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Zhou W, Wu X. The impact of internal-generated contextual clues on EFL vocabulary learning: insights from EEG. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1332098. [PMID: 38371709 PMCID: PMC10873923 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1332098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
With the popularity of learning vocabulary online among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners today, educators and researchers have been considering ways to enhance the effectiveness of this approach. Prior research has underscored the significance of contextual clues in vocabulary acquisition. However, few studies have compared the context provided by instructional materials and that generated by learners themselves. Hence, this present study sought to explore the impact of internal-generated contextual clues in comparison to those provided by instructional materials on EFL learners' online vocabulary acquisition. A total of 26 university students were enrolled and underwent electroencephalography (EEG). Based on a within-subjects design, all participants learned two groups of vocabulary words through a series of video clips under two conditions: one where the contexts were externally provided and the other where participants themselves generated the contexts. In this regard, participants were tasked with either viewing contextual clues presented on the screen or creating their own contextual clues for word comprehension. EEG signals were recorded during the learning process to explore neural activities, and post-tests were conducted to assess learning performance after each vocabulary learning session. Our behavioral results indicated that comprehending words with internal-generated contextual clues resulted in superior learning performance compared to using context provided by instructional materials. Furthermore, EEG data revealed that learners expended greater cognitive resources and mental effort in semantically integrating the meaning of words when they self-created contextual clues, as evidenced by stronger alpha and beta-band oscillations. Moreover, the stronger alpha-band oscillations and lower inter-subject correlation (ISC) among learners suggested that the generative task of creating context enhanced their top-down attentional control mechanisms and selective visual processing when learning vocabulary from videos. These findings underscored the positive effects of internal-generated contextual clues, indicating that instructors should encourage learners to construct their own contexts in online EFL vocabulary instruction rather than providing pre-defined contexts. Future research should aim to explore the limits and conditions of employing these two types of contextual clues in online EFL vocabulary learning. This could be achieved by manipulating the quality and understandability of contexts and considering learners' language proficiency levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weichen Zhou
- School of Teacher Education, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, China
| | - Xia Wu
- Department of Psychology, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, China
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2
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Onofrj M, Russo M, Delli Pizzi S, De Gregorio D, Inserra A, Gobbi G, Sensi SL. The central role of the Thalamus in psychosis, lessons from neurodegenerative diseases and psychedelics. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:384. [PMID: 38092757 PMCID: PMC10719401 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02691-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The PD-DLB psychosis complex found in Parkinson's disease (PD) and Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) includes hallucinations, Somatic Symptom/Functional Disorders, and delusions. These disorders exhibit similar presentation patterns and progression. Mechanisms at the root of these symptoms also share similarities with processes promoting altered states of consciousness found in Rapid Eye Movement sleep, psychiatric disorders, or the intake of psychedelic compounds. We propose that these mechanisms find a crucial driver and trigger in the dysregulated activity of high-order thalamic nuclei set in motion by ThalamoCortical Dysrhythmia (TCD). TCD generates the loss of finely tuned cortico-cortical modulations promoted by the thalamus and unleashes the aberrant activity of the Default Mode Network (DMN). TCD moves in parallel with altered thalamic filtering of external and internal information. The process produces an input overload to the cortex, thereby exacerbating DMN decoupling from task-positive networks. These phenomena alter the brain metastability, creating dreamlike, dissociative, or altered states of consciousness. In support of this hypothesis, mind-altering psychedelic drugs also modulate thalamic-cortical pathways. Understanding the pathophysiological background of these conditions provides a conceptual bridge between neurology and psychiatry, thereby helping to generate a promising and converging area of investigation and therapeutic efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Onofrj
- Behavioral Neurology and Molecular Neurology Units, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology - CAST, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technology-ITAB University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.
| | - Mirella Russo
- Behavioral Neurology and Molecular Neurology Units, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology - CAST, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technology-ITAB University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Stefano Delli Pizzi
- Behavioral Neurology and Molecular Neurology Units, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology - CAST, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technology-ITAB University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Danilo De Gregorio
- Division of Neuroscience, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonio Inserra
- Neurobiological Psychiatry Unit, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Gabriella Gobbi
- Neurobiological Psychiatry Unit, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Stefano L Sensi
- Behavioral Neurology and Molecular Neurology Units, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology - CAST, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technology-ITAB University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.
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3
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Pais-Vieira C, Allahdad MK, Perrotta A, Peres AS, Kunicki C, Aguiar M, Oliveira M, Pais-Vieira M. Neurophysiological correlates of tactile width discrimination in humans. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1155102. [PMID: 37250697 PMCID: PMC10213448 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1155102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Tactile information processing requires the integration of sensory, motor, and cognitive information. Width discrimination has been extensively studied in rodents, but not in humans. Methods Here, we describe Electroencephalography (EEG) signals in humans performing a tactile width discrimination task. The first goal of this study was to describe changes in neural activity occurring during the discrimination and the response periods. The second goal was to relate specific changes in neural activity to the performance in the task. Results Comparison of changes in power between two different periods of the task, corresponding to the discrimination of the tactile stimulus and the motor response, revealed the engagement of an asymmetrical network associated with fronto-temporo-parieto-occipital electrodes and across multiple frequency bands. Analysis of ratios of higher [Ratio 1: (0.5-20 Hz)/(0.5-45 Hz)] or lower frequencies [Ratio 2: (0.5-4.5 Hz)/(0.5-9 Hz)], during the discrimination period revealed that activity recorded from frontal-parietal electrodes was correlated to tactile width discrimination performance between-subjects, independently of task difficulty. Meanwhile, the dynamics in parieto-occipital electrodes were correlated to the changes in performance within-subjects (i.e., between the first and the second blocks) independently of task difficulty. In addition, analysis of information transfer, using Granger causality, further demonstrated that improvements in performance between blocks were characterized by an overall reduction in information transfer to the ipsilateral parietal electrode (P4) and an increase in information transfer to the contralateral parietal electrode (P3). Discussion The main finding of this study is that fronto-parietal electrodes encoded between-subjects' performances while parieto-occipital electrodes encoded within-subjects' performances, supporting the notion that tactile width discrimination processing is associated with a complex asymmetrical network involving fronto-parieto-occipital electrodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Pais-Vieira
- Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Saúde (CIIS), Instituto de Ciências da Saúde (ICS), Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto, Portugal
| | - Mehrab K. Allahdad
- Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Saúde (CIIS), Instituto de Ciências da Saúde (ICS), Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto, Portugal
| | - André Perrotta
- Centre for Informatics and Systems of the University of Coimbra (CISUC), Coimbra, Portugal
| | - André S. Peres
- Proaction Laboratory, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- CINEICC, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Carolina Kunicki
- Vasco da Gama Research Center (CIVG), Vasco da Gama University School (EUVG), Coimbra, Portugal
- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC), Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Mafalda Aguiar
- Department of Medical Sciences, iBiMED-Institute of Biomedicine, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Manuel Oliveira
- Department of Medical Sciences, iBiMED-Institute of Biomedicine, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Miguel Pais-Vieira
- Department of Medical Sciences, iBiMED-Institute of Biomedicine, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
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4
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Davidson MJ, Macdonald JSP, Yeung N. Alpha oscillations and stimulus-evoked activity dissociate metacognitive reports of attention, visibility, and confidence in a rapid visual detection task. J Vis 2022; 22:20. [PMID: 36166234 PMCID: PMC9531462 DOI: 10.1167/jov.22.10.20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Variability in the detection and discrimination of weak visual stimuli has been linked to oscillatory neural activity. In particular, the amplitude of activity in the alpha-band (8–12 Hz) has been shown to impact the objective likelihood of stimulus detection, as well as measures of subjective visibility, attention, and decision confidence. Here we investigate how preparatory alpha in a cued pretarget interval influences performance and phenomenology, by recording simultaneous subjective measures of attention and confidence (experiment 1) or attention and visibility (experiment 2) on a trial-by-trial basis in a visual detection task. Across both experiments, alpha amplitude was negatively and linearly correlated with the intensity of subjective attention. In contrast with this linear relationship, we observed a quadratic relationship between the strength of alpha oscillations and subjective ratings of confidence and visibility. We find that this same quadratic relationship links alpha amplitude with the strength of stimulus-evoked responses. Visibility and confidence judgments also corresponded with the strength of evoked responses, but confidence, uniquely, incorporated information about attentional state. As such, our findings reveal distinct psychological and neural correlates of metacognitive judgments of attentional state, stimulus visibility, and decision confidence when these judgments are preceded by a cued target interval.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Davidson
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.,
| | | | - Nick Yeung
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,
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5
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Sasaki R, Watanabe H, Onishi H. Therapeutic benefits of noninvasive somatosensory cortex stimulation on cortical plasticity and somatosensory function: a systematic review. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 56:4669-4698. [PMID: 35804487 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Optimal limb coordination requires efficient transmission of somatosensory information to the sensorimotor cortex. The primary somatosensory cortex (S1) is frequently damaged by stroke, resulting in both somatosensory and motor impairments. Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) to the primary motor cortex is thought to induce neural plasticity that facilitates neurorehabilitation. Several studies have also examined if NIBS to the S1 can enhance somatosensory processing as assessed by somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs) and improve behavioral task performance, but it remains uncertain if NIBS can reliably modulate S1 plasticity or even whether SEPs can reflect this plasticity. This systematic review revealed that NIBS has relatively minor effects on SEPs or somatosensory task performance, but larger early SEP changes after NIBS can still predict improved performance. Similarly, decreased paired-pulse inhibition in S1 post-NIBS is associated with improved somatosensory performance. However, several studies still debate the role of inhibitory function in somatosensory performance after NIBS in terms of the direction of the change (that, disinhibition or inhibition). Altogether, early SEP and paired-pulse inhibition (particularly inter-stimulus intervals of 30-100 ms) may become useful biomarkers for somatosensory deficits, but improved NIBS protocols are required for therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryoki Sasaki
- Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan.,Discipline of Physiology, School of Biomedicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Hiraku Watanabe
- Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan.,Department of Physical Therapy, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan
| | - Hideaki Onishi
- Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan.,Department of Physical Therapy, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan
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6
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Whitmarsh S, Gitton C, Jousmäki V, Sackur J, Tallon-Baudry C. Neuronal correlates of the subjective experience of attention. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 55:3465-3482. [PMID: 34278629 PMCID: PMC9540477 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The effect of top–down attention on stimulus‐evoked responses and alpha oscillations and the association between arousal and pupil diameter are well established. However, the relationship between these indices, and their contribution to the subjective experience of attention, remains largely unknown. Participants performed a sustained (10–30 s) attention task in which rare (10%) targets were detected within continuous tactile stimulation (16 Hz). Trials were followed by attention ratings on an 8‐point visual scale. Attention ratings correlated negatively with contralateral somatosensory alpha power and positively with pupil diameter. The effect of pupil diameter on attention ratings extended into the following trial, reflecting a sustained aspect of attention related to vigilance. The effect of alpha power did not carry over to the next trial and furthermore mediated the association between pupil diameter and attention ratings. Variations in steady‐state amplitude reflected stimulus processing under the influence of alpha oscillations but were only weakly related to subjective ratings of attention. Together, our results show that both alpha power and pupil diameter are reflected in the subjective experience of attention, albeit on different time spans, while continuous stimulus processing might not contribute to the experience of attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Whitmarsh
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Computationnelles, Département d'Études Cognitives de l'École Normale Supérieure, INSERM, PSL University, Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau - Paris Brain Institute - ICM, Inserm, CNRS, APHP, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Christophe Gitton
- Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau - Paris Brain Institute - ICM, Inserm, CNRS, APHP, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Veikko Jousmäki
- Aalto NeuroImaging, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.,Cognitive Neuroimaging Centre, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Jérôme Sackur
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique, Département d'Études Cognitives de l'École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, EHESS, PSL University, Paris, France.,Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de l'X, École Polytechnique, Paris, France
| | - Catherine Tallon-Baudry
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Computationnelles, Département d'Études Cognitives de l'École Normale Supérieure, INSERM, PSL University, Paris, France
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7
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Herman AM, Palmer C, Azevedo RT, Tsakiris M. Neural divergence and convergence for attention to and detection of interoceptive and somatosensory stimuli. Cortex 2020; 135:186-206. [PMID: 33385747 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Body awareness is constructed by signals originating from within and outside the body. How do these apparently divergent signals converge? We developed a signal detection task to study the neural convergence and divergence of interoceptive and somatosensory signals. Participants focused on either cardiac or tactile events and reported their presence or absence. Beyond some evidence of divergence, we observed a robust overlap in the pattern of activation evoked across both conditions in frontal areas including the insular cortex, as well as parietal and occipital areas, and for both attention and detection of these signals. Psycho-physiological interaction analysis revealed that right insular cortex connectivity was modulated by the conscious detection of cardiac compared to somatosensory sensations, with greater connectivity to occipito-parietal regions when attending to cardiac signals. Our findings speak in favour of the inherent convergence of bodily-related signals and move beyond the apparent antagonism between exteroception and interoception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra M Herman
- Lab of Action and Body, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK.
| | - Clare Palmer
- ABCD Coordinating Center, Center for Human Development (CHD), University of California, San Diego, USA
| | | | - Manos Tsakiris
- Lab of Action and Body, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK; The Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Study, University of London, UK; Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg
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8
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Griffiths BJ, Mayhew SD, Mullinger KJ, Jorge J, Charest I, Wimber M, Hanslmayr S. Alpha/beta power decreases track the fidelity of stimulus-specific information. eLife 2019; 8:e49562. [PMID: 31782730 PMCID: PMC6904219 DOI: 10.7554/elife.49562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Massed synchronised neuronal firing is detrimental to information processing. When networks of task-irrelevant neurons fire in unison, they mask the signal generated by task-critical neurons. On a macroscopic level, such synchronisation can contribute to alpha/beta (8-30 Hz) oscillations. Reducing the amplitude of these oscillations, therefore, may enhance information processing. Here, we test this hypothesis. Twenty-one participants completed an associative memory task while undergoing simultaneous EEG-fMRI recordings. Using representational similarity analysis, we quantified the amount of stimulus-specific information represented within the BOLD signal on every trial. When correlating this metric with concurrently-recorded alpha/beta power, we found a significant negative correlation which indicated that as post-stimulus alpha/beta power decreased, stimulus-specific information increased. Critically, we found this effect in three unique tasks: visual perception, auditory perception, and visual memory retrieval, indicating that this phenomenon transcends both stimulus modality and cognitive task. These results indicate that alpha/beta power decreases parametrically track the fidelity of both externally-presented and internally-generated stimulus-specific information represented within the cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin James Griffiths
- School of PsychologyUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
- Centre for Human Brain HealthUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
| | - Stephen D Mayhew
- School of PsychologyUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
- Centre for Human Brain HealthUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
| | - Karen J Mullinger
- School of PsychologyUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
- Centre for Human Brain HealthUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
- Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, School of Physics and AstronomyUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUnited Kingdom
| | - João Jorge
- Laboratory for Functional and Metabolic ImagingÉcole Polytechnique Fédérale de LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Ian Charest
- School of PsychologyUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
- Centre for Human Brain HealthUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
| | - Maria Wimber
- School of PsychologyUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
- Centre for Human Brain HealthUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
| | - Simon Hanslmayr
- School of PsychologyUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
- Centre for Human Brain HealthUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
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9
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Filevich E, Forlim CG, Fehrman C, Forster C, Paulus M, Shing YL, Kühn S. I know that I know nothing: Cortical thickness and functional connectivity underlying meta-ignorance ability in pre-schoolers. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2019; 41:100738. [PMID: 31790955 PMCID: PMC6994539 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Revised: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Metacognition plays a pivotal role in human development. The ability to realize that we do not know something, or meta-ignorance, emerges after approximately five years of age. We sought for the brain systems that underlie the developmental emergence of this ability in a preschool sample. Twenty-four children aged between five and six years answered questions under three conditions. In the critical partial knowledge condition, an experimenter first showed two toys to a child, then announced that she would place one of them in a box, out of sight from the child. The experimenter then asked the child whether she knew which toy was in the box. Children who gave consistently correct answers to this question (n = 9) showed greater cortical thickness in a cluster within left medial orbitofrontal cortex than children who did not (n = 15). Further, seed-based functional connectivity analyses of the brain during resting state revealed that this region is functionally connected to the medial orbitofrontal gyrus, posterior cingulate gyrus and precuneus, and mid- and inferior temporal gyri. This finding suggests that the default mode network, critically through its prefrontal regions, supports introspective processing. It leads to the emergence of metacognitive monitoring allowing children to explicitly report their own ignorance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Filevich
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Lentzeallee 94, 14195, Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany; Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Phillipstraße 13 Haus 6, 10115 Berlin, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Luisenstraße 56, 10115, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Caroline Garcia Forlim
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf. Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Carmen Fehrman
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ER, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
| | - Carina Forster
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Luisenstraße 56, 10115, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Markus Paulus
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
| | - Yee Lee Shing
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Lentzeallee 94, 14195, Berlin, Germany; Institute of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Simone Kühn
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Lentzeallee 94, 14195, Berlin, Germany; Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf. Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
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10
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Wöstmann M, Waschke L, Obleser J. Prestimulus neural alpha power predicts confidence in discriminating identical auditory stimuli. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 49:94-105. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Revised: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 10/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Malte Wöstmann
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Lübeck Lübeck Germany
| | | | - Jonas Obleser
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Lübeck Lübeck Germany
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11
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Fairhurst MT, Travers E, Hayward V, Deroy O. Confidence is higher in touch than in vision in cases of perceptual ambiguity. Sci Rep 2018; 8:15604. [PMID: 30353061 PMCID: PMC6199278 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-34052-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The inclination to touch objects that we can see is a surprising behaviour, given that vision often supplies relevant and sufficiently accurate sensory evidence. Here we suggest that this 'fact-checking' phenomenon could be explained if touch provides a higher level of perceptual certainty than vision. Testing this hypothesis, observers explored inverted T-shaped stimuli eliciting the Vertical-horizontal illusion in vision and touch, which included clear-cut and ambiguous cases. In separate blocks, observers judged whether the vertical bar was shorter or longer than the horizontal bar and rated the confidence in their judgments. Decisions reached by vision were objectively more accurate than those reached by touch with higher overall confidence ratings. However, while confidence was higher for vision rather than for touch in clear-cut cases, observers were more confident in touch when the stimuli were ambiguous. This relative bias as a function of ambiguity qualifies the view that confidence tracks objective accuracy and uses a comparable mapping across sensory modalities. Employing a perceptual illusion, our method disentangles objective and subjective accuracy showing how the latter is tracked by confidence and point towards possible origins for 'fact checking' by touch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merle T Fairhurst
- Centre for the Study of the Senses, School of Advanced Study, University of London, London, UK.
- Munich Center for Neuroscience, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany.
- Faculty of Philosophy, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany.
| | - Eoin Travers
- Centre for the Study of the Senses, School of Advanced Study, University of London, London, UK
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Vincent Hayward
- Centre for the Study of the Senses, School of Advanced Study, University of London, London, UK
- Sorbonne Université, Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotique (ISIR), F-75005, Paris, France
| | - Ophelia Deroy
- Centre for the Study of the Senses, School of Advanced Study, University of London, London, UK
- Munich Center for Neuroscience, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
- Faculty of Philosophy, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
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12
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Gogulski J, Zetter R, Nyrhinen M, Pertovaara A, Carlson S. Neural Substrate for Metacognitive Accuracy of Tactile Working Memory. Cereb Cortex 2018; 27:5343-5352. [PMID: 28968804 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The human prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been shown to be important for metacognition, the capacity to monitor and control one's own cognitive processes. Here we dissected the neural architecture of somatosensory metacognition using navigated single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to modulate tactile working memory (WM) processing. We asked subjects to perform tactile WM tasks and to give a confidence rating for their performance after each trial. We circumvented the challenge of interindividual variability in functional brain anatomy by applying TMS to two PFC areas that, according to tractography, were neurally connected with the primary somatosensory cortex (S1): one area in the superior frontal gyrus (SFG), another in the middle frontal gyrus (MFG). These two PFC locations and a control cortical area were stimulated during both spatial and temporal tactile WM tasks. We found that tractography-guided TMS of the SFG area selectively enhanced metacognitive accuracy of tactile temporal, but not spatial WM. Stimulation of the MFG area that was also neurally connected with the S1 had no such effect on metacognitive accuracy of either the temporal or spatial tactile WM. Our findings provide causal evidence that the PFC contains distinct neuroanatomical substrates for introspective accuracy of tactile WM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juha Gogulski
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland.,Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, Aalto 00076, Finland
| | - Rasmus Zetter
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, Aalto 00076, Finland
| | - Mikko Nyrhinen
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland.,Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, Aalto 00076, Finland.,Aalto TMS Laboratory, Aalto NeuroImaging, Aalto University, Aalto 00076, Finland
| | - Antti Pertovaara
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Synnöve Carlson
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland.,Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, Aalto 00076, Finland.,Aalto TMS Laboratory, Aalto NeuroImaging, Aalto University, Aalto 00076, Finland
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Behavioral, Modeling, and Electrophysiological Evidence for Supramodality in Human Metacognition. J Neurosci 2017; 38:263-277. [PMID: 28916521 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0322-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Revised: 08/04/2017] [Accepted: 08/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Human metacognition, or the capacity to introspect on one's own mental states, has been mostly characterized through confidence reports in visual tasks. A pressing question is to what extent results from visual studies generalize to other domains. Answering this question allows determining whether metacognition operates through shared, supramodal mechanisms or through idiosyncratic, modality-specific mechanisms. Here, we report three new lines of evidence for decisional and postdecisional mechanisms arguing for the supramodality of metacognition. First, metacognitive efficiency correlated among auditory, tactile, visual, and audiovisual tasks. Second, confidence in an audiovisual task was best modeled using supramodal formats based on integrated representations of auditory and visual signals. Third, confidence in correct responses involved similar electrophysiological markers for visual and audiovisual tasks that are associated with motor preparation preceding the perceptual judgment. We conclude that the supramodality of metacognition relies on supramodal confidence estimates and decisional signals that are shared across sensory modalities.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Metacognitive monitoring is the capacity to access, report, and regulate one's own mental states. In perception, this allows rating our confidence in what we have seen, heard, or touched. Although metacognitive monitoring can operate on different cognitive domains, we ignore whether it involves a single supramodal mechanism common to multiple cognitive domains or modality-specific mechanisms idiosyncratic to each domain. Here, we bring evidence in favor of the supramodality hypothesis by showing that participants with high metacognitive performance in one modality are likely to perform well in other modalities. Based on computational modeling and electrophysiology, we propose that supramodality can be explained by the existence of supramodal confidence estimates and by the influence of decisional cues on confidence estimates.
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