scholarly journals Flexible control of behavioral variability mediated by an internal representation of head direction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuntao Dan ◽  
Brad K Hulse ◽  
Vivek Jayaraman ◽  
Ann M Hermundstad
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Adaptive Behavior ◽  
Visual Learning ◽  
Internal Representation ◽  
Behavioral Variability ◽  
Artificial Agents ◽  
Head Direction ◽  
Learning Paradigm ◽  
Internal Representations ◽  
Flexible Control

Internal representations are thought to support the generation of flexible, long-timescale behavioral patterns in both animals and artificial agents. Here, we present a novel conceptual framework for how Drosophila use their internal representation of head direction to maintain preferred headings in their surroundings, and how they learn to modify these preferences in the presence of selective thermal reinforcement. To develop the framework, we analyzed flies' behavior in a classical operant visual learning paradigm and found that they use stochastically generated fixations and directed turns to express their heading preferences. Symmetries in the visual scene used in the paradigm allowed us to expose how flies' probabilistic behavior in this setting is tethered to their head direction representation. We describe how flies' ability to quickly adapt their behavior to the rules of their environment may rest on a behavioral policy whose parameters are flexible but whose form is genetically encoded in the structure of their circuits. Many of the mechanisms we outline may also be relevant for rapidly adaptive behavior driven by internal representations in other animals, including mammals.

Can WordBricks Make Learning Irish More Engaging for Students?

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 20-39
Author(s):  
Monica Ward ◽  
Maxim Mozgovoy ◽  
Marina Purgina
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
School Children ◽  
Visual Learning ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Learning Paradigm ◽  
Typical School

Learning a language is challenging and it is important that learners be kept motivated throughout the process. Many Irish primary school children are not particularly motivated to learn the language and there are few computer assisted language learning (CALL) resources available to them. WordBricks is an app that enables learners to construct only grammatically correct sentences. It leverages a visual learning paradigm and has a Scratch-like interface. It was originally developed for English, and more recently has been expanded to cater for Irish. This article investigates if using Irish WordBricks is both suitable and usable for primary school learners, if it is pedagogically appropriate for them and if it is enjoyable for them. The WordBricks app was tested by five classes of two different age groups in a typical school in Ireland. This article reports on the results of the WordBricks deployment and the feedback of students and teachers.

A Dynamic Conceptual Framework of Generalized Adaptation to Stressful Stimuli

1976 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 319-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradford S. Wild ◽  
Carolyn Hanes
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Adaptive Behavior ◽  
Dynamic Process ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Adaptation To Stress ◽  
Parallel Processes ◽  
Environmental Demands

This paper reviews the currently popular definitions and theoretical arguments of the so-called “stress” perspective with the purpose of integrating this material into one general paradigm. The literature has been concerned primarily with two parallel processes which purport to account for the individual's coping and adaptive behavior, one characterized by the interplay of internal, psychological forces, and the other by external, environmental factors. These two general processes have been integrated in this paper by expanding upon the general models presented by Dohrenwend (7) to include important feedback processes. It is argued that adaptation to stress is a dynamic process and that the failure to adapt is often the result of a continuing process of past failures by the organism effectively to cope with less severe stressful stimuli, each failure feeding back to affect future attempts to cope with new environmental demands. The implications of the approach presented in this paper for future empirical investigation are discussed.

scholarly journals Homing in on consciousness in the nervous system: An action-based synthesis

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ezequiel Morsella ◽  
Christine A. Godwin ◽  
Tiffany K. Jantz ◽  
Stephen C. Krieger ◽  
Adam Gazzaley
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Adaptive Behavior ◽  
Frame Theory ◽  
Empirically Supported ◽  
Primary Function ◽  
Nervous Function ◽  
Somatic Nervous System ◽  
Conscious Processes

AbstractWhat is the primary function of consciousness in the nervous system? The answer to this question remains enigmatic, not so much because of a lack of relevant data, but because of the lack of a conceptual framework with which to interpret the data. To this end, we have developedPassive Frame Theory, an internally coherent framework that, from an action-based perspective, synthesizes empirically supported hypotheses from diverse fields of investigation. The theory proposes that the primary function of consciousness is well-circumscribed, serving thesomatic nervous system. For this system, consciousness serves as a frame that constrains and directs skeletal muscle output, thereby yielding adaptive behavior. The mechanism by which consciousness achieves this is more counterintuitive, passive, and “low level” than the kinds of functions that theorists have previously attributed to consciousness. Passive frame theory begins to illuminate (a) what consciousness contributes to nervous function, (b) how consciousness achieves this function, and (c) the neuroanatomical substrates of conscious processes. Our untraditional, action-based perspective focuses on olfaction instead of on vision and isdescriptive(describing the products of nature as they evolved to be) rather thannormative(construing processes in terms of how they should function). Passive frame theory begins to isolate the neuroanatomical, cognitive-mechanistic, and representational (e.g., conscious contents) processes associated with consciousness.

scholarly journals Does gravity shape internal representations of space for human 3D perception?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morfoisse Theo ◽  
Herrera Altamira Gabriela ◽  
Angelini Leonardo ◽  
Clément Gilles ◽  
Beraneck Mathieu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Internal Representation ◽  
3D Perception ◽  
Internal Representations ◽  
3D Objects ◽  
Sensory Channel ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
System 2 ◽  
Perceptual Distortions ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Representations Of Space

AbstractHuman visual 3D perception is flawed by distortions, which are influenced by non-visual factors, such as gravitational vestibular signals. Distinct hypotheses regarding the sensory processing stage at which gravity acts may explain the influence of gravity: 1) a direct effect on the visual system, 2) a shaping of the internal representation of space that is used to interpret sensory signals, or 3) a role in the ability to build multiple, modalityspecific, internal depictions of the perceived object. To test these hypotheses, we performed experiments comparing visual versus haptic 3D perception, and the effects of microgravity on these two senses. The results show that visual and haptic perceptual anisotropies reside in body-centered, and not gravity-centered, planes, suggesting an ego-centric encoding of the information for both sensory modalities. Although coplanar, the perceptual distortions of the two sensory modalities are in opposite directions: depth is visually underestimated, but haptically overestimated, with respect to height and width. Interestingly microgravity appears to amplify the ‘terrestrial’ distortions of both senses. Through computational modeling, we show that these findings are parsimoniously predicted only by a gravity facilitation of cross-modal sensory reconstructions, corresponding to Hypothesis 3. This theory is able to explain not only how gravity can shape egocentric perceptions, but also the unexpected opposite effect of gravity on visual and haptic 3D perception. Overall, these results suggest that the brain uses gravity as a stable reference cue to reconstruct concurrent, modality-specific internal representations of 3D objects even when they are sensed through only one sensory channel.

scholarly journals Learning accurate path integration in a ring attractor model of the head direction system

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pantelis Vafidis ◽  
David Owald ◽  
Tiziano D’Albis ◽  
Richard Kempter
Keyword(s):  
Supervised Learning ◽  
Network Model ◽  
Path Integration ◽  
Internal Representation ◽  
Learning Rule ◽  
Developmental Phase ◽  
Head Direction ◽  
Optogenetic Stimulation ◽  
Attractor Model ◽  
The One

SummaryRing attractor models for angular path integration have recently received strong experimental support. To function as integrators, head-direction (HD) circuits require precisely tuned connectivity, but it is currently unknown how such tuning could be achieved. Here, we propose a network model in which a local, biologically plausible learning rule adjusts synaptic efficacies during development, guided by supervisory allothetic cues. Applied to the Drosophila HD system, the model learns to path-integrate accurately and develops a connectivity strikingly similar to the one reported in experiments. The mature network is a quasi-continuous attractor and reproduces key experiments in which optogenetic stimulation controls the internal representation of heading, and where the network remaps to integrate with different gains. Our model predicts that path integration requires supervised learning during a developmental phase. The model setting is general and also applies to architectures that lack the physical topography of a ring, like the mammalian HD system.

Measuring Preferences and Choices

Mate Choice ◽  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gil G. Rosenthal
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Internal Representation ◽  
Social Affiliation ◽  
Mating Preferences ◽  
Behavioral Observations ◽  
In The Wild

Studies of mating outcomes range from behavioral observations of social affiliation in the wild, to laboratory experiments where individual choosers and courters are paired in isolation. However, mating outcomes do not tell us much about mating preferences. In order to understand what is going on inside the heads and bodies of choosers, we need to measure not only the mate choices of choosers—how choosers discriminate among actual mates—but also the underlying preferences: choosers' internal representation of courter traits. This chapter begins by discussing how mating outcomes are measured. It then presents a conceptual framework for thinking about how preferences are structured, followed by a discussion of the options for empirically measuring mating preferences and the pitfalls associated with each approach.

Specificity of Internal Representations Underlying Grasping

2000 ◽  
Vol 84 (5) ◽  
pp. 2390-2397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iran Salimi ◽  
Ian Hollender ◽  
Wendy Frazier ◽  
Andrew M. Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Precision Grip ◽  
Internal Representation ◽  
Vertical Axis ◽  
The Body ◽  
Load Force ◽  
Anticipatory Control ◽  
Internal Representations ◽  
Lift Off ◽  
Fingertip Forces

The present study examines anticipatory control of fingertip forces during grasping based on the center of mass (CM) of a manipulated object. Subjects lifted an object using a precision grip while the fingertip forces and the angle about the vertical axis (roll) were measured. The object's CM could be shifted to the left or right of the object's center parallel to the grip axis without changing it's visual appearance. Subjects performed 20 lifts with the CM in the center, left, and right side of the object, respectively. Subjects were instructed to lift the object while preventing it from tilting. Within three to five lifts, subjects were able to asymmetrically partition the load force development before lift-off such that it was higher in the digit opposing the CM. This anticipatory load force partitioning prevented the object from rolling sideways at lift-off. To determine whether the internal representation underlying the anticipatory control is specific to the effectors used to form it, subjects performed five lifts with the right hand with the CM on one side. Following these lifts, they rotated the object 180° around the vertical axis and performed one lift with the same hand or they translated the object to the left side of the body (with or without rotating it) and performed one lift with the left hand. Despite subjects' explicit knowledge of the new weight distribution, they were unable to appropriately scale the load forces at each digit, resulting in a subsequent large roll of the object. The findings suggest that within a few lifts subjects achieve a stable internal representation which accounts for the object's CM and is used to scale the fingertip forces in advance. They also suggest that this representation, which is used for anticipatory control of fingertip forces, is specific to the effectors used to form it. We propose that multiple internal representations may be used during the anticipatory control of grasping.

scholarly journals Explaining Cognitive Phenomena with Internal Representations: A Mechanistic Perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paweł Gładziejewski
Keyword(s):  
Error Detection ◽  
Internal Representation ◽  
Functional Architecture ◽  
Internal Representations ◽  
Cognitive Mechanism ◽  
Mechanistic Explanations ◽  
Structural Resemblance ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Action Guidance

AbstractDespite the fact that the notion of internal representation has - at least according to some - a fundamental role to play in the sciences of the mind, not only has its explanatory utility been under attack for a while now, but it also remains unclear what criteria should an explanation of a given cognitive phenomenon meet to count as a (truly, genuinely, nontrivially, etc.) representational explanation in the first place. The aim of this article is to propose a solution to this latter problem. I will assume that representational explanations should be construed as a form of mechanistic explanations and proceed by proposing a general sketch of a functional architecture of a representational cognitive mechanism. According to the view on offer here, representational mechanisms are mechanisms that meet four conditions: the structural resemblance condition, the action-guidance condition, the decouplability condition, and the error-detection condition.

scholarly journals Acquired equivalence and related memory processes in migraine without aura

Cephalalgia ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 532-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
Attila Öze ◽  
Attila Nagy ◽  
György Benedek ◽  
Balázs Bodosi ◽  
Szabolcs Kéri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Learning And Memory ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Migraine Without Aura ◽  
Visual Learning ◽  
Learning Paradigm ◽  
Equivalence Test ◽  
Memory Processes ◽  
Acquired Equivalence ◽  
Age And Sex

Introduction Interictal deficits of elementary visuo-cognitive functions are well documented in patients with migraine and are mostly explained in terms of neocortical hyperexcitability. It has been suggested that the basal ganglia and the hippocampi might also be affected in migraine. If so, a deterioration of learning and memory processes related to these structures is expected. Methods A visual learning paradigm thought to be capable of dissociating learning/memory processes mediated by the basal ganglia from processes mediated by the hippocampus (the Rutgers Acquired Equivalence Test) was applied to a group of patients with migraine without aura and to age- and sex-matched controls. Results Patients with migraine showed a significantly poorer performance in both main phases of the test and the deficit in the phase considered to be dependent on the hippocampi was especially marked. Conclusions These results can be interpreted as behavioural support for findings that have suggested the involvement of the basal ganglia and the hippocampi in migraine, but further research is needed to clarify these findings.

scholarly journals On moral aspects of adaptive behavior of artificial agents

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 0
Author(s):  
Valery Karpov
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Adaptive Behavior ◽  
Variable Parameter ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Artificial Agents ◽  
Adaptive Mechanism ◽  
Behavioral Models ◽  
Social Agent ◽  
The Social ◽  
Main Variable

This article describes a model of a social agent, whose behavior can be stated in terms of basic moral mechanisms and norms. Morality is considered here as a flexible adaptive mechanism that allows agents to vary behavior depending on the environment conditions. The control system of the social agent is based on the "emotion-requirement" architecture. Together with the mechanisms of imitative behavior and the identification of other observable agents with the subjective "Me" concept, this architecture allows to interpret the agent's behavior in terms of empathy, sympathy, and friend-foe relationships. Experiments with this model are described, the main variable parameter of which was the tendency to sympathy. The objective of the experiments was to determine the dependence of the group "well-being" indicators on their altruism. The results obtained are quite consistent with the well-known sociological conclusions, which made it possible to say that the proposed behavioral models and architecture of agents are adequate to intuitive ideas about the role and essence of morality. Thus, the possibility of transition in this area from abstract humanitarian reasoning to constructive schemes and models of adaptive behavior of artificial agents was demonstrated.

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