The meaning of EEG indicators of loss of consciousness during anaesthesia and coma.

Raw EEG changes correlate well with the effects of anaesthetics on arousal. The purpose ofthe present paper is to analyse the significance of the EEG spectrograph. The alpha rhythm isa signature of the unconscious and according to the MAB hypothesis (Monoaminergic-Acetylcholinergic Balance) is an index of increased relative inhibitory muscarinic effects onmonoaminergic modulated conscious networks. The source of alpha rhythms varies, as doesthe type of unconscious information: from classical occipital alpha during resting state witheyes closed where no external visual information is processed, to states of unconsciousanaesthesia where alpha shifts to fronto-parietal networks. These are spontaneous oscillatorynetwork responses and the effects of GABA agonist anaesthetics increase the amplitude ofthese intrinsic rhythms. The hypothesis states that the concurrent presence of sustained deltaoscillations and alpha spindles signifies suppressed unconscious and conscious responsesrespectively, and permit neither implicit nor explicit cognition nor recollections. Further, themodel will be used to interpret EEG changes associated with more atypical anaesthetics andprovide reasons for the related cognitive effects. This will be based on the agents’pharmacological profiles and how they interact with these dual neuromodulatory systems.Evidence will also be drawn from EEG states associated with pathophysiology in coma andepilepsy. The pharmacological interpretation of EEG makes predictions of awareness indisorders of consciousness. The difficult circumstances of behaviourally inadequateindicators refers to situations of minimally conscious and in particular, vegetative stateswhere decision making is fraught with uncertainty.

Autopoiesis and Its Efficacy—A Metacybernetic View

This paper seeks to explain the nature of autopoiesis and its capacity to be efficacious, and to do this, it uses agency theory as embedded in metacybernetics. Agency, as a generalised intelligent adaptive living system, can anticipate the future once it has internalised a representation of an active contextual situation through autopoiesis. The role of observation and the nature of internalisation will be discussed, explaining that the latter has two states that determine agency properties of cognition. These are assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation is an information process and results in implicit cognition and recognition, whereas accommodation uses assimilated information delivering explicit cognition, recognition, and conscious awareness with rationality. Similarly, anticipation, a required property of the living, has two states, weak and strong, and these correspond to the two states of internalisation. Autopoiesis has various properties identifiable through the lenses of three autonomous but configurable schemas: General Collective Intelligence (GCI), Eigenform, and Extreme Physical Information (EPI). GCI is a pragmatic evolutionary approach concerned with a contextually connected purposeful and relatable set of task processes, each undertaken by a team of subagencies seeking collective fitness. Eigenform is a symbolic approach that is concerned with how observations can be suitably internalised and thus be used as a token to determine future behaviour, and how that which has been internalised can be adopted to anticipate the future. Extreme Physical Information (EPI) is an empirical approach concerned with acquiring information through observation of an unknown parameter through sampling regimes. The paper represents the conceptualisations of each schema in terms of autopoietic efficacy, and explores their configurative possibilities. It will adopt the ideas delivered to enhance explanations of the nature of autopoiesis and its efficacy within metacybernetics, providing a shift in thinking about autopoiesis and self-organisation.

Inside the Black Box

Historical trends in the study of human motivation reveal a movement away from an exclusive focus on external reinforcements and punishments in shaping behavior and toward the understanding, first, of internal mediating mechanisms and processes, and second, of the internal sources of motivation reflecting our evolved propensities and natures. The contributions in this volume are especially strong regarding these internal sources of motivation and mediational processes, with contributions focused on biological underpinnings, the dynamics of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, implicit and explicit cognition and self-appraisals, the roles of expectancies and goals, and the environmental and social factors that influence or moderate these motivation-relevant mechanisms and processes. Contributions also highlight the applied significance of contemporary motivation research, which is influencing practice and outcomes in domains such as parenting, education, physical activity, sport, work and organizations, and psychotherapy.

RESEARCH OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN IMPLICIT AND EXPLICIT HEALTHY OR UNHEALTHY FOOD RELATED COGNITIONS

The research aim is to study the relationships between implicit and explicit healthy or unhealthy food related cognitions. Research questions: (1) Is there a relationship between the results of measurements of healthy or unhealthy food related cognitions by implicit and self-assessment procedures? (2) How are healthy or unhealthy food related implicit and explicit cognitions and somatic properties (weight, height, body mass index (BMI), age, sex) related? (3) What common factors underlie the relationship between implicit and explicit healthy or unhealthy food related cognitions and somatic properties? (4) What contribution to food related implicit cognitions is made by explicit attitudes (preference of healthy or unhealthy food, the recentness of consumption, awareness of healthy or unhealthy food, sensations of taste) and somatic properties? (5) What contribution to each food related explicit cognition is made by food related implicit cognitions, the other food related explicit cognitions and somatic properties? Method. Participants – 83 students, aged 19-35, M = 25.75, SD = 4.63 years. Measurements: the specially designed IAT and corresponding self-assessment procedures. Results. There is a relationship between the results of implicit and explicit measurements. The main contribution to implicit preference for food is made by the weight, sex and explicit preference, based on recentness of its consumption.

Explicit and Implicit Television Cognition of Left-Behind Children in China

In this study we investigated the television cognition of 53 “left-behind” children. We examined explicit cognition using the Television Virtual and Real Life Questionnaire (Geng & Zhou, 2011) and used the Brief Implicit Association Test (BIAT; Sriram & Greenwald, 2009) to examine implicit cognition toward television virtual and real life. The results showed that the left-behind children in our study had weak explicit abilities to discriminate between television virtual and real life and had relatively strong implicit abilities to discriminate between television virtual and real life. In other words, their explicit and implicit discrimination abilities were different. Based on our findings, we give suggestions about education aimed at improving the television cognition of left-behind children.

Implicit and Explicit Cognition of Chinese Heroin Abusers

Sixty-five heroin abusers receiving Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT), 38 heroin abusers not receiving MMT, and 30 nonusers of drugs participated in this investigation of cognition in heroin and methadone users. Heroin users were measured for both implicit and explicit cognition, while the control group of nonusers was measured only for implicit cognition. The results demonstrate that implicit cognition can influence the development of addictive behaviors, and that implicit and explicit cognition of heroin were separate and independent constructs. Based on the results of Implicit Association Tests (IAT; Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998) MMT appears to be a valid method for opiate withdrawal treatment as it reverses the implicit desire for heroin in heroin abusers.