scholarly journals Reciprocity: Different behavioural strategies, cognitive mechanisms and psychological processes

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 284-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manon K. Schweinfurth ◽  
Josep Call
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Psychological Processes ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Norway Rat ◽  
Widespread Phenomenon ◽  
Human Trait ◽  
Vampire Bat ◽  
Behavioural Strategies

Abstract Reciprocity is probably one of the most debated theories in evolutionary research. After more than 40 years of research, some scientists conclude that reciprocity is an almost uniquely human trait mainly because it is cognitively demanding. Others, however, conclude that reciprocity is widespread and of great importance to many species. Yet, it is unclear how these species reciprocate, given its apparent cognitive complexity. Therefore, our aim was to unravel the psychological processes underlying reciprocity. By bringing together findings from studies investigating different aspects of reciprocity, we show that reciprocity is a rich concept with different behavioural strategies and cognitive mechanisms that require very different psychological processes. We reviewed evidence from three textbook examples, i.e. the Norway rat, common vampire bat and brown capuchin monkey, and show that the species use different strategies and mechanisms to reciprocate. We continue by examining the psychological processes of reciprocity. We show that the cognitive load varies between different forms of reciprocity. Several factors can lower the memory demands of reciprocity such as distinctiveness of encounters, memory of details and network size. Furthermore, there are different information operation systems in place, which also vary in their cognitive load due to assessing the number of encounters and the quality and quantity of help. We conclude that many species possess the psychological processes to show some form of reciprocity. Hence, reciprocity might be a widespread phenomenon that varies in terms of strategies and mechanisms.

scholarly journals Imitation Primer

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
cecilia heyes
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Cumulative Culture

In this Primer, Cecilia Heyes explains why imitation is thought to be a mark of cognitive complexity and an inheritance mechanism for cumulative culture. Recent research involving birds, ‘enculturated’ chimpanzees, and humans suggests that the cognitive mechanisms that make imitation possible are constructed during development through social interaction.

The evolution and psychology of self-deception

2011 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
William von Hippel ◽  
Robert Trivers
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Load ◽  
The Self ◽  
Evolutionary Approach ◽  
Psychological Processes ◽  
Mental Processes ◽  
Controlled Processes

AbstractIn this article we argue that self-deception evolved to facilitate interpersonal deception by allowing people to avoid the cues to conscious deception that might reveal deceptive intent. Self-deception has two additional advantages: It eliminates the costly cognitive load that is typically associated with deceiving, and it can minimize retribution if the deception is discovered. Beyond its role in specific acts of deception, self-deceptive self-enhancement also allows people to display more confidence than is warranted, which has a host of social advantages. The question then arises of how the self can be both deceiver and deceived. We propose that this is achieved through dissociations of mental processes, including conscious versus unconscious memories, conscious versus unconscious attitudes, and automatic versus controlled processes. Given the variety of methods for deceiving others, it should come as no surprise that self-deception manifests itself in a number of different psychological processes, and we discuss various types of self-deception. We then discuss the interpersonal versus intrapersonal nature of self-deception before considering the levels of consciousness at which the self can be deceived. Finally, we contrast our evolutionary approach to self-deception with current theories and debates in psychology and consider some of the costs associated with self-deception.

scholarly journals VALIDATION OF THE PROCEDURE FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF COGNITIVE COMPLEXITY OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY PROBLEM TASKS

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saša A. Horvat ◽  
Tamara N. Rončević ◽  
Dragana Z. Arsenović ◽  
Dušica D. Rodić ◽  
Mirjana D. Segedinac
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Mental Effort ◽  
Chemical Technology ◽  
Complexity Problem ◽  
Numerical Rating ◽  
Objective Value ◽  
Test Of Knowledge

The main problem in students' lower achievement lies in the cognitive complexity of the problem. The aim of this research was to create and validate the procedure for the assessment of the cognitive complexity of chemical technology problem tasks. The procedure included the creation of Tables for assessing the difficulty of concepts in chemical technology problems and their interactivity, assessment of the numerical rating of cognitive complexity of the analyzed tasks, and conducting of research. Research included 50 students. Data were collected with the test of knowledge which was used for the assessment of students´ achievements and invested mental effort. The validity of this procedure was confirmed by a series of correlation analyses where statistically significant values of correlation coefficients were obtained among the examined variables: students’ achievements, invested mental effort and cognitive complexity. The largest contribution of this procedure is that it is designed to show an objective value of the cognitive complexity of tasks in the domain of chemical technology. Good estimation of the numerical values of cognitive complexity can help teachers to better predict students' achievement, and at the same time to take care to avoid cognitive load. Keywords: cognitive complexity, problem-solving, chemical technology.

scholarly journals Is behavioural flexibility evidence of cognitive complexity? How evolution can inform comparative cognition

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 20160121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina Mikhalevich ◽  
Russell Powell ◽  
Corina Logan
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Animal Cognition ◽  
Comparative Cognition ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Behavioural Flexibility ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Common View ◽  
Complex Cognition ◽  
Complex Forms

Behavioural flexibility is often treated as the gold standard of evidence for more sophisticated or complex forms of animal cognition, such as planning, metacognition and mindreading. However, the evidential link between behavioural flexibility and complex cognition has not been explicitly or systematically defended. Such a defence is particularly pressing because observed flexible behaviours can frequently be explained by putatively simpler cognitive mechanisms. This leaves complex cognition hypotheses open to ‘deflationary’ challenges that are accorded greater evidential weight precisely because they offer putatively simpler explanations of equal explanatory power. This paper challenges the blanket preference for simpler explanations, and shows that once this preference is dispensed with, and the full spectrum of evidence—including evolutionary, ecological and phylogenetic data—is accorded its proper weight, an argument in support of the prevailing assumption that behavioural flexibility can serve as evidence for complex cognitive mechanisms may begin to take shape. An adaptive model of cognitive-behavioural evolution is proposed, according to which the existence of convergent trait–environment clusters in phylogenetically disparate lineages may serve as evidence for the same trait–environment clusters in other lineages. This, in turn, could permit inferences of cognitive complexity in cases of experimental underdetermination, thereby placing the common view that behavioural flexibility can serve as evidence for complex cognition on firmer grounds.

scholarly journals Cognitive-load approaches to detect deception: searching for cognitive mechanisms

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 441-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris Blandón-Gitlin ◽  
Elise Fenn ◽  
Jaume Masip ◽  
Aspen H. Yoo
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms

Procedural Arguments of Persuasive Games

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Ruud S. Jacobs ◽  
Stefan Werning ◽  
Jeroen Jansz ◽  
Julia Kneer
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Empirical Process ◽  
Psychological Processes ◽  
Procedural Rhetoric ◽  
Persuasive Games ◽  
Open Question ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Load Conditions

Abstract. Studies into the effects of persuasive games – games designed to change players’ attitudes – have not yet yielded insight into the psychological processes involved in persuasion through procedural rhetoric. As a type of nonverbal argument embedded in game systems, it is an open question whether procedural rhetoric leads players to elaborate on a message in the same way as traditionally delivered arguments do. The current study tested 241 participants in a 2 (rhetoric strength) × 2 (level of cognitive load) between-subjects experiment, using game stimuli generated through analytical game design. Results indicate that procedural rhetoric strength meaningfully added to persuasive effects. Participants in high-cognitive-load conditions were not driven to process the games’ message differently. We outline the empirical process required to further investigate effects of procedural rhetoric on elaboration, and conclude how the current study contributes to conceptions of arguments borne out through gameplay.

scholarly journals Implicit Theories, Working Memory, and Cognitive Load: Impacts on Creative Thinking

SAGE Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824401983591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenni L. Redifer ◽  
Christine L. Bae ◽  
Morgan DeBusk-Lane
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Creative Thinking ◽  
Implicit Theories ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Complex Tasks ◽  
Academic Tasks ◽  
Theories Of Intelligence ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Creative thinking shares many characteristics with traditional complex tasks. We investigated whether implicit theories of creativity would affect creative thinking in a way similar to the impact of implicit theories of intelligence on academic tasks. We altered participants’ theories of creativity to be either more incremental or more entity-like. We also examined the impact of working memory (WM) and cognitive load on creative thinking. Cognitive load fully mediated the relationship between implicit theories and creative thinking, with more incremental beliefs linked to lower cognitive load. In addition, cognitive load partially mediated the relationship between WM and creative thinking. Our results support prior research showing that creative thinking draws on cognitive mechanisms similar to those utilized by other complex tasks, but the impact of implicit theories on creative thinking differs from their effect on traditional academic tasks.

scholarly journals High Cognitive Load Situations With Different Conversation Topics Affect Walking Speed and Cognitive Complexity

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 705-705
Author(s):  
Hyeon Jung Kim ◽  
Julie Blaskewicz Boron ◽  
Jennifer Yentes ◽  
Dawn Venema
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Walking Speed ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Attentional Allocation ◽  
Single Task ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Load Types ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Walking and talking on the phone are common high-cognitive-load-situations (HCLS; e.g. dual-tasks), requiring extra attentional allocation and increasing perceived stress. We explored whether two load types, 1) single-task (ST) walking or talking on a phone and 2) HCLS walking while talking on a phone, influenced walking and/or cognitive performance among young (n=7; age=23.00±2.08yrs), middle-aged (n=14; age=44.79±7.42yrs), and older (n=15; age=74.47±3.91yrs) adults while controlling for perceived stress. Participants completed 3-minute trials of single-task walking (ST-W), single-task phone conversations with common (e.g., weather; ST-C) and uncommon topics (e.g., life experience; ST-U), and walking while talking on a phone (HCLS-C and HCLS-U). Walking speed was analyzed with 3(ST-W;HCLS-C;HCLS-U) x 3(Age) ANCOVA. HCLS resulted in slower walking speed (p<.001). Older adults exhibited slower speed across conditions compared to young (p=.015). Cognitive complexity (i.e., conversational tone and words greater than six letters (SIXLTR)) on the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) were analyzed with 2(Cvs.U) x 2(STvs.HCLS) x 3(Age) ANCOVAs. Older age was associated with less cognitive complexity; positive tone (p=.014) and SIXLTR (p=.016), respectively in conversations. Uncommon topics reduced positive tone (p=.022) and SIXLTR (p=.003). Effects of HCLS on tone (p=.040) and SIXLTR (p=.005) varied with age. HCLS with different conversation topics resulted in reduced walking and cognitive complexity while controlling for perceived stress. The analysis of cognitive complexity using common/uncommon conversation topics is a novel method to assess the impact of HCLS. This research will disrupt the transformation of aging leading to a better understanding of attentional allocation and its effects on function.

scholarly journals The Multilingual Naming Test in Alzheimer's Disease: Clues to the Origin of Naming Impairments

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 272-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iva Ivanova ◽  
David P. Salmon ◽  
Tamar H. Gollan
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Contextual Diversity ◽  
Semantic Richness ◽  
Semantic Component ◽  
Item Characteristics ◽  
Multiple Languages ◽  
Naming Test

AbstractThe current study explored the picture naming performance of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). First, we evaluated the utility of the Multilingual Naming Test (MINT; Gollan et al., 2011), which was designed to assess naming skills in speakers of multiple languages, for detecting naming impairments in monolingual AD and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI). If the MINT were sensitive to linguistic impairment in AD, using it in clinical practice might have advantages over using tests exclusively designed for English monolinguals. We found that the MINT can be used with both monolinguals and bilinguals: A 32-item subset of the MINT is best for distinguishing monolingual patients from controls, while the full MINT is best for assessing degree of bilingualism and language dominance in bilinguals. We then investigated the cognitive mechanisms underlying naming impairment in AD. To this end, we explored which MINT item characteristics best predicted performance differences between monolingual patients and controls. We found that contextual diversity and imageability, but not word frequency (nor words’ number of senses), contributed unique variance to explaining naming impairments in AD. These findings suggest a semantic component to the naming impairment in AD (modulated by names’ semantic richness and network size). (JINS, 2013, 19, 1–12)

scholarly journals The Psychology of Desire and Implications for Healthy Hydration

2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (Suppl. 1) ◽  
pp. 31-36
Author(s):  
Esther Katharina Papies
Keyword(s):  
Eating Behaviour ◽  
Grounded Cognition ◽  
Psychological Processes ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Sweetened Beverages ◽  
Sugary Drinks ◽  
Current Article ◽  
Theory Research ◽  
Desire To Eat

This article discusses the cognitive mechanisms underlying the motivation to consume sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and outlines implications for developing healthy hydration habits. While the detrimental health consequences of consuming SSBs are well understood, the psychological processes underlying the motivation to consume them are understudied. To address this gap, the current article applies a grounded cognition theory of desire and motivated behaviour, which can be used as a framework to understand and potentially change the motivation for SSBs and healthier alternatives, such as water. The grounded cognition theory of desire argues that people represent foods and drinks through potentially rewarding simulations, or re-experiences, of consuming them. These simulations, in turn, can increase desire and motivated behaviour. In line with this theory, research on eating behaviour shows that people think about attractive food in terms of what it feels like to eat it and in terms of relevant eating situations and that these simulations predict the desire to eat. Similarly, emerging research on SSBs shows that people represent these beverages in terms of the sensory and rewarding experiences of drinking them, more so than water, and especially if they consume them often. These simulations, in turn, predict the desire for sugary drinks and actual consumption. This has implications for attempts to increase healthy hydration: in order to facilitate healthy choices, the immediate pleasure to be gained from consuming a healthy beverage should be emphasized, rather than its long-term benefits. Repeatedly facilitating healthy drink choices in similar situations can ultimately contribute to the development of healthy hydration habits.

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