1
|
Mistry PK, Chang H, El-Said D, Menon V. Unraveling latent cognitive, metacognitive, strategic, and affective processes underlying children's problem-solving using Bayesian cognitive modeling. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2025:2025.01.29.635409. [PMID: 39975184 PMCID: PMC11838325 DOI: 10.1101/2025.01.29.635409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2025]
Abstract
Children exhibit remarkable variability in their mathematical problem-solving abilities, yet the cognitive, metacognitive and affective mechanisms underlying these individual differences remain poorly understood. We developed a novel Bayesian model of arithmetic problem-solving (BMAPS) to uncover the latent processes governing children's arithmetic strategy choice and efficiency. BMAPS inferred cognitive parameters related to strategy execution and metacognitive parameters related to strategy selection, revealing key mechanisms of adaptive problem solving. BMAPS parameters collectively explained individual differences in problem-solving performance, predicted longitudinal gains in arithmetic fluency and mathematical reasoning, and mediated the effects of anxiety and attitudes on performance. Clustering analyses using BMAPS parameters revealed distinct profiles of strategy use, metacognitive efficiency, and developmental change. By quantifying the fine-grained dynamics of strategy selection and execution and their relation to affective factors and academic outcomes, BMAPS provides new insights into the cognitive and metacognitive underpinnings of children's mathematical learning. This work advances powerful computational methods for uncovering latent mechanisms of complex cognition in children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Percy K Mistry
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305, US
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305, US
- Wu Tsai Neuroscience Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305, US
- Symbolic Systems Program, Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305, US
| | - Hyesang Chang
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305, US
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305, US
- Wu Tsai Neuroscience Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305, US
- Symbolic Systems Program, Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305, US
| | - Dawlat El-Said
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305, US
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305, US
- Wu Tsai Neuroscience Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305, US
- Symbolic Systems Program, Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305, US
| | - Vinod Menon
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305, US
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305, US
- Wu Tsai Neuroscience Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305, US
- Symbolic Systems Program, Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305, US
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Sun W, Ripp I, Borrmann A, Moll M, Fairhurst M. Touch-driven advantages in reaction time but not in performance in a cross-sensory comparison of reinforcement learning. Heliyon 2025; 11:e41330. [PMID: 39839521 PMCID: PMC11748724 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e41330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2024] [Revised: 11/29/2024] [Accepted: 12/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2025] Open
Abstract
Recent research has highlighted a notable confidence bias in the haptic sense, yet its impact on learning relative to other senses remains unexplored. This online study investigated learning behaviour across visual, auditory, and haptic modalities using a probabilistic selection task on computers and mobile devices, employing dynamic and ecologically valid stimuli to enhance generalisability. We analysed reaction time as an indicator of confidence, alongside learning speed and task accuracy. Our results revealed the fastest reaction times with haptic stimuli, suggesting heightened perceptual confidence, whereas visual stimuli were the slowest, and auditory stimuli were intermediate. Despite these differences, all modalities demonstrated consistent learning speeds and accuracies. These findings support the 'common currency' hypothesis of perceptual confidence, facilitating modality-independent meta-representations for efficient decision-making. Additionally, reaction times were significantly faster on touch-based mobile devices compared to computers, underscoring the metacognitive efficiency of haptic feedback in technology-enhanced environments. The combination of faster reaction time in the haptic modality without sacrificing accuracy and the enhanced efficiency of touch-based interfaces advocates for the integration of haptics in technological designs to boost efficiency while maintaining a high level of precision.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenhan Sun
- Faculty of Philosophy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany
- Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop (CeTI), 6G Life, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany
- Acoustics and Haptics, Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany
| | - Isabelle Ripp
- Faculty of Philosophy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany
| | - Aylin Borrmann
- Institute for Theoretical Computer Science, Mathematics and Operations Research, University of the Bundeswehr Munich, Neubiberg, Germany
| | - Maximilian Moll
- Institute for Theoretical Computer Science, Mathematics and Operations Research, University of the Bundeswehr Munich, Neubiberg, Germany
| | - Merle Fairhurst
- Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop (CeTI), 6G Life, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany
- Acoustics and Haptics, Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Dubinsky JM, Hamid AA. The neuroscience of active learning and direct instruction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 163:105737. [PMID: 38796122 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
Throughout the educational system, students experiencing active learning pedagogy perform better and fail less than those taught through direct instruction. Can this be ascribed to differences in learning from a neuroscientific perspective? This review examines mechanistic, neuroscientific evidence that might explain differences in cognitive engagement contributing to learning outcomes between these instructional approaches. In classrooms, direct instruction comprehensively describes academic content, while active learning provides structured opportunities for learners to explore, apply, and manipulate content. Synaptic plasticity and its modulation by arousal or novelty are central to all learning and both approaches. As a form of social learning, direct instruction relies upon working memory. The reinforcement learning circuit, associated agency, curiosity, and peer-to-peer social interactions combine to enhance motivation, improve retention, and build higher-order-thinking skills in active learning environments. When working memory becomes overwhelmed, additionally engaging the reinforcement learning circuit improves retention, providing an explanation for the benefits of active learning. This analysis provides a mechanistic examination of how emerging neuroscience principles might inform pedagogical choices at all educational levels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Janet M Dubinsky
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
| | - Arif A Hamid
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Vertemati M, Zuccotti GV, Porrini M. Enhancing Anatomy Education Throu€gh Flipped Classroom and Adaptive Learning A Pilot Project on Liver Anatomy. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL EDUCATION AND CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENT 2024; 11:23821205241248023. [PMID: 38854913 PMCID: PMC11159531 DOI: 10.1177/23821205241248023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Anatomy education plays a critical role in medical practice, and the level of anatomical knowledge among students and physicians significantly impacts patient care. This article presents a pilot project aimed at exploring the effectiveness of the Area9's Rhapsode platform, an intelligent tutoring system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to personalize learning and collect data on mastery acquisition. METHODS The study focused on liver anatomy (microscopic and macroscopic anatomy, embryology, clinical anatomy) and employed a flipped classroom approach, incorporating adaptive learning modules and an interactive in-class session. A total of 123 first-year medicine students (55 M/68F) participated to the study. Content and resources of the module were adaptable to various digital devices. Statistics were compiled based, on the one hand, on the measurement of mastery for every single learning objective provided automatically by the platform via the student interactions with the system probes (questions); on the other hand, metacognition data were worked out by crossing mastery data with the self-awareness declared in every question and learning resource by each learner. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS At the outset of the study, students displayed a 18.11% level of conscious incompetence and a 19.43% level of unconscious incompetence. Additionally, 50.86% of students demonstrated conscious competence. By the conclusion of the learning module, the level of conscious incompetence had decreased to 1.87%, and 98.73% of students exhibited conscious mastery of the materials. The results demonstrated improved learning quality, positive repurposing of study time, enhanced metacognitive awareness among students, with most students demonstrating conscious mastery of the materials and a clear understanding of their level of competence. This approach, by providing valuable insights into the potential of AI-based adaptive learning systems in anatomy education, could address the challenges posed by limited teaching hours, shortage of anatomist, and the need for individualized instruction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Vertemati
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Science, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Nanostructured Materials and Interfaces (CIMaINa), University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Gian Vincenzo Zuccotti
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Science, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Department of Pediatrics, Buzzi Children's Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Marisa Porrini
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Hoven M, Rouault M, van Holst R, Luigjes J. Differences in metacognitive functioning between obsessive-compulsive disorder patients and highly compulsive individuals from the general population. Psychol Med 2023; 53:7933-7942. [PMID: 37553980 PMCID: PMC10755250 DOI: 10.1017/s003329172300209x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Our confidence, a form of metacognition, guides our behavior. Confidence abnormalities have been found in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). A first notion based on clinical case-control studies suggests lower confidence in OCD patients compared to healthy controls. Contrarily, studies in highly compulsive individuals from general population samples showed that obsessive-compulsive symptoms related positively or not at all to confidence. A second notion suggests that an impairment in confidence estimation and usage is related to compulsive behavior, which is more often supported by studies in general population samples. These opposite findings call into question whether findings from highly compulsive individuals from the general population are generalizable to OCD patient populations. METHODS To test this, we investigated confidence at three hierarchical levels: local confidence in single decisions, global confidence in task performance and higher-order self-beliefs in 40 OCD patients (medication-free, no comorbid diagnoses), 40 controls, and 40 matched highly compulsive individuals from the general population (HComp). RESULTS In line with the first notion we found that OCD patients exhibited relative underconfidence at all three hierarchical levels. In contrast, HComp individuals showed local and global overconfidence and worsened metacognitive sensitivity compared with OCD patients, in line with the second notion. CONCLUSIONS Metacognitive functioning observed in a general highly compulsive population, often used as an analog for OCD, is distinct from that in a clinical OCD population, suggesting that OC symptoms in these two groups relate differently to (meta)cognitive processes. These findings call for caution in generalizing (meta)cognitive findings from general population to clinical samples.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Monja Hoven
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Marion Rouault
- Motivation, Brain & Behavior (MBB) Lab, Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
- Département d’Études Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure, Université Paris Sciences & Lettres (PSL University), Paris, France
| | - Ruth van Holst
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Judy Luigjes
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Ting CC, Salem-Garcia N, Palminteri S, Engelmann JB, Lebreton M. Neural and computational underpinnings of biased confidence in human reinforcement learning. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6896. [PMID: 37898640 PMCID: PMC10613217 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42589-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023] Open
Abstract
While navigating a fundamentally uncertain world, humans and animals constantly evaluate the probability of their decisions, actions or statements being correct. When explicitly elicited, these confidence estimates typically correlates positively with neural activity in a ventromedial-prefrontal (VMPFC) network and negatively in a dorsolateral and dorsomedial prefrontal network. Here, combining fMRI with a reinforcement-learning paradigm, we leverage the fact that humans are more confident in their choices when seeking gains than avoiding losses to reveal a functional dissociation: whereas the dorsal prefrontal network correlates negatively with a condition-specific confidence signal, the VMPFC network positively encodes task-wide confidence signal incorporating the valence-induced bias. Challenging dominant neuro-computational models, we found that decision-related VMPFC activity better correlates with confidence than with option-values inferred from reinforcement-learning models. Altogether, these results identify the VMPFC as a key node in the neuro-computational architecture that builds global feeling-of-confidence signals from latent decision variables and contextual biases during reinforcement-learning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Chung Ting
- General Psychology, Universität Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 11, 20146, Hamburg, Germany.
- CREED, Amsterdam School of Economics (ASE), Universiteit van Amsterdam, Roetersstraat 11, 1018 WB, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Nahuel Salem-Garcia
- Swiss Center for Affective Science, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Chem. des Mines 9, 1202, Genève, Switzerland
| | - Stefano Palminteri
- Département d'Études Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, 29 rue d'Ulm, 75230, Paris cedex 05, France
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Computationnelles, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, 29 rue d'Ulm 75230, Paris cedex 05, France
| | - Jan B Engelmann
- CREED, Amsterdam School of Economics (ASE), Universiteit van Amsterdam, Roetersstraat 11, 1018 WB, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
- The Tinbergen Institute, Gustav Mahlerplein 117, 1082 MS, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Maël Lebreton
- Swiss Center for Affective Science, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Chem. des Mines 9, 1202, Genève, Switzerland.
- Economics of Human Behavior group, Paris-Jourdan Sciences Économiques UMR8545, Paris School of Economics, 48 Boulevard Jourdan, 75014, Paris, France.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Osorio T H, Reyes M G. Decision Making in Moral Judgment Context is Modulated by Individual Metacognition. Psychol Rep 2023:332941231191067. [PMID: 37496382 DOI: 10.1177/00332941231191067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Metacognition refers to the human capacity to access and monitor one's own mental states. Recent research suggests that this capacity expands to the social world, e.g., when individuals explicitly share their cognitive processes with others. Additionally, metacognition is also linked to cognitive flexibility, and the latter to ideologically radical behaviors. Indeed, the absence of control over one's own mental activity could be at the base of different phenomena linked to social cognition. We investigate the metacognitive capacity of individuals in relation to the radicality with which they make a moral choice (utilitarian vs. deontological). For this purpose, 76 participants were submitted to 24 hypothetical situations, with the aim of evaluating the consistency (i.e., the radicality) of their moral choices. Then, in an independent experimental session, we evaluated the participants' metacognitive efficiency. We managed to demonstrate that individual metacognition scores are correlated with the radicality of a moral choice. We discussed the impact and relevance of metacognition in ecological contexts, particularly where subjective evaluation of the environment involves individual choices with social consequences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Osorio T
- Faculty of Psychology, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile
| | - Gabriel Reyes M
- Faculty of Psychology, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Thams F, Brassen S. The need to change: Is there a critical role of midlife adaptation in mental health later in life? eLife 2023; 12:82390. [PMID: 37141113 PMCID: PMC10159621 DOI: 10.7554/elife.82390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Although late-life depression (LLD) is a serious health problem and more common than dementia in people over 60, it is underdiagnosed and undertreated. The cognitive-emotional etiology of LLD is particularly poorly understood. This is in contrast to the now extensive literature from psychology and cognitive neuroscience on the characteristics of emotionally healthy aging. This research consistently shows a change in emotional processing in older adults that is modulated by prefrontal regulation. Lifespan theories explain this change in terms of neurocognitive adaptation to limited opportunities and resources that typically occur in the second half of life. Epidemiological data on an increase in well-being after a low point around age 50 suggest that the majority of people seem quite capable of making this adaptation, even though empirical evidence for a causal modulation of this so called 'paradox of aging' and for the role of the midlife dip is still lacking. Intriguingly, LLD is associated with deficits in emotional, cognitive, and prefrontal functions similar to those shown to be crucial for healthy adaptation. Suspected causes of these deficits, such as white matter lesions or affective instability, become apparent as early as midlife when internal and external changes as well as daily challenges set in. Based on these findings, we propose that some individuals who develop depression at older ages may not have been able to successfully implement self-regulatory adaptation at midlife. Here, we review the current evidence and theories on successful aging, the neurobiology of LLD, and well-being across the lifespan. Drawing on recent advances in lifespan theories, emotion regulation research, and cognitive neuroscience, we propose a model of successful versus unsuccessful adaptation that emphasizes the increasing need for implicit habitual control and resource-based regulatory choice during midlife.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Friederike Thams
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stefanie Brassen
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Value certainty and choice confidence are multidimensional constructs that guide decision-making. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2023:10.3758/s13415-022-01054-4. [PMID: 36631708 PMCID: PMC10390628 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-01054-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The degree of certainty that decision-makers have about their evaluations of available choice alternatives and their confidence about selecting the subjectively best alternative are important factors that affect current and future value-based choices. Assessments of the alternatives in a given choice set are rarely unidimensional; their values are usually derived from a combination of multiple distinct attributes. For example, the taste, texture, quantity, and nutritional content of a snack food may all be considered when determining whether to consume it. We examined how certainty about the levels of individual attributes of an option relates to certainty about the overall value of that option as a whole and/or to confidence in having chosen the subjectively best available option. We found that certainty and confidence are derived from unequally weighted combinations of attribute certainties rather than simple, equal combinations of all sources of uncertainty. Attributes that matter more in determining choice outcomes also are weighted more in metacognitive evaluations of certainty or confidence. Moreover, we found that the process of deciding between two alternatives leads to refinements in both attribute estimations and the degree of certainty in those estimates. Attributes that are more important in determining choice outcomes are refined more during the decision process in terms of both estimates and certainty. Although certainty and confidence are typically treated as unidimensional, our results indicate that they, like value estimates, are subjective, multidimensional constructs.
Collapse
|
10
|
Editorial announcement - Nearing four decades of Neuroscience Research. Neurosci Res 2023; 186:1-2. [PMID: 36586728 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2022.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
|
11
|
Seow TXF, Rouault M, Gillan CM, Fleming SM. Reply to: Metacognition, Adaptation, and Mental Health. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 91:e33-e34. [PMID: 34961624 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tricia X F Seow
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Marion Rouault
- Institut Jean Nicod, Département d'études cognitives, École normale supérieure, École des hautes études en sciences sociales, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris Sciences et Lettres University, Paris, France; Laboratoire de neurosciences cognitives et computationnelles, Département d'études cognitives, École normale supérieure, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris Sciences et Lettres University, Paris, France.
| | - Claire M Gillan
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Stephen M Fleming
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|