2p12, the chapter shows that, contrary to most interpretations, Spinoza does not assume that the human mind perceives any affections of the body. The chapter concludes by showing how, by identifying the mind with the idea of the body, Spinoza solves the problem of the numerical difference between finite minds. Altogether, the chapter shows that, for Spinoza, the human mind is not an idea that God cognizes but the awareness by which we identify our own body.

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