Neuronal Sequence Models for Bayesian Online Inference

Various imaging and electrophysiological studies in a number of different species and brain regions have revealed that neuronal dynamics associated with diverse behavioral patterns and cognitive tasks take on a sequence-like structure, even when encoding stationary concepts. These neuronal sequences are characterized by robust and reproducible spatiotemporal activation patterns. This suggests that the role of neuronal sequences may be much more fundamental for brain function than is commonly believed. Furthermore, the idea that the brain is not simply a passive observer but an active predictor of its sensory input, is supported by an enormous amount of evidence in fields as diverse as human ethology and physiology, besides neuroscience. Hence, a central aspect of this review is to illustrate how neuronal sequences can be understood as critical for probabilistic predictive information processing, and what dynamical principles can be used as generators of neuronal sequences. Moreover, since different lines of evidence from neuroscience and computational modeling suggest that the brain is organized in a functional hierarchy of time scales, we will also review how models based on sequence-generating principles can be embedded in such a hierarchy, to form a generative model for recognition and prediction of sensory input. We shortly introduce the Bayesian brain hypothesis as a prominent mathematical description of how online, i.e., fast, recognition, and predictions may be computed by the brain. Finally, we briefly discuss some recent advances in machine learning, where spatiotemporally structured methods (akin to neuronal sequences) and hierarchical networks have independently been developed for a wide range of tasks. We conclude that the investigation of specific dynamical and structural principles of sequential brain activity not only helps us understand how the brain processes information and generates predictions, but also informs us about neuroscientific principles potentially useful for designing more efficient artificial neuronal networks for machine learning tasks.

Soundtracks of human mimetic sexual play: The case of East Asian regional sexual vernacular

This article presents and discusses the sonic aspects of human sexual play, focusing on soundtracks and sonic scripts related to sexual “faking”. The author’s ethnographic archives are used to exemplify these complicated mimetic sounds, as they travel and bounce within the sonic nexus of pornography and everyday human sexuality beyond porn. Recognizably regional East Asian vocalizations are used to showcase subtle relations between sonic enactments and those sounds that are, presumably, directly rooted in pleasurable sensations. Pretending in sexual acts often gets perceived as hedonically empty, lacking, or negative, in stark opposition to both pleasure and sexual agency. The undertaken ethnography of South Korean female mimetic sexual plays complicates this opposition. According to these ethnographic voices, supported by more recent findings in human ethology, these two modes of sexual behavior, while remaining conceptually separate, happen in infinitesimally close vicinity and often overlap. Vocal and other sounds that vacillate between these modes contribute to layered and complex enactment and the materialization of pleasure.

Solidarity as a Socio-Anthropological Phenomenon

New humanities, e.g. sociobiology, human ethology, evolutionary anthropology, etc., have delivered a lot of new knowledge. As a result, scientists have to update some old traditional concepts. The research objective was to examine the phenomenon of solidarity in the context of new approaches. The author compared the biological and anthropological characteristics of this phenomenon and defined it via specifically social forms of human interaction and historical cases. The connectivity of biological communities and the solidarity of human associations revealed some similarities and differences. Human abilities for self-restraint and discipline are consequence of the conscious nature of solidarity. Solidarity as a specifically social form of interaction does not result from the psychological characteristics of people. It expresses the ways people interact with each other, according to their number and degree of convergence. The most important psychological sign of the solidarity of natural groups is their organicity, or integrity, as well as the mutual coordination of individual feelings and experiences. Solidarity is the cohesion of human communities, based on historical types of social interaction. The degree of unfavorable environment and the degree of internal coordination of interests and feelings determine the degree of unity of the group. The author identified two main stable forms of solidarity in history – organic and rationalized. The historical dynamics of the division of labor and personalization determine these forms of solidarity. The author also established the following historical forms of organic solidarity: patrimonial, family-clan, egalitarian, class, and chiliastic.

A Model of Non-Verbal Communication Means Structuring: An Intercultural Aspect (On the Material of the Czech and Russian Cultures)

The paper focuses on the problem of structuring of non-verbal communication in the context of studying the process of intercultural contacts. The relevance of the proposed approach to the classification of non-verbal communication means is determined by its complex feature. The authors substantiate the fact that an effective classification should take into account the achievements of several scientific disciplines having the fundamental value to the understanding of the current problem: psychology, psychophysiology, human ethology and linguistics. Also, it is necessary to take into consideration the polycode character of intercultural communication. Based on the previously published classifications, the current state of scientific knowledge on this problem, the experience of a theoretical study of this problem, and practical and didactic applications, the author propose a two-level typological model which is specially designed to compare the non-verbal behaviours of different cultures representatives. Logically, this model comprises the following categories of non-verbal communication means: paraverbal means; kinesic means; sensory perception means of communication; spatial and temporal means. To define the categories and their sub-categories the authors exemplify the means of communication with the context of interactions between representatives of the Czech and Russian cultures. The authors concluded that non-verbal means of communication should be structured taking into account the specific purpose of the study.