scholarly journals Ambiguity Drives Higher-Order Pavlovian Learning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomislav Damir Zbozinek ◽  
Omar David Perez ◽  
Toby Wise ◽  
Michael Fanselow ◽  
dean mobbs

In the natural world, stimulus-outcome associations are often noisy and ambiguous. Learning to disambiguate these associations to identify which specific outcomes will occur is critical for survival. Pavlovian occasion setters are stimuli that determine whether other stimuli that are ambiguous will result in a specific outcome. Occasion setting is a well-established field, but very little investigation has been conducted on how occasion setters are disambiguated when they themselves are ambiguous. We investigated the role of higher-order Pavlovian occasion setting in humans. We also developed and tested the first computational model predicting direct associations, traditional occasion setting, and 2nd-order occasion setting. Results showed that occasion setters affected ambiguous but not unambiguous lower-order stimuli and that 2nd-order occasion setting was indeed learned. Our computational model demonstrated excellent fit with the data, advancing our theoretical understanding of learning with ambiguity. These results may ultimately improve treatment of Pavlovian-based mental health disorders (e.g., anxiety).

eLife ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuri Dabaghian ◽  
Vicky L Brandt ◽  
Loren M Frank

The role of the hippocampus in spatial cognition is incontrovertible yet controversial. Place cells, initially thought to be location-specifiers, turn out to respond promiscuously to a wide range of stimuli. Here we test the idea, which we have recently demonstrated in a computational model, that the hippocampal place cells may ultimately be interested in a space's topological qualities (its connectivity) more than its geometry (distances and angles); such higher-order functioning would be more consistent with other known hippocampal functions. We recorded place cell activity in rats exploring morphing linear tracks that allowed us to dissociate the geometry of the track from its topology. The resulting place fields preserved the relative sequence of places visited along the track but did not vary with the metrical features of the track or the direction of the rat's movement. These results suggest a reinterpretation of previous studies and new directions for future experiments.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 2225-2252
Author(s):  
E.V. Popov ◽  
V.L. Simonova ◽  
O.V. Komarova ◽  
S.S. Kaigorodova

Subject. The emergence of new ways of interaction between sellers and buyers, the formation of new sales channels and product promotion based on the use of digital economy tools is at the heart of improving the business processes. Social networks became a tool for development; their rapid growth necessitates theoretical understanding and identification of potential application in enterprise's business process digitalization. Objectives. We explore the role of social media in the digitalization of business processes, systematize the impact of social networks on business processes of enterprises in the digital economy. Methods. The theoretical and methodological analysis of social networks as a tool for digitalization of company's business processes rests on the content analysis of domestic and foreign scientific studies, comparison, generalization and systematization. Results. We highlight the key effects of the impact of social networks on the business processes of the company; show that the digitalization of business processes should be considered in the context of a value-based approach, aimed at creating a value through the algorithmization of company operations. We determine that social networks are one of the most important tools for digitalization of company's business processes, as they have a high organizational and management potential. We also systematize the effects of social media on company's business processes. Conclusions. We present theoretical provisions of the impact of social networks on business processes of enterprises, which will enable to model and organize ideas about the development of digital ecosystems and the formation of business models.


2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 156-173
Author(s):  
Vikram Singh

This  article  attempts to  analyse  the  process  of  sustainable  livelihood  through skill development and its conceptual and theoretical understanding in India with reference to rural youth. In India skill development is demanded for economic growth and inclusive development; hence the rural population cannot be overlooked. Employable skills alone have not been able to generate sufficient employment among rural youth or address/promote well-being and sustainable livelihood. Various frameworks associated with skill development leave scope for reforms to strengthen the implementation of various policy shifts in respect of rural development and government/non-government organisations. The process of skill development for rural youth through the establishment of institutions, launch of policy/programmes and their linkages with micro-finance are considered, as the distinctive nature and features of micro-finance in relation to the forces of societal structure, social relationships, and social interactions leading towards collective interests and norms that shape the lives of rural youth. Lastly, analysis is done and conclusions drawn on the basis of discussion.


Author(s):  
Vikram Singh

The present paper attempts to analyze the process of sustainable livelihood through skill development and its conceptual and theoretical understanding in India with reference to rural youth. In India skill development is demanded for economic growth and inclusive development, hence rural population cannot be overlooked. It also tries to highlight that employable skills alone have not been able to sufficiently generate employment among rural youth despite it wont address/promote the well-being process and sustainable livelihood. It is also based on the assumption that various frameworks associated with skill development leave scope for reforms as the gaps prevails that weaken implementation addressed by various policy shift in rural development paradigm and government/non-government organizations. The paper also aspires to look into the process of skill development towards rural youth through establishments of institutions, launch of policy/programmes and their linkages with micro-finance. It also look into the distinctive nature/features of micro-finance against the dominant forces of societal structure, social relationships, social interactions leading towards collective interests and norms that shape the quality and quantity of lives of individuals. Lastly analysis and conclusion have been made on the basis of discussion.


Author(s):  
Richard Healey

The metaphor that fundamental physics is concerned to say what the natural world is like at the deepest level may be cashed out in terms of entities, properties, or laws. The role of quantum field theories in the Standard Model of high-energy physics suggests that fundamental entities, properties, and laws are to be sought in these theories. But the contextual ontology proposed in Chapter 12 would support no unified compositional structure for the world; a quantum state assignment specifies no physical property distribution sufficient even to determine all physical facts; and quantum theory posits no fundamental laws of time evolution, whether deterministic or stochastic. Quantum theory has made a revolutionary contribution to fundamental physics because its principles have permitted tremendous unification of science through the successful application of models constructed in conformity to them: but these models do not say what the world is like at the deepest level.


Author(s):  
Andrew Briggs ◽  
Hans Halvorson ◽  
Andrew Steane

Two scientists and a philosopher aim to show how science both enriches and is enriched by Christian faith. The text is written around four themes: 1. God is a being to be known, not a hypothesis to be tested; 2. We set a high bar on what constitutes good argument; 3. Uncertainty is OK; 4. We are allowed to open up the window that the natural world offers us. This is not a work of apologetics. Rather, the text takes an overview of various themes and gives reactions and responses, intended to place science correctly as a valued component of the life of faith. The difference between philosophical analysis and theological reflection is expounded. Questions of human identity are addressed from philosophy, computer science, quantum physics, evolutionary biology and theological reflection. Contemporary physics reveals the subtle and open nature of physical existence, and offers lessons in how to learn and how to live with incomplete knowledge. The nature and role of miracles is considered. The ‘argument from design’ is critiqued, especially arguments from fine-tuning. Logical derivation from impersonal facts is not an appropriate route to a relationship of mutual trust. Mainstream evolutionary biology is assessed to be a valuable component of our understanding, but no exploratory process can itself fully account for the nature of what is discovered. To engage deeply in science is to seek truth and to seek a better future; it is also an activity of appreciation, as one may appreciate a work of art.


SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 215824402110207
Author(s):  
Kolja Oswald ◽  
Xiaokang Zhao

Makerspaces are a relatively new phenomenon that seem to create an innovative environment for individuals to work on projects and learn about technology. This article presents a grounded theory study, which investigates the impact that makerspaces have on innovation. Strauss and Corbin’s grounded theory methodology is used to research this exploratory topic. The data sample consists of 16 interviews of members of a makerspace in Shanghai, China. Data analysis was conducted abiding by Strauss and Corbin’s coding framework, entailing open coding, axial coding, and selective coding as well as coding tools, such as the coding paradigm and the conditional matrix. Collaborative learning was identified as the core phenomenon of this research, and The Collaborative Learning and its Outcomes Theory was created. The emergent theory contributes to the understanding of how makerspaces impact outcomes, such as innovation and venture creation, as well as explain how collaborative learning in conjunction with other modes of learning can facilitate learning at various complexities. As such, this study’s contributions are in developing the theoretical understanding of makerspaces as well as collaborative learning. It offers managerial and pedagogical implications that can help create learning environments where collaborative learning is fostered.


Apeiron ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Proios

Abstract Plato’s invention of the metaphor of carving the world by the joints (Phaedrus 265d–66c) gives him a privileged place in the history of natural kind theory in philosophy and science; he is often understood to present a paradigmatic but antiquated view of natural kinds as possessing eternal, immutable, necessary essences. Yet, I highlight that, as a point of distinction from contemporary views about natural kinds, Plato subscribes to an intelligent-design, teleological framework, in which the natural world is the product of craft and, as a result, is structured such that it is good for it to be that way. In Plato’s Philebus, the character Socrates introduces a method of inquiry whose articulation of natural kinds enables it to confer expert knowledge, such as literacy. My paper contributes to an understanding of Plato’s view of natural kinds by interpreting this method in light of Plato’s teleological conception of nature. I argue that a human inquirer who uses the method identifies kinds with relational essences within a system causally related to the production of some unique craft-object, such as writing. As a result, I recast Plato’s place in the history of philosophy, including Plato’s view of the relation between the kinds according to the natural and social sciences. Whereas some are inclined to separate natural from social kinds, Plato holds the unique view that all naturalness is a social feature of kinds reflecting the role of intelligent agency.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 179-194
Author(s):  
Joanne Dono ◽  
Caroline Miller ◽  
Kerry Ettridge ◽  
Carlene Wilson

Abstract A systematic scoping review of anti-smoking mass media campaign literature provided opportunity to explore how social normative theories and constructs are used to influence smoking cessation. Synthesis of findings was constrained by significant heterogeneity. Nevertheless, the results indicate that a broader conceptualization of social norm is worthy of further exploration. Perceptions of what others think and do contributed in multiple ways to the relationship between anti-smoking messaging and quitting outcomes. Furthermore, integrating research on social norms, social identity and communication may improve understanding of why quitting intentions are enhanced in some circumstances but reactance and counter-arguing responses corresponding to lower quitting intentions occur in others. Integrating a broader theoretical understanding of normative influences into campaign development and evaluation may prove useful in demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach in behaviour change campaigns.


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