scholarly journals The Hunger Games: Homeostatic State-Dependent Fluctuations in Disinhibition Measured with a Novel Gamified Test Battery

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 2001
Author(s):  
Katharina Voigt ◽  
Emily Giddens ◽  
Romana Stark ◽  
Emma Frisch ◽  
Neda Moskovsky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Attentional Control ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Information Gathering ◽  
Test Battery ◽  
Antimicrobial Protein ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
State Dependent ◽  
Overnight Fasting ◽  
And Biological Markers ◽  
Homeostatic State

Food homeostatic states (hunger and satiety) influence the cognitive systems regulating impulsive responses, but the direction and specific mechanisms involved in this effect remain elusive. We examined how fasting, and satiety, affect cognitive mechanisms underpinning disinhibition using a novel framework and a gamified test-battery. Thirty-four participants completed the test-battery measuring three cognitive facets of disinhibition: attentional control, information gathering and monitoring of feedback, across two experimental sessions: one after overnight fasting and another after a standardised meal. Homeostatic state was assessed using subjective self-reports and biological markers (i.e., blood-derived liver-expressed antimicrobial protein 2 (LEAP-2), insulin and leptin). We found that participants who experienced greater subjective hunger during the satiety session were more impulsive in the information gathering task; results were not confounded by changes in mood or anxiety. Homeostatic state did not significantly influence disinhibition mechanisms linked to attentional control or feedback monitoring. However, we found a significant interaction between homeostatic state and LEAP-2 on attentional control, with higher LEAP-2 associated with faster reaction times in the fasted condition only. Our findings indicate lingering hunger after eating increases impulsive behaviour via reduced information gathering. These findings identify a novel mechanism that may underpin the tendency to overeat and/or engage in broader impulsive behaviours.

scholarly journals Conditionals on crutches: Expanding the modal horizon

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dario Paape ◽  
Malte Zimmermann
Keyword(s):  
Computational Modeling ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Value Judgments ◽  
Value Judgment ◽  
Counterfactual Conditionals ◽  
Modeling Techniques ◽  
On Line ◽  
Truth Value

Using truth-value judgment tasks, we investigated the on-line processing of counterfactual conditionals such as "If kangaroos had no tails, they would topple over". Face-value plausibility of the counterfactual as well as the complexity of the antecedent were manipulated. Results show that readers' judgments deviate from face-value plausibility more often when the antecedent is complex, and when the counterfactual is plausible rather than implausible. We interpret our results based on the modal horizon assumption of von Fintel (2001) and argue that they are compatible with a variably strict semantics for counterfactuals (Lewis, 1973). We make use of computational modeling techniques to account for reaction times and truth-value judgments simultaneously, showing that implementing detailed process models deepens our understanding of the cognitive mechanisms triggered by linguistic stimuli.

scholarly journals The Role of Native Language and the Fundamental Design of the Auditory System in Detecting Rhythm Changes

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 835-852 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikhail Ordin ◽  
Leona Polyanskaya ◽  
David Maximiliano Gómez ◽  
Arthur G. Samuel
Keyword(s):  
Auditory System ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Processing System ◽  
Rhythmic Pattern ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Regular Rhythm ◽  
Fundamental Design

Purpose We investigated whether rhythm discrimination is mainly driven by the native language of the listener or by the fundamental design of the human auditory system and universal cognitive mechanisms shared by all people irrespective of rhythmic patterns in their native language. Method In multiple experiments, we asked participants to listen to 2 continuous acoustic sequences and to determine whether their rhythms were the same or different (AX discrimination). Participants were native speakers of 4 languages with different rhythmic properties (Spanish, French, English, and German) to understand whether the predominant rhythmic patterns of a native language affect sensitivity, bias, and reaction time in detecting rhythmic changes in linguistic (Experiment 2) and in nonlinguistic (Experiments 1 and 2) acoustic sequences. We examined sensitivity and bias measures, as well as reaction times. We also computed Bayes factors in order to assess the effect of native language. Results All listeners performed better (i.e., responded faster and manifested higher sensitivity and accuracy) when detecting the presence or absence of a rhythm change when the 1st stimulus in an AX test pair exhibited regular rhythm (i.e., a syllable-timed rhythmic pattern) than when the 1st stimulus exhibited irregular rhythm (i.e., stress-timed rhythmic pattern). This result pattern was observed both on linguistic and nonlinguistic stimuli and was not modulated by the native language of the participant. Conclusion We conclude that rhythm change detection is a fundamental function of a processing system that relies on general auditory mechanisms and is not modulated by linguistic experience.

Attitudes influence implicit racial face categorization in a perceptual task

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 887-899 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yina Ma ◽  
Shengmin Yang ◽  
Shihui Han
Keyword(s):  
Priming Effect ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Han Chinese ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Perceptual Task ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
European Americans ◽  
Face Categorization

Perceptual mechanisms have been proposed for the categorization of racial faces. Social cognitive mechanisms involved in the categorization of racial faces, however, remain unclear. The present study investigated whether and how attitudes influence racial face categorization by measuring reaction times to judge orientations of own-race or other-race faces. Study 1 showed that, in a task of judging orientations of Caucasian and Asian faces, European Americans responded faster to own-race (Caucasian) faces than to other-race (Asian) faces. Study 2 showed that Han Chinese responded faster to own-race (Han Chinese) faces than to other-race (Uigur Chinese) faces. In addition, we found that, in both experiments, own-race advantage in reaction times was eliminated by inducing negative attitudes toward own-race faces using a negative association priming procedure. Moreover, the mediation analysis in Study 2 showed that the priming effect was mediated by attitude bias toward own-race faces. Our findings provide evidence for categorization of racial faces in a perceptual, race-irrelevant task, which, however, is strongly modulated by attitudes toward target faces.

scholarly journals Beliefs in being unlucky and deficits in executive functioning: An ERP study

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Martin del Campo ◽  
John Maltby ◽  
Giorgio Fuggetta
Keyword(s):  
Neural Activity ◽  
Attentional Control ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Stimulus Onset ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Top Down

The present study tested the Dysexecutive Luck hypothesis by examining whether deficits in the early stage of top down attentional control led to an increase of neural activity in later stages of response related selection process among those who thought themselves to be unlucky. Individuals with these beliefs were compared to a control group using an Event-Related Potential (ERP) measure assessing underlying neural activity of semantic inhibition while completing a Stroop test. Results showed stronger main interference effects in the former group, via greater reaction times and a more negative distributed scalp late ERP component during incongruent trials in the time window of 450 – 780 ms post stimulus onset. Further, less efficient maintenance of task set among the former group was associated with greater late ERP response-related activation to compensate for the lack of top-down attentional control. These findings provide electrophysiological evidence to support the Dysexecutive Luck hypothesis.

scholarly journals Measuring engagement elicited by eye contact in Human-Robot Interaction

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyveli Kompatsiari ◽  
Francesca Ciardo ◽  
Davide De Tommaso ◽  
Agnieszka Wykowska
Keyword(s):  
Joint Attention ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Eye Contact ◽  
Human Robot Interaction ◽  
Implicit Measures ◽  
Subjective Ratings ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Robot Interaction ◽  
Subjective Evaluations ◽  
Explicit Measures

The present study aimed at investigating how eye contact established by a humanoid robot affects engagement in human-robot interaction (HRI). To this end, we combined explicit subjective evaluations with implicit measures, i.e. reaction times and eye tracking. More specifically, we employed a gaze cueing paradigm in HRI protocol involving the iCub robot. Critically, before moving its gaze, iCub either established eye contact or not with the user. We investigated the patterns of fixations of participants’ gaze on the robot’s face, joint attention and the subjective ratings of engagement as a function of eye contact or no eye contact. We found that eye contact affected implicit measures of engagement, i.e. longer fixation times on the robot’s face during eye contact, and joint attention elicited only after the robot established eye contact. On the contrary, explicit measures of engagement with the robot did not vary across conditions. Our results highlight the value of combining explicit with implicit measures in an HRI protocol in order to unveil underlying human cognitive mechanisms, which might be at stake during the interactions. These mechanisms could be crucial for establishing an effective and engaging HRI, and could potentially provide guidelines to the robotics community with respect to better robot design.

Association Between Action Video Game Playing Experience and Visual Search in Real-life Multisensory scenes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hamzeloo ◽  
Daria Kvasova ◽  
Salvador Soto-Faraco
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Attentional Control ◽  
Search Task ◽  
Visual Search Task ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Action Video Game ◽  
Action Video Games

Prior studies investigating the effects of playing action video games on attentional control have demonstrated improvements on a variety of basic psychophysical tasks. However, as of yet, there is little evidence indicating that the cognitive benefits of playing action video games generalize to naturalistic multisensory scenes - a fundamental characteristic of our natural, everyday life environments. The present study addressed the generalization of attentional control enhancement due to AVGP experience to real-life like scenarios by comparing the performance of action video-game players (AVGPs) with non-players (NVGPs) on a visual search task using naturalistic, dynamic audio-visual scenes. To this end, a questionnaire collecting data on gaming habits and sociodemographic data as well as a visual search task was administered online to a gender-balanced sample of 60 participants of age 18 to 30 years. According to the standard hypothesis, AVGPs outperformed NVGPs in the search task overall, showing faster reaction times without sacrificing accuracy. In addition, in replication of previous findings, semantically congruent cross-modal cues benefited performance overall. However, according to our results, despite the overall advantage in search, and the multisensory congruence benefit, AVGPs did not exploit multisensory cues more efficiently than NVGPs. Exploratory analyses with gender as a variable indicated that the advantage of AVG experience to both genders should be done with caution.

Familiar Face Priming: The Role of Second-Order Configuration and Individual Face Recognition Abilities

Perception ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlena L. Itz ◽  
Stefan R. Schweinberger ◽  
Jürgen M. Kaufmann
Keyword(s):  
Face Recognition ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Second Order ◽  
Test Battery ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Shape Information ◽  
Familiar Face ◽  
Correlational Data ◽  
Metric Distances

The role of second-order configuration—that is, metric distances between individual features—for familiar face recognition has been the subject of debate. Recent reports suggest that better face recognition abilities coincide with a weaker reliance on shape information for face recognition. We examined contributions of second-order configuration to familiar face repetition priming by manipulating metric distances between facial features. S1 comprised familiar face primes as either: unaltered, with increased or decreased interocular distance, with increased or decreased distance between nose and mouth; or a different familiar face (unprimed). Participants performed a familiarity decision task on familiar and unfamiliar S2 targets, and completed a test battery consisting of three face identity processing tests. Accuracies, reaction times, and inverse efficiency scores were assessed for the priming experiment, and potential priming costs in inverse efficiency scores were correlated with test battery scores. Overall, priming was found, and priming effects were reduced only by primes with interocular distance distortions. Correlational data showed that better face recognition skills coincided with a weaker reliance on second-order configurations. Our findings (a) suggest an importance of interocular, but not mouth-to-nose, distances for familiar face recognition and (b) show that good face recognizers are less sensitive to second-order configuration.

scholarly journals Brain and Cognitive Mechanisms of Top–Down Attentional Control in a Multisensory World: Benefits of Electrical Neuroimaging

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 412-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pawel J. Matusz ◽  
Nora Turoman ◽  
Ruxandra I. Tivadar ◽  
Chrysa Retsa ◽  
Micah M. Murray
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Attentional Control ◽  
Attentional Selection ◽  
Attention Capture ◽  
Object Representations ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Electrical Neuroimaging ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Selection Of

In real-world environments, information is typically multisensory, and objects are a primary unit of information processing. Object recognition and action necessitate attentional selection of task-relevant from among task-irrelevant objects. However, the brain and cognitive mechanisms governing these processes remain not well understood. Here, we demonstrate that attentional selection of visual objects is controlled by integrated top–down audiovisual object representations (“attentional templates”) while revealing a new brain mechanism through which they can operate. In multistimulus (visual) arrays, attentional selection of objects in humans and animal models is traditionally quantified via “the N2pc component”: spatially selective enhancements of neural processing of objects within ventral visual cortices at approximately 150–300 msec poststimulus. In our adaptation of Folk et al.'s [Folk, C. L., Remington, R. W., & Johnston, J. C. Involuntary covert orienting is contingent on attentional control settings. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 18, 1030–1044, 1992] spatial cueing paradigm, visual cues elicited weaker behavioral attention capture and an attenuated N2pc during audiovisual versus visual search. To provide direct evidence for the brain, and so, cognitive, mechanisms underlying top–down control in multisensory search, we analyzed global features of the electrical field at the scalp across our N2pcs. In the N2pc time window (170–270 msec), color cues elicited brain responses differing in strength and their topography. This latter finding is indicative of changes in active brain sources. Thus, in multisensory environments, attentional selection is controlled via integrated top–down object representations, and so not only by separate sensory-specific top–down feature templates (as suggested by traditional N2pc analyses). We discuss how the electrical neuroimaging approach can aid research on top–down attentional control in naturalistic, multisensory settings and on other neurocognitive functions in the growing area of real-world neuroscience.

Beta Neurofeedback Training Improves Attentional Control in the Elderly

2020 ◽  
pp. 003329411990034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacek Bielas ◽  
Łukasz Michalczyk
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Attentional Control ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Neurofeedback Training ◽  
Age Related

One of the well-documented behavioral changes that occur with advancing age is a decline in executive functioning, for example, attentional control. Age-related executive deficits are said to be associated with a deterioration of the frontal lobes. Neurofeedback is a training method which aims at acquiring self-control over certain brain activity patterns. It is considered as an effective approach to help improve attentional and self-management capabilities. However, studies evaluating the efficacy of neurofeedback training to boost executive functioning in an elderly population are still relatively rare and controversial. The aim of our study was to contribute to the assessment of the efficacy of neurofeedback as a method for enhancing executive functioning in the elderly. We provided a group of seniors with beta up-training (12–22 Hz), consisting of 20 sessions (30 minutes each), on the Cz site and tested its possible beneficiary influence on attentional control assessed by means of the Stroop and Simon tasks. The analysis of the subjects’ mean reaction times during consecutive tasks in the test and the retest, after implementation of neurofeedback training, showed a significant improvement. In contrast, the difference in reaction times between the test and the retest in the control group who had not been submitted to neurofeedback training was not significant.

scholarly journals Captivity and habituation to humans raise curiosity in vervet monkeys

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofia Ingrid Fredrika Forss ◽  
Alba Motes-Rodrigo ◽  
Pooja Dongre ◽  
Tecla Mohr ◽  
Erica van de Waal
Keyword(s):  
Test Battery ◽  
Free Time ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Vervet Monkeys ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Human Presence ◽  
Chlorocebus Pygerythrus ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Human Artefact ◽  
Wild Sample

AbstractThe cognitive mechanisms causing intraspecific behavioural differences between wild and captive animals remain poorly understood. Although diminished neophobia, resulting from a safer environment and more “free” time, has been proposed to underlie these differences among settings, less is known about how captivity influences exploration tendency. Here, we refer to the combination of reduced neophobia and increased interest in exploring novelty as “curiosity”, which we systematically compared across seven groups of captive and wild vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) by exposing them to a test battery of eight novel stimuli. In the wild sample, we included both monkeys habituated to human presence and unhabituated individuals filmed using motion-triggered cameras. Results revealed clear differences in number of approaches to novel stimuli among captive, wild-habituated and wild-unhabituated monkeys. As foraging pressure and predation risks are assumed to be equal for all wild monkeys, our results do not support a relationship between curiosity and safety or free time. Instead, we propose “the habituation hypothesis” as an explanation of why well-habituated and captive monkeys both approached and explored novelty more than unhabituated individuals. We conclude that varying levels of human and/or human artefact habituation, rather than the risks present in natural environments, better explain variation in curiosity in our sample of vervet monkeys.

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