scholarly journals Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis

10.3791/3237 ◽  
2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph DeSouza ◽  
Shima Ovaysikia ◽  
Laura Pynn
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Task Analysis ◽  
Behavioral Responses

Elaborating the role of reflection and individual differences in the study of folk-economic beliefs

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Arceneaux
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
History Of ◽  
Economic Beliefs

AbstractIntuitions guide decision-making, and looking to the evolutionary history of humans illuminates why some behavioral responses are more intuitive than others. Yet a place remains for cognitive processes to second-guess intuitive responses – that is, to be reflective – and individual differences abound in automatic, intuitive processing as well.

A Supplantation Model for Instructional Design: Investigation of a Behavioural Science Approach

1978 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynna J. Ausburn ◽  
Floyd B. Ausburn
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Design ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Task Analysis ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Performance Outcomes ◽  
Behavioural Science ◽  
Learning Tasks ◽  
Task Requirements ◽  
Treatment Interaction ◽  
Aptitude Treatment Interaction

Drawing on concepts from such areas as information processing and cognitive processes in learning, learning task analysis, and interactive research techniques, this paper discusses a model for instructional design which is intended to improve the reliability and predictability of the design process. The model stresses interactions among specific combinations of learning task requirements, learner characteristics, and instructional treatment properties, in a manner analogous to the well-known aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) model. The process underlying the model is “supplantation”, which is the provision of overt assistance to learners in performing a specific process required by a task. The supplantation model for instructional design is presented as an instrument for helping to produce predictable performance outcomes through the analysis of learners and learning tasks, and the joining of learners and tasks through the use of instructional treatments which assist learners in performing task requirements.

Acupuncture – Self-Appraisal and the Reward System

2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 87-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Lundeberg ◽  
Iréne Lund ◽  
Jan Näslund
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Acupuncture Treatment ◽  
Reward System ◽  
Patellofemoral Pain ◽  
Explanatory Models ◽  
Limbic Structures ◽  
Ventral Medial Prefrontal Cortex

Acupuncture is an ancient therapy with a variety of different explanatory models. A cascade of physiological effects has been reported, both in the peripheral and the central nervous system, following the insertion of a needle or light tapping of the skin. Clinical trials testing the specific claims of acupuncture have generally tried to focus on testing the efficacy of applying specific techniques and/or specified points. However, different conditions may respond differently to different modes of stimulation. Recently, it was demonstrated that both superficial and deep needling (with de qi/Hibiki) resulted in amelioration of patellofemoral pain and unpleasantness. The pleasurable aspect of the acupuncture experience has largely been ignored as it has been considered secondary to its pain alleviating effects. This aspect of acupuncture treatment is likely to be related to activation of self-appraisal and the reward system. When a patient seeks a therapist there are expectations of a specific effect. These expectations are partly based on self-relevant phenomena and self-referentia introspection and constitute the preference. Also, when asked about the effect of the treatment, processes that orientate pre-attentive anticipatory or mnemonic information and processes that mediate self-reflection and recollection are integrated together with sensory detection to enable a decision about the patient's perception of the effect of acupuncture treatment. These ‘self-appraisal’ processes are dependent on two integrated networks: a ventral medial prefrontal cortex paralimbic limbic ‘affective’ pathway and a dorsal medial prefrontal cortex cortical hippocampal ‘cognitive’ pathway. The limbic structures are implicated in the reward system and play a key role in most diseases and illness responses including chronic pain and depression, regulating mood and neuromodulatory responses (eg sensory, autonomic, and endocrine). The pleasurable and neuromodulatory aspects of acupuncture as well as ‘placebo needling’ may partly be explained by the activation or deactivation of limbic structures including the hippocampus, amygdala, and their connections with the hypothalamus. In patients with patellofemoral pain, the effects of superficial and deep needling remained for six months. These long term pain-alleviating effects have been attributed to activation of pain inhibiting systems in cortical and subcortical pathways. When considering long term effects the cortical cerebellar system needs to be taken into account. The cortical cerebellar system is probably central to the development of neural models that learn and eventually stimulate routinely executed (eg motor skills) and long term (eg pain alleviation) cognitive processes. These higher order cognitive processes are initially mediated in prefrontal cortical loci but later shift control iteratively to internal cerebellar representations of these processes. Possibly part of the long term healing effects of acupuncture may be attributed to changes in the cerebellar system thereby sparing processing load in cortical and subcortical areas. As cortical and subcortical structures are activated and/or de-activated following stimulation of receptors in the skin, disregarding site, ‘placebo or sham needling’ does not exist and conclusions drawn on the basis that it is an inert control are invalid. ‘Self’ may be seen as a shifting illusion, ceaselessly constructed and deconstructed, and the effect of acupuncture may reflect its status (as well as that of the therapist).

Physical activity as a protective factor for successful aging

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (87) ◽  
pp. 47-52
Author(s):  
Andrzej Jopkiewicz ◽  
Monika Królicka–Czerniak ◽  
Anita Zaręba
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Protective Role ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
The Brain

To divide the types of aging (successful, usual and impaired), as well as factors affecting this process, the protective role of physical activity was discussed in the literature. It was emphasized that physical activity is also a very important protective factor for cognitive aging - mainly executive function and memory. The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, i.e. the regions of the brain responsible for the control and course of cognitive processes, show susceptibility to stimulation, which is movement exercises, which are prevention of degenerative changes within the brain.

The use of neurocognitive methods in assessing health communication messages: A systematic review

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 1534-1551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherrie-Anne Kaye ◽  
Melanie J White ◽  
Ioni Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Health Messages ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Comprehensive Understanding ◽  
Message Effectiveness ◽  
Neurocognitive Measures ◽  
Additional Variance

We review 20 studies that examined persuasive processing and outcomes of health messages using neurocognitive measures. The results suggest that cognitive processes and neural activity in regions thought to reflect self-related processing may be more prominent in the persuasive process of self-relevant messages. Furthermore, activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, the superior temporal gyrus and the middle frontal gyrus were identified as predictors of message effectiveness, with the medial prefrontal cortex accounting for additional variance in behaviour change beyond that accounted for by self-report measures. Incorporating neurocognitive measures may provide a more comprehensive understanding of the processing and outcomes of health messages.

A Comparison of Abstract Rules in the Prefrontal Cortex, Premotor Cortex, Inferior Temporal Cortex, and Striatum

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 974-989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahmat Muhammad ◽  
Jonathan D. Wallis ◽  
Earl K. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Dorsal Striatum ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Inferior Temporal Cortex ◽  
Perceptual Information ◽  
Lateral Prefrontal Cortex

The ability to use abstract rules or principles allows behavior to generalize from specific circumstances. We have previously shown that such rules are encoded in the lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and premotor cortex (PMC). Here, we extend these investigations to two other areas directly connected with the PFC and the PMC, the inferior temporal cortex (ITC) and the dorsal striatum (STR). Monkeys were trained to use two abstract rules: “same” or “different”. They had to either hold or release a lever, depending on whether two successively presented pictures were the same or different, and depending on which rule was in effect. The rules and the behavioral responses were reflected most strongly and, on average, tended to be earlier in the PMC followed by the PFC and then the STR; few neurons in the ITC reflected the rules or the actions. By contrast, perceptual information (the identity of the pictures used as sample and test stimuli) was encoded more strongly and earlier in the ITC, followed by the PFC; they had weak, if any, effects on neural activity in the PMC and STR. These findings are discussed in the context of the anatomy and posited functions of these areas.

Estimating Cognitive Complexity and the Need for Cognitive Task Analysis

1994 ◽  
Vol 38 (16) ◽  
pp. 1023-1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. DeVries ◽  
Sallie E. Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Task Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Cognitive Task Analysis ◽  
Types Of Knowledge ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Multiple Domains ◽  
Specific Project

Because an increasing number of systems are being developed to support complex cognitive functioning, task analysis is commonly being augmented with cognitive task analysis, which identifies cognitive processes, knowledge, and mental models relevant to task performance. Cognitive task analysis tends to be lengthy and time-consuming, so designers frequently ask how they might know if it is actually necessary for a specific project. In this paper, we assume that much of the need for cognitive task analysis depends on the inherent “cognitive complexity” of the task. We present a model of cognitive complexity, and show how it was used to develop a computer-based tool for estimating relative cognitive complexity for a set of tasks. The tool, Cog-C, elicits task and subtask hierarchies, then guides the user in making relatively simple estimates on a number of scales. The tool calculates and displays the relative cognitive complexity scores for each task, along with subscores of cognitive complexity for different types of knowledge. Usability and reliability were evaluated in multiple domains, showing that the tool is relatively easy to use, reliable, and well-accepted.

scholarly journals The Endocannabinoid System Contributes to Electroacupuncture Analgesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iona J. MacDonald ◽  
Yi-Hung Chen
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Cannabinoid Receptors ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Antinociceptive Effect ◽  
Synthetic Cannabinoids ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Endocannabinoid System ◽  
Extensive Involvement ◽  
Effective Analgesia

The extensive involvement of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in vital physiological and cognitive processes of the human body has inspired many investigations into the role of the ECS and drugs, and therapies that target this system and its receptors. Activation of cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2 (CB1 and CB2) by cannabinoid treatments, including synthetic cannabinoids, alleviates behavioral responses to inflammatory and neuropathic pain. An increasing body of scientific evidence details how electroacupuncture (EA) treatments achieve effective analgesia and reduce inflammation by modulating cannabinoid signaling, without the adverse effects resulting from synthetic cannabinoid administration. CB1 receptors in the ventrolateral area of the periaqueductal gray are critically important for the mechanisms of the EA antinociceptive effect, while peripheral CB2 receptors are related to the anti-inflammatory effects of EA. This review explores the evidence detailing the endocannabinoid mechanisms involved in EA antinociception.

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