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Ivancovsky T, Baror S, Bar M. A shared novelty-seeking basis for creativity and curiosity: Response to the commentators. Behav Brain Sci 2024; 47:e119. [PMID: 38770845 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x24000293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
In our target article, we proposed that curiosity and creativity are both manifestations of the same novelty-seeking process. We received 29 commentaries from diverse disciplines that add insights to our initial proposal. These commentaries ultimately expanded and supplemented our model. Here we draw attention to five central practical and theoretical issues that were raised by the commentators: (1) The complex construct of novelty and associated concepts; (2) the underlying subsystems and possible mechanisms; (3) the different pathways and subtypes of curiosity and creativity; (4) creativity and curiosity "in the wild"; (5) the possible link(s) between creativity and curiosity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tal Ivancovsky
- Bar Ilan University Leslie and Susan Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Facultat de Psicologia, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Shira Baror
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
- Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Moshe Bar
- Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
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2
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Weidner EM, Moratti S, Schindler S, Grewe P, Bien CG, Kissler J. Amygdala and cortical gamma-band responses to emotional faces are modulated by attention to valence. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14512. [PMID: 38174584 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
The amygdala might support an attentional bias for emotional faces. However, whether and how selective attention toward a specific valence modulates this bias is not fully understood. Likewise, it is unclear whether amygdala and cortical signals respond to emotion and attention in a similar way. We recorded gamma-band activity (GBA, > 30 Hz) intracranially in the amygdalae of 11 patients with epilepsy and collected scalp recordings from 19 healthy participants. We presented angry, neutral, and happy faces randomly, and we denoted one valence as the target. Participants detected happy targets most quickly and accurately. In the amygdala, during attention to negative faces, low gamma-band activity (LGBA, < 90 Hz) increased for angry compared with happy faces from 160 ms. From 220 ms onward, amygdala high gamma-band activity (HGBA, > 90 Hz) was higher for angry and neutral faces than for happy ones. Monitoring neutral faces increased amygdala HGBA for emotions compared with neutral faces from 40 ms. Expressions were not differentiated in GBA while monitoring positive faces. On the scalp, only threat monitoring resulted in expression differentiation. Here, posterior LGBA was increased selectively for angry targets from 60 ms. The data show that GBA differentiation of emotional expressions is modulated by attention to valence: Top-down-controlled threat vigilance coordinates widespread GBA in favor of angry faces. Stimulus-driven emotion differentiation in amygdala GBA occurs during a neutral attentional focus. These findings align with a multi-pathway model of emotion processing and specify the role of GBA in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enya M Weidner
- Department of Psychology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Stephan Moratti
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sebastian Schindler
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Philip Grewe
- Deptartment of Epileptology, Krankenhaus Mara, Bethel Epilepsy Center, Medical School OWL, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- Clinical Neuropsychology and Epilepsy Research, Medical School OWL, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Christian G Bien
- Deptartment of Epileptology, Krankenhaus Mara, Bethel Epilepsy Center, Medical School OWL, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Johanna Kissler
- Department of Psychology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
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3
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Oblak A, Dragan O, Slana Ozimič A, Kordeš U, Purg N, Bon J, Repovš G. What is it like to do a visuo-spatial working memory task: A qualitative phenomenological study of the visual span task. Conscious Cogn 2024; 118:103628. [PMID: 38232628 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103628] [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: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Working memory is typically measured with specifically designed psychological tasks. When evaluating the validity of working memory tasks, we commonly focus on the reliability of the outcome measurements. Only rarely do we focus on how participants experience these tasks. Accounting for lived experience of working memory task may help us better understand variability in working memory performance and conscious experience in general. We replicated recently established protocols for the phenomenological investigation of working memory using the visual span task. We collected subjective reports from eighteen healthy participants (10 women) aged 21 to 35 years. We observed that working memory can be phenomenologically characterized at three different time scales: background feelings, strategies, and tactics. On the level of tactics, we identified transmodality (i.e., how one modality of lived experience can be transformed into another one) as the central phenomenological dynamic at play during working memory task performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleš Oblak
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychopathology, University Psychiatric Clinic Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Oskar Dragan
- Middle European Interdisciplinary Master's Program in Cognitive Science, Austria
| | - Anka Slana Ozimič
- Department of Psychology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Urban Kordeš
- Center for Cognitive Science, Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Nina Purg
- Department of Psychology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jurij Bon
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychopathology, University Psychiatric Clinic Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Grega Repovš
- Department of Psychology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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4
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Kambara K, Kabir RS, Kira Y, Ogata A, Barnard PJ. Disambiguating the relationship between processing modes and mindfulness in Japan. COGENT PSYCHOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/23311908.2022.2151726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kohei Kambara
- Faculty of Psychology, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Russell S. Kabir
- Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Yugo Kira
- Department of Social and Clinical Psychology, Hijiyama University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Akiko Ogata
- Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Philip J. Barnard
- Honorary Member, MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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5
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Hu Z, Yang J. Effects of memory cue and interest in remembering and forgetting of gist and details. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1244288. [PMID: 38144975 PMCID: PMC10748407 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1244288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The gist and details of an event are both important for us to establish and maintain episodic memory. On the other hand, episodic memory is influenced by both external and internal factors, such as memory cue and intrinsic motivation. To what extent these factors and their interaction modulate memory and forgetting of gist and detailed information remains unclear. In this study, 29 participants watched film clips accompanied by either gist or detailed cues and rated their interest in these clips. Their memories of gist and detailed information were tested after 10 min, 1 day, and 1 week. The results showed that memory cue modulated the forgetting of gist and detailed memories. Specifically, when gist cues were used, gist memory was forgotten more slowly than detailed memory. When detailed cues were used, detailed memory was forgotten more slowly than gist memory. Differently, the subjective interest in the clips enhanced memory accuracy irrespective of memory type but did not influence the forgetting of gist and detailed memories. Moreover, there was a significant interaction between memory cue and interest, showing that gist cues enhanced memory than detailed cues only for low-interest clips. These results suggest that external and internal factors have differential effects on memory and forgetting, and the effectiveness of external factors depends on the state of intrinsic motivation. The significant interplay of different factors in influencing the remembering or forgetting of gist and detailed memories provides potential ways to enhance memory and retention of gist and detailed information.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jiongjiong Yang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
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6
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Khalil R, Agnoli S, Mastria S, Kondinska A, Karim AA, Godde B. Individual differences and creative ideation: neuromodulatory signatures of mindset and response inhibition. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1238165. [PMID: 38125402 PMCID: PMC10731982 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1238165] [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: 06/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
This study addresses the modulatory role of individual mindset in explaining the relationship between response inhibition (RI) and divergent thinking (DT) using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Forty undergraduate students (22 male and 18 female), aged between 18 and 23 years (average age = 19 years, SD = 1.48), were recruited. Participants received either anodal tDCS of the right IFG coupled with cathodal tDCS of the left IFG (R + L-; N = 19) or the opposite coupling (R-L+; N = 21). We tested DT performance using the alternative uses task (AUT), measuring participants' fluency, originality, and flexibility in the response production, as well as participants' mindsets. Furthermore, we applied a go-no-go task to examine the role of RI before and after stimulating the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) using tDCS. The results showed that the mindset levels acted as moderators on stimulation conditions and enhanced RI on AUT fluency and flexibility but not originality. Intriguingly, growth mindsets have opposite moderating effects on the change in DT, resulting from the tDCS stimulation of the left and the right IFG, with reduced fluency but enhanced flexibility. Our findings imply that understanding neural modulatory signatures of ideational processes with tDCS strongly benefits from evaluating cognitive status and control functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radwa Khalil
- School of Business, Social and Decision Sciences, Constructor University, Bremen, Germany
| | - Sergio Agnoli
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
- Marconi Institute for Creativity, Sasso Marconi, Italy
| | - Serena Mastria
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Angela Kondinska
- School of Business, Social and Decision Sciences, Constructor University, Bremen, Germany
| | - Ahmed A. Karim
- School of Business, Social and Decision Sciences, Constructor University, Bremen, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Health Psychology and Neurorehabilitation, SRH Mobile University, Riedlingen, Germany
| | - Ben Godde
- School of Business, Social and Decision Sciences, Constructor University, Bremen, Germany
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7
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Ivancovsky T, Baror S, Bar M. A shared novelty-seeking basis for creativity and curiosity. Behav Brain Sci 2023; 47:e89. [PMID: 37547934 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x23002807] [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] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Curiosity and creativity are central pillars of human growth and invention. Although they have been studied extensively in isolation, the relationship between them has not yet been established. We propose that both curiosity and creativity emanate from the same mechanism of novelty seeking. We first present a synthesis showing that curiosity and creativity are affected similarly by a number of key cognitive faculties such as memory, cognitive control, attention, and reward. We then review empirical evidence from neuroscience research, indicating that the same brain regions are involved in both curiosity and creativity, focusing on the interplay between three major brain networks: the default mode network, the salience network, and the executive control network. After substantiating the link between curiosity and creativity, we propose a novelty-seeking model (NSM) that underlies them and suggests that the manifestation of the NSM is governed by one's state of mind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tal Ivancovsky
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan,
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
| | - Shira Baror
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Moshe Bar
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan,
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8
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Honey CJ, Mahabal A, Bellana B. Psychological Momentum. CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2023; 32:284-292. [PMID: 37786409 PMCID: PMC10545321 DOI: 10.1177/09637214221143053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Our mental experience is largely continuous on the scale of seconds and minutes. However, this continuity does not always arise from a volitional carrying forward of ideas. Instead, recent actions, thoughts, dispositions, and emotions can persist in mind, continually shaping our later experience. Aspects of this fundamental property of human cognition - psychological momentum - have been studied under the rubrics of memory, task set, mood, mind-wandering, and mindset. Reviewing these largely independent threads of research, we argue that psychological momentum is best understood from an integrated perspective, as an adaptation that helps us meet the current demands of our environment and to form lasting memories.
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Roberts C, Sahakian BJ, Chen S, Sallie SN, Walker C, White SR, Weber J, Skandali N, Robbins TW, Murray GK. Impact and centrality of attention dysregulation on cognition, anxiety, and low mood in adolescents. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9106. [PMID: 37277504 PMCID: PMC10241800 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34399-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional impairments in cognition are frequently thought to be a feature of individuals with depression or anxiety. However, documented impairments are both broad and inconsistent, with little known about when they emerge, whether they are causes or effects of affective symptoms, or whether specific cognitive systems are implicated. Here, we show, in the adolescent ABCD cohort (N = 11,876), that attention dysregulation is a robust factor underlying wide-ranging cognitive task impairments seen in adolescents with moderate to severe anxiety or low mood. We stratified individuals high in DSM-oriented depression or anxiety symptomology, and low in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as vice versa - demonstrating that those high in depression or anxiety dimensions but low in ADHD symptoms not only exhibited normal task performance across several commonly studied cognitive paradigms, but out-performed controls in several domains, as well as in those low in both dimensions. Similarly, we showed that there were no associations between psychopathological dimensions and performance on an extensive cognitive battery after controlling for attention dysregulation. Further, corroborating previous research, the co-occurrence of attention dysregulation was associated with a wide range of other adverse outcomes, psychopathological features, and executive functioning (EF) impairments. To assess how attention dysregulation relates to and generates diverse psychopathology, we performed confirmatory and exploratory network analysis with different analytic approaches using Gaussian Graphical Models and Directed Acyclic Graphs to examine interactions between ADHD, anxiety, low mood, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), social relationships, and cognition. Confirmatory centrality analysis indicated that features of attention dysregulation were indeed central and robustly connected to a wide range of psychopathological traits across different categories, scales, and time points. Exploratory network analysis indicated potentially important bridging traits and socioenvironmental influences in the relationships between ADHD symptoms and mood/anxiety disorders. Trait perfectionism was uniquely associated with both better cognitive performance and broad psychopathological dimensions. This work suggests that attentional dysregulation may moderate the breadth of EF, fluid, and crystalized cognitive task outcomes seen in adolescents with anxiety and low mood, and may be central to disparate pathological features, and thus a target for attenuating wide-ranging negative developmental outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clark Roberts
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Barbara J Sahakian
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Shuquan Chen
- Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, Columbia University Teachers College, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Clare Walker
- University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Simon R White
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jochen Weber
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nikolina Skandali
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Graham K Murray
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
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10
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Chesebrough C, Chrysikou EG, Holyoak KJ, Zhang F, Kounios J. Conceptual Change Induced by Analogical Reasoning Sparks Aha Moments. CREATIVITY RESEARCH JOURNAL 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/10400419.2023.2188361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
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11
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Fahoum N, Pick H, Rainer S, Zoabi D, Han S, Shamay‐Tsoory S. The Relationship between Creativity and Attitudes toward Intergroup Conflicts. JOURNAL OF CREATIVE BEHAVIOR 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jocb.576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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12
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Fahoum N, Pick H, Ivancovsky T, Shamay-Tsoory S. Free Your Mind: Creative Thinking Contributes to Overcoming Conflict-Related Biases. Brain Sci 2022; 12:1566. [PMID: 36421890 PMCID: PMC9688209 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12111566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Conflicts between groups are difficult to resolve, partly because humans tend to be biased in judging outgroup members. The aim of the current article is to review findings on the link between creativity and conflict-related biases and to offer a model that views creative cognition as an ability that may contribute to overcoming conflict-related biases. Our proposed model conforms to the twofold model of creativity. According to this model, creativity involves a generation phase and an evaluation phase, and these phases correspond to the neural mechanisms that underlie conflict-related biases. Specifically, we contend that the generation phase of creativity affects conflict-related biases by exerting an influence on stereotypes and prejudice, outgroup-targeted emotions, and ingroup empathy biases, all of which rely on the default mode network. Conversely, the evaluation phase of creativity, which is usually associated with activation in the executive control network and action-observation system, may be related to herding behaviors. Building on the shared mechanisms of creativity and conflicts, we propose that studies examining creativity-based interventions may be effective in promoting reconciliation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nardine Fahoum
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Hadas Pick
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Tal Ivancovsky
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 5290002, Israel
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13
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Naranowicz M. Mood effects on semantic processes: Behavioural and electrophysiological evidence. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1014706. [DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1014706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mood (i.e., our current background affective state) often unobtrusively yet pervasively affects how we think and behave. Typically, theoretical frameworks position it as an embodied source of information (i.e., a biomarker), activating thinking patterns that tune our attention, perception, motivation, and exploration tendencies in a context-dependent manner. Growing behavioural and electrophysiological research has been exploring the mood–language interactions, employing numerous semantics-oriented experimental paradigms (e.g., manipulating semantic associations, congruity, relatedness, etc.) along with mood elicitation techniques (e.g., affectively evocative film clips, music, pictures, etc.). Available behavioural and electrophysiological evidence has suggested that positive and negative moods differently regulate the dynamics of language comprehension, mostly due to the activation of mood-dependent cognitive strategies. Namely, a positive mood has been argued to activate global and heuristics-based processing and a negative mood – local and detail-oriented processing during language comprehension. Future research on mood–language interactions could benefit greatly from (i) a theoretical framework for mood effects on semantic memory, (ii) measuring mood changes multi-dimensionally, (iii) addressing discrepancies in empirical findings, (iv) a replication-oriented approach, and (v) research practices counteracting publication biases.
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14
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Using the theory of constructed emotion to inform the study of cognition-emotion interactions. Psychon Bull Rev 2022; 30:489-497. [PMID: 36085235 PMCID: PMC10104913 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02176-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
In this article I suggest how theories of emotion construction may inform the study of cognition-emotion interactions. To do so, I adopt the two main concepts core affect and emotions as categories: Core affect, one's current affective state, which is defined by the two dimensions pleasure and arousal, is an inherent part of any conscious experience. Specific emotions are understood as categories including highly diverse exemplars. I argue that (1) affective states can and should not be differentiated from cognitive states, and that (2) specific emotions may follow the same principles as other biological or more general categories. I review some empirical evidence in support of these ideas and show avenues for future research.
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15
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How associative thinking influences scene perception. Conscious Cogn 2022; 103:103377. [PMID: 35841841 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103377] [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: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Perception of our external environment is not isolated from the influence of our internal thoughts, and past evidence points to a possible common associative mechanism underlying both the perception of scenes and our internal thought. Here, we investigated the nature of the interaction between an associative mindset and scene perception, hypothesizing a functional advantage to an associative thought pattern in the perception of scenes. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that associative thinking facilitates scene perception, which evolved over the course of the experiments. In contrast to scene perception, Experiment 3 showed that associative thinking hinders the perception of mundane objects, in which associative information is minimized. Nevertheless, object perception was facilitated when associative thinking was reduced. This double dissociation suggests that an associative mind is more receptive of externally perceived associative information, and that a match between the orientation of internal and external processing may be key for perception.
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16
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Oblak A, Slana Ozimič A, Repovš G, Kordeš U. What Individuals Experience During Visuo-Spatial Working Memory Task Performance: An Exploratory Phenomenological Study. Front Psychol 2022; 13:811712. [PMID: 35664146 PMCID: PMC9159378 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.811712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In experimental cognitive psychology, objects of inquiry are typically operationalized with psychological tasks. When interpreting results from such tasks, we focus primarily on behavioral measures such as reaction times and accuracy rather than experiences - i.e., phenomenology - associated with the task, and posit that the tasks elicit the desired cognitive phenomenon. Evaluating whether the tasks indeed elicit the desired phenomenon can be facilitated by understanding the experience during task performance. In this paper we explore the breadth of experiences that are elicited by and accompany task performance using in-depth phenomenological and qualitative methodology to gather subjective reports during the performance of a visuo-spatial change detection task. Thirty-one participants (18 females) were asked to remember either colors, orientations or positions of the presented stimuli and recall them after a short delay. Qualitative reports revealed rich experiential landscapes associated with the task-performance, suggesting a distinction between two broad classes of experience: phenomena at the front of consciousness and background feelings. The former includes cognitive strategies and aspects of metacognition, whereas the latter include more difficult-to-detect aspects of experience that comprise the overall sense of experience (e.g., bodily feelings, emotional atmosphere, mood). We focus primarily on the background feelings, since strategies of task-performance to a large extent map onto previously identified cognitive processes and discuss the methodological implications of our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleš Oblak
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychopathology, University Psychiatric Hospital Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Anka Slana Ozimič
- Mind & Brain Lab, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Grega Repovš
- Mind & Brain Lab, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Urban Kordeš
- Center for Cognitive Science, Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Observatory: Laboratory for Empirical Phenomenology, Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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17
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Hori M, Yoshikawa E, Hayama D, Sakamoto S, Okada T, Sakai Y, Fujiwara H, Takayanagi K, Murakami K, Ohnishi J. Sense of Coherence as a Mediator in the Association Between Empathy and Moods in Healthcare Professionals: The Moderating Effect of Age. Front Psychol 2022; 13:847381. [PMID: 35548503 PMCID: PMC9083206 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.847381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
While empathy is considered a critical determinant of the quality of medical care, growing evidence suggests it may be associated with both one’s own positive and negative moods among healthcare professionals. Meanwhile, sense of coherence (SOC) plays an essential role in the improvement of both psychological and physical health. Reportedly, individual SOC reaches full stability after around age 30. The aim of this study was first to evaluate the mediatory role of SOC on the association between empathy and individual moods among 114 healthcare professionals in a general hospital, and then to examine the moderating effect of age on this association. Participants completed a range of self-report demographic questionnaires, Empathy Process Scale (EPS), the 13-item Antonovsky’s SOC, and Profile of Mood States (POMS). Findings showed that SOC mediated the relations between empathy (EPS) and both POMS-Vigor (POMS-V: self-vigor mood) and POMS-Depression (POMS-D: self-depression mood). Notably, moderated mediation analysis revealed that there was a significant interaction (age × SOC) on self-vigor mood (POMS-V) in healthcare professionals. The indirect effect of empathy (EPS) on self-vigor mood (POMS-V) through SOC was significant at over mean age “32.83.” Although there was no significant interaction with age regarding the indirect effect of empathy (EPS) on self-depression mood (POMS-D), in the sub-category level analysis of empathy (EPS), we found a significant interaction item [age × empathy for other’s negative affect (EPS-N)] on SOC. This indirect effect was also significant at over mean age “32.83.” Taken, together, the current study highlighted the significant mediator of SOC on that empathy amplifies self-vigor mood and attenuates self-depression mood as a protective factor among the Japanese healthcare professionals. Some components of these processes may depend on the moderating role of age, indicating that we may need to consider the SOC development with age for more effective empathy performance interventions among healthcare professionals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miyo Hori
- Foundation for Advancement of International Science, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Eisho Yoshikawa
- Department of Medical Psychology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Neuropsychology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Daichi Hayama
- Faculty of Commerce, Chuo Gakuin University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Shigeko Sakamoto
- Foundation for Advancement of International Science, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Tsuneo Okada
- Department of Rehabilitaion, Tsuchiura Kyodo General Hospital, Tsuchiura, Japan
| | - Yoshinori Sakai
- Department of Gastroenterology, Tsuchiura Kyodo General Hospital, Tsuchiura, Japan
| | | | | | - Kazuo Murakami
- Foundation for Advancement of International Science, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Junji Ohnishi
- Foundation for Advancement of International Science, Tsukuba, Japan.,Department of Food and Nutrition, Tokyo Kasei University, Tokyo, Japan
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18
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Baror S, Bar M. Increased associative interference under high cognitive load. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1766. [PMID: 35110622 PMCID: PMC8811063 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05722-w] [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] [Received: 08/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Associative processing is central for human cognition, perception and memory. But while associations often facilitate performance, processing irrelevant associations can interfere with performance, for example when learning new information. The aim of this study was to explore whether associative interference is influenced by contextual factors such as resources availability. Experiments 1–3 show that associative interference increases under high cognitive load. This result generalized to both long-term and short-term memory associations, and to both explicitly learned as well as incidentally learned associations in the linguistic and pictorial domains. Experiment 4 further revealed that attention to associative information can delay one’s perceptual processing when lacking resources. Taken together, when resources diminish associative interference increases, and additionally, processing novel and ambiguous information is hindered. These findings bare relevance to other domains as well (e.g., social, educational), in which increased load or stress may prompt an undesirable bias towards prior, misleading information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shira Baror
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, 5290002, Ramat Gan, Israel. .,Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
| | - Moshe Bar
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, 5290002, Ramat Gan, Israel
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19
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Abstract
During natural vision, our brains are constantly exposed to complex, but regularly structured environments. Real-world scenes are defined by typical part-whole relationships, where the meaning of the whole scene emerges from configurations of localized information present in individual parts of the scene. Such typical part-whole relationships suggest that information from individual scene parts is not processed independently, but that there are mutual influences between the parts and the whole during scene analysis. Here, we review recent research that used a straightforward, but effective approach to study such mutual influences: By dissecting scenes into multiple arbitrary pieces, these studies provide new insights into how the processing of whole scenes is shaped by their constituent parts and, conversely, how the processing of individual parts is determined by their role within the whole scene. We highlight three facets of this research: First, we discuss studies demonstrating that the spatial configuration of multiple scene parts has a profound impact on the neural processing of the whole scene. Second, we review work showing that cortical responses to individual scene parts are shaped by the context in which these parts typically appear within the environment. Third, we discuss studies demonstrating that missing scene parts are interpolated from the surrounding scene context. Bridging these findings, we argue that efficient scene processing relies on an active use of the scene's part-whole structure, where the visual brain matches scene inputs with internal models of what the world should look like.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Kaiser
- Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Germany.,Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany.,University of York, United Kingdom
| | - Radoslaw M Cichy
- Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.,Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany.,Bernstein Centre for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Germany
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20
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Turk E, Čelik T, Smrdu M, Šet J, Kuder A, Gregorič M, Kralj-Fišer S. Adherence to COVID-19 mitigation measures: The role of sociodemographic and personality factors. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 42:7771-7787. [PMID: 34334989 PMCID: PMC8310408 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-021-02051-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The current COVID-19 pandemic caught the decision makers in many countries sub-optimally prepared to respond. To better cope with similar situations in the future, it is vital to understand the major predictors of health-beneficial behavior and adherence to imposed mitigation measures and guidelines. To tailor the promotion of government-imposed measures, it is important to understand how the sociodemographic background combined with personality traits affect the perception and responsiveness of people. We investigated the perception and adherence to mitigation measures during the pandemic by examining their trends across several sociodemographic categories and personality dimensions. The strongest predictors of confidence in the preventive measures and their implementation were the participants' concern of infection and concern of infecting their loved ones, followed by gender and age. Education, settlement size, field and type of employment, household type, own medical problems, and the age and health of the participants' loved ones had a smaller influence on the perceived guidelines importance and implementation. Adherence to measures was positively related to the participants' score in conscientiousness and, in lesser extent, openness. Agreeableness, energy, and emotional stability correlated positively with adherence to basic guidelines. Study provides information useful for developing and adapting future public health policies and interventions. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-021-02051-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Turk
- Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Jovan Hadži Institute of Biology, ZRC SAZU, Novi trg 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tatjana Čelik
- Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Jovan Hadži Institute of Biology, ZRC SAZU, Novi trg 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maja Smrdu
- Department of Psychology, The Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia
| | - Janko Šet
- Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Jovan Hadži Institute of Biology, ZRC SAZU, Novi trg 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ana Kuder
- Department of Psychology, The Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia
| | - Matjaž Gregorič
- Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Jovan Hadži Institute of Biology, ZRC SAZU, Novi trg 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Simona Kralj-Fišer
- Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Jovan Hadži Institute of Biology, ZRC SAZU, Novi trg 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Department of Psychology, The Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia
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21
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Abstract
The involvement of top-down processes in perception and cognition is widely acknowledged by now. In fields of research from predictions to inhibition, and from attentional guidance to affect, a great deal has already been charted. Integrating this newer understanding with accumulated findings from the past has made it clear that human experience is determined by a combination of both bottom-up and top-down processes. It has been proposed that the ongoing balance between their relative contribution affects a person’s entire state of mind, an overarching framework that encompasses the breadth of mental activity. According to this proposal, state of mind, in which multiple facets of mind are clumped together functionally and dynamically, orients us to the optimal state for the given circumstances. These ideas are examined here by connecting a broad array of domains in which the balance between top-down and bottom-up processes is apparent. These domains range from object recognition to contextual associations, from pattern of thought to tolerance for uncertainty, and from the default-mode network to mood. From this synthesis emerge numerous hypotheses, implications, and directions for future research in cognitive psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moshe Bar
- Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University
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22
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Kissler J, Bromberek-Dyzman K. Mood Induction Differently Affects Early Neural Correlates of Evaluative Word Processing in L1 and L2. Front Psychol 2021; 11:588902. [PMID: 33510673 PMCID: PMC7835133 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.588902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigate how mood inductions impact the neural processing of emotional adjectives in one's first language (L1) and a formally acquired second language (L2). Twenty-three student participants took part in an EEG experiment with two separate sessions. Happy or sad mood inductions were followed by series of individually presented positive, negative, or neutral adjectives in L1 (German) or L2 (English) and evaluative decisions had to be performed. Visual event-related potentials elicited during word processing were analyzed during N1 (125-200 ms), Early Posterior Negativities (EPN, 200-300 ms and 300-400 ms), N400 (350-450 ms), and the Late Positive Potential (LPP, 500-700 ms). Mood induction differentially impacted word processing already on the N1, with stronger left lateralization following happy than sad mood induction in L1, but not in L2. Moreover, regardless of language, early valence modulation was found following happy but not sad mood induction. Over occipital areas, happy mood elicited larger amplitudes of the mood-congruent positive words, whereas over temporal areas mood-incongruent negative words had higher amplitudes. In the EPN-windows, effects of mood and valence largely persisted, albeit with no difference between L1 and L2. N400 amplitude was larger for L2 than for L1. On the LPP, mood-incongruent adjectives elicited larger amplitudes than mood-congruent ones. Results reveal a remarkably early valence-general effect of mood induction on cortical processing, in line with previous reports of N1 as a first marker of contextual integration. Interestingly, this effect differed between L1 and L2. Moreover, mood-congruent effects were found in perceptual processing and mood-incongruent ERP amplification in higher-order evaluative stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Kissler
- Department of Psychology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
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23
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Arslanova I, Wang K, Gomi H, Haggard P. Somatosensory evoked potentials that index lateral inhibition are modulated according to the mode of perceptual processing: comparing or combining multi-digit tactile motion. Cogn Neurosci 2020; 13:47-59. [PMID: 33307992 DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2020.1839403] [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: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Many perceptual studies focus on the brain's capacity to discriminate between stimuli. However, our normal experience of the world also involves integrating multiple stimuli into a single perceptual event. Neural mechanisms such as lateral inhibition are believed to enhance local differences between sensory inputs from nearby regions of the receptor surface. However, this mechanism would seem dysfunctional when sensory inputs need to be combined rather than contrasted. Here, we investigated whether the brain can strategically regulate the strength of suppressive interactions that underlie lateral inhibition between finger representations in human somatosensory processing. To do this, we compared sensory processing between conditions that required either comparing or combining information. We delivered two simultaneous tactile motion trajectories to index and middle fingertips of the right hand. Participants had to either compare the directions of the two stimuli, or to combine them to form their average direction. To reveal preparatory tuning of somatosensory cortex, we used an established event-related potential design to measure the interaction between cortical representations evoked by digital nerve shocks immediately before each tactile stimulus. Consistent with previous studies, we found a clear suppression between cortical activations when participants were instructed to compare the tactile motion directions. Importantly, this suppression was significantly reduced when participants had to combine the same stimuli. These findings suggest that the brain can strategically switch between a comparative and a combinative mode of somatosensory processing, according to the perceptual goal, by preparatorily adjusting the strength of a process akin to lateral inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irena Arslanova
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Keying Wang
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Hiroaki Gomi
- NTT Communication Science Laboratories, NTT Corporation, Atsugishi, Japan
| | - Patrick Haggard
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
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24
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Psychological mechanisms and functions of 5-HT and SSRIs in potential therapeutic change: Lessons from the serotonergic modulation of action selection, learning, affect, and social cognition. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 119:138-167. [PMID: 32931805 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Uncertainty regarding which psychological mechanisms are fundamental in mediating SSRI treatment outcomes and wide-ranging variability in their efficacy has raised more questions than it has solved. Since subjective mood states are an abstract scientific construct, only available through self-report in humans, and likely involving input from multiple top-down and bottom-up signals, it has been difficult to model at what level SSRIs interact with this process. Converging translational evidence indicates a role for serotonin in modulating context-dependent parameters of action selection, affect, and social cognition; and concurrently supporting learning mechanisms, which promote adaptability and behavioural flexibility. We examine the theoretical basis, ecological validity, and interaction of these constructs and how they may or may not exert a clinical benefit. Specifically, we bridge crucial gaps between disparate lines of research, particularly findings from animal models and human clinical trials, which often seem to present irreconcilable differences. In determining how SSRIs exert their effects, our approach examines the endogenous functions of 5-HT neurons, how 5-HT manipulations affect behaviour in different contexts, and how their therapeutic effects may be exerted in humans - which may illuminate issues of translational models, hierarchical mechanisms, idiographic variables, and social cognition.
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25
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Bar M. Wanted: Architecture for changing minds: A comment on "The growth of cognition: Free energy minimization and the embryogenesis of cortical computation". Phys Life Rev 2020; 36:35-36. [PMID: 32883602 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2020.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Moshe Bar
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
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