scholarly journals Reflections and New Perspectives on Face Cognition as a Specific Socio-Cognitive Ability

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Kristina Meyer ◽  
Werner Sommer ◽  
Andrea Hildebrandt
Keyword(s):  
Factor Structure ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Response Speed ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Descriptive Model ◽  
Single Task ◽  
Identity Recognition ◽  
Object Categories ◽  
And Task

The study of socio-cognitive abilities emerged from intelligence research, and their specificity remains controversial until today. In recent years, the psychometric structure of face cognition (FC)—a basic facet of socio-cognitive abilities—was extensively studied. In this review, we summarize and discuss the divergent psychometric structures of FC in easy and difficult tasks. While accuracy in difficult tasks was consistently shown to be face-specific, the evidence for easy tasks was inconsistent. The structure of response speed in easy tasks was mostly—but not always—unitary across object categories, including faces. Here, we compare studies to identify characteristics leading to face specificity in easy tasks. The following pattern emerges: in easy tasks, face specificity is found when modeling speed in a single task; however, when modeling speed across multiple, different easy tasks, only a unitary factor structure is reported. In difficult tasks, however, face specificity occurs in both single task approaches and task batteries. This suggests different cognitive mechanisms behind face specificity in easy and difficult tasks. In easy tasks, face specificity relies on isolated cognitive sub-processes such as face identity recognition. In difficult tasks, face-specific and task-independent cognitive processes are employed. We propose a descriptive model and argue for FC to be integrated into common taxonomies of intelligence.

scholarly journals Constructive anthropomorphism: a functional evolutionary approach to the study of human-like cognitive mechanisms in animals

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1865) ◽  
pp. 20171616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Arbilly ◽  
Arnon Lotem
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Functional Approach ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Minimal Set ◽  
Theoretical Thinking ◽  
Apparent Similarity

Anthropomorphism, the attribution of human cognitive processes and emotional states to animals, is commonly viewed as non-scientific and potentially misleading. This is mainly because apparent similarity to humans can usually be explained by alternative, simpler mechanisms in animals, and because there is no explanatory power in analogies to human phenomena when these phenomena are not well understood. Yet, because it is also difficult to preclude real similarity and continuity in the evolution of humans' and animals’ cognitive abilities, it may not be productive to completely ignore our understanding of human behaviour when thinking about animals. Here we propose that in applying a functional approach to the evolution of cognitive mechanisms, human cognition may be used to broaden our theoretical thinking and to generate testable hypotheses. Our goal is not to ‘elevate’ animals, but rather to find the minimal set of mechanistic principles that may explain ‘advanced’ cognitive abilities in humans, and consider under what conditions these mechanisms were likely to enhance fitness and to evolve in animals. We illustrate this approach, from relatively simple emotional states, to more advanced mechanisms, involved in planning and decision-making, episodic memory, metacognition, theory of mind, and consciousness.

Creativity from paradoxical experience: a theory of how individuals achieve creativity while adopting paradoxical frames

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goran Calic ◽  
Sebastien Hélie ◽  
Nick Bontis ◽  
Elaine Mosakowski
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Computational Simulation ◽  
Current Theory ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Important Benefit ◽  
Paradox Theory ◽  
Stored Information ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeExtant paradox theory suggests that adopting paradoxical frames, which are mental templates adopted by individuals in order to embrace contradictions, will result in superior firm performance. Superior performance is achieved through learning and creativity, fostering flexibility and resilience and unleashing human capital. The creativity mechanism of paradox theory is limited by a few propositions and a rough underlying theoretical logic. Using the extant theoretical base as a platform, the paper aims to develop a more powerful theory using a computational simulation.Design/methodology/approachThis paper relies on a psychologically realistic computer simulation. Using a simulation to generate ideas from stored information, one can model and manipulate the parameters that have been shown to mediate the relationship between paradoxes and creative output – defined as the number of creative ideas generated.FindingsSimulation results suggest that the relationship between paradoxical frames and creative output is non-monotonic – contrary to previous studies. Indeed, findings suggest that paradoxical frames can reduce, rather than enhance, creative output, in at least some cases.Originality/valueAn important benefit of adopting paradoxical frames is their capacity to increase creative output. This assumption is challenging to test, because one cannot measure private cognitive processes related to knowledge creation. However, they can be simulated. This allows for the extension of current theory. This new theory depicts a more complete relationship between paradoxical frames and creativity by accounting for subjective differences in how paradoxical frames are experienced along two cognitive mechanisms – differentiation and integration.

scholarly journals Should I stay or should I go? Evidence accumulation drives decision making in human drivers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arkady Zgonnikov ◽  
David Abbink ◽  
Gustav Markkula
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Cognitive Process ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Naturalistic Decision Making ◽  
Dynamic Constraints ◽  
Evidence Accumulation ◽  
Out Of Sample

Laboratory studies of abstract, highly controlled tasks point towards noisy evidence accumulation as a key mechanism governing decision making. Yet it is unclear whether the cognitive processes implicated in simple, isolated decisions in the lab are as paramount to decisions that are ingrained in more complex behaviors, such as driving. Here we aim to address the gap between modern cognitive models of decision making and studies of naturalistic decision making in drivers, which so far have provided only limited insight into the underlying cognitive processes. We investigate drivers' decision making during unprotected left turns, and model the cognitive process driving these decisions. Our model builds on the classical drift-diffusion model, and emphasizes, first, the drift rate linked to the relevant perceptual quantities dynamically sampled from the environment, and, second, collapsing decision boundaries reflecting the dynamic constraints imposed on the decision maker’s response by the environment. We show that the model explains the observed decision outcomes and response times, as well as substantial individual differences in those. Through cross-validation, we demonstrate that the model not only explains the data, but also generalizes to out-of-sample conditions, effectively providing a way to predict human drivers’ behavior in real time. Our results reveal the cognitive mechanisms of gap acceptance decisions in human drivers, and exemplify how simple cognitive process models can help us to understand human behavior in complex real-world tasks.

scholarly journals Trust your Abilities More than the Stereotype: Effect of Gender-stereotype Threat and Task Difficulty on Word Production, Clustering, and Switching in Letter Fluency

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sri Wulandari Wulandari ◽  
Donny Hendrawan
Keyword(s):  
Stereotype Threat ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Gender Stereotype ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
Actual Performance ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Undergraduate Men ◽  
And Task

Gender-stereotype threat consistently accounts for underperformance phenomena experienced by women on male-stereotyped cognitive tasks. However, only a few studies have examined how the threat is affecting performance on female-stereotyped cognitive tasks, such as letter fluency. The present study examined whether variations in the cues to activate stereotype threat and the level of task difficulty would affect the letter fluency performance of undergraduate men and women (<em>n</em> = 168) and the underlying cognitive processes of this performance (i.e., switching, clustering). The results indicated participants held beliefs about women&rsquo;s superiority in this task. However, threat-activation cues did not affect production of correct words, errors, clustering, or switching in men and women. Task difficulty affected the number of correct words, yet it did not interact with the stereotype threat-activation cues. Finally, participants&rsquo; actual performance was related to their self-rating perception about their ability instead of the stereotyping they perceived. The effect of self-efficacy, educational level, and individuals&rsquo; susceptibilities should be taken into account when studying the effects of stereotype threat.

scholarly journals The prefrontal areas and cerebral hemispheres of the neotropical Cebus apella and their correlations with cognitive processes

2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kellen Christina Malheiros Borges ◽  
Jussara Rocha Ferreira ◽  
Leonardo Ferreira Caixeta
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Relative Size ◽  
Cebus Apella ◽  
Alcoholic Solution ◽  
Cerebral Hemispheres ◽  
Neotropical Primates ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
The Brain

Abstract The organization of the prefrontal cortex can hold important clues to understanding its functioning. The Cebus apella present cerebral particularities and behavioral and cognitive flexibility, possessing abilities that demonstrate an overlap with those of big primates. Objectives: To provide evidence of correlations between anatomical particularities of the brain areas analyzed and some cognitive abilities previously described in these simians. Methods: The relative size of the cerebral hemispheres and prefrontal areas (PFA) were measured using a Universal caliper, in 24 hemispheres of C. apella fixed with 10% formaldehyde and kept in 70% alcoholic solution. Results: Data gathered allowed the calculation of the approximate volume (cm3) of the areas under study: right antimere 35.2 cm3 (±5.3), left antimere 31.3 cm3 (±5.4) and of the left PFA 6.0 cm3 (±1.5) and right PFA 6.9 cm3 (±1.7). Conclusions: We concluded that the PFA represents about 20% of the cerebral volume of this primate. No significant differences were found in the antimeres in terms of volume and area of the hemispheres and likewise for the PFA. These animals have a proportionally bigger brain than that of other neotropical primates in the literature. This allows us to infer that the frontal lobe of C. apella is also larger; possibly related to its maturity and developed cognitive functions indicative of the culture transfers characteristic of this species.

The Change Processes in Selective Attention during Adulthood. Inhibition or Processing Speed?

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Introzzi ◽  
Eliana Zamora ◽  
Yesica Aydmune ◽  
María Marta Richard’s ◽  
Ana Comesaña ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Search Task ◽  
Visual Search Task ◽  
Response Speed ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
Change Processes ◽  
Speed Task

Abstract Selective attention is involved in multiple daily activities. Several authors state that it experiences a decline after 20 years, although there is no agreement regarding the cognitive processes that explain it. Two theories dominate the discussion: The theory of inhibitory inefficiency and the theory of processing speed. At the same time, it has been suggested that there could be complementary relations between both; however, it is not clear what the contribution of inhibition and processing speed is on the changes of selective attention. Therefore, the present study proposes to analyze this contribution, in adults between 20 and 80 years old. To assess selective attention and inhibitory control, two indices of a visual search task were obtained in which participants must identify a target stimulus among a set of distracting stimuli. To evaluate the processing speed, a response speed task was used. The main results indicate that, from the age of 60, a gradual decrease in selective attention begins and that this decline can be largely explained by a decrease in processing speed and inhibitory control. We discuss about the literature on the development of selective attention, the contribution of processing speed, and the inhibitory inefficiency hypothesis.

scholarly journals Reading and spelling skills of prematurely born children in light of the underlying cognitive factors

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rózsa Gráf ◽  
Magda Kalmár ◽  
Andrea Harnos ◽  
Gábor Boross ◽  
Anett Nagy
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Academic Skills ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Cognitive Measures ◽  
Good Readers ◽  
Complex Figure ◽  
R Program ◽  
Figure Test ◽  
Reading And Spelling

Abstract Prematurity is a serious risk factor for learning difficulties. Within the academic skills reading has the greatest impact on the prospects of the students; therefore, studying the reading skills in the risk populations is very important. The aim of our study was to investigate reading and spelling skills of prematurely born children. Our target group consisted of 8–11-year-old children (n = 23) who were born preterm with very low birthweights (VLBW). For comparison 57 full-term children (27 good readers and 30 dyslexics) were included in the study sample. To assess the reading and spelling abilities the Hungarian version of the 3DM (Dyslexia Differential Diagnosis) was used. Cognitive abilities were tested using the Hungarian adaptation of the WISC-IV and the Rey Complex Figure Test. The data were analyzed with a novel statistical approach using the R program. In the cognitive measures the mean performances of all three groups fell within the normal range. In the WISC-IV Full-scale IQ as well as in some other cognitive measures the good readers significantly outperformed both the dyslexics and the preterms. The findings of the study did not confirm our expectation that VLBW prematurity should lead to developmental disadvantages in the acquisition of reading and spelling skills since in the reading and spelling performances of the good readers and the preterms did not differ, while both the good readers and the preterms scored higher than the dyslexics. The results suggest that the cognitive assets of the preterm children contributing to their reading and spelling performances were their good spatial–visual memory, working memory, and processing speed. The identification of the cognitive mechanisms underlying reading and spelling abilities is of crucial importance for designing intervention for children with deficits in these academic skills.

The Relation between the Type A Behavior Pattern, Pacing, and Subjective Workload under Single-and Dual-Task Conditions

1985 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 675-680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Damos
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Significant Interaction ◽  
Behavior Pattern ◽  
Type A ◽  
Type A Behavior ◽  
Type B ◽  
Type A Behavior Pattern ◽  
Single Task ◽  
Task Conditions ◽  
And Task

Twenty Type A and 20 Type B subjects performed two discrete tasks alone and together. Half of the subjects performed paced versions of both tasks; half, unpaced versions. Workload ratings were obtained for all subjects under single-and dual-task conditions using eight bipolar adjective scales. Under single-task conditions there was a significant interaction between behavior pattern and pacing on one of the tasks. This interaction indicated that Type A subjects responded more rapidly under unpaced conditions than did Type B subjects, although there was little difference between the groups under paced conditions. Under dualtask conditions, Type A subjects responded more rapidly than did Type B subjects regardless of pacing. There was one significant interaction between behavior pattern and task on one of the workload scales.

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