Adaptation and Evolution in a Gravitational Environment — A Theoretical Framework for the Limited Re-Generative Post- Natal Time Window of the Heart in Higher Vertebrates

Mind wandering as data augmentation: How mental travel supports abstraction

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x1900311x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 ◽

Author(s):

Myrthe Faber

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Data Augmentation ◽

Mental Content ◽

Mind Wandering ◽

Theoretical Framework ◽

Important Addition

Abstract Gilead et al. state that abstraction supports mental travel, and that mental travel critically relies on abstraction. I propose an important addition to this theoretical framework, namely that mental travel might also support abstraction. Specifically, I argue that spontaneous mental travel (mind wandering), much like data augmentation in machine learning, provides variability in mental content and context necessary for abstraction.

Download Full-text

Feel Thine Own Self – Mood Congruency Evaluation of Emotional State Adjectives

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027/0269-8803/a000272 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-17

Author(s):

Szczepan J. Grzybowski ◽

Miroslaw Wyczesany ◽

Jan Kaiser

Keyword(s):

Mood Induction ◽

Semantic Analysis ◽

Emotional State ◽

Time Window ◽

Event Related Potential ◽

Negativity Bias ◽

Positive Potential ◽

Semantic Access ◽

Current Mood ◽

Component Time

Abstract. The goal of the study was to explore event-related potential (ERP) differences during the processing of emotional adjectives that were evaluated as congruent or incongruent with the current mood. We hypothesized that the first effects of congruence evaluation would be evidenced during the earliest stages of semantic analysis. Sixty mood adjectives were presented separately for 1,000 ms each during two sessions of mood induction. After each presentation, participants evaluated to what extent the word described their mood. The results pointed to incongruence marking of adjective’s meaning with current mood during early attention orientation and semantic access stages (the P150 component time window). This was followed by enhanced processing of congruent words at later stages. As a secondary goal the study also explored word valence effects and their relation to congruence evaluation. In this regard, no significant effects were observed on the ERPs; however, a negativity bias (enhanced responses to negative adjectives) was noted on the behavioral data (RTs), which could correspond to the small differences traced on the late positive potential.

Download Full-text

Adaptive and Maladaptive Neural Plasticity Due to Facial Nerve Palsy

Zeitschrift für Psychologie ◽

10.1027/2151-2604/a000244 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 224 (2) ◽

pp. 102-111 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Carsten M. Klingner ◽

Stefan Brodoehl ◽

Gerd F. Volk ◽

Orlando Guntinas-Lichius ◽

Otto W. Witte

Keyword(s):

Facial Nerve ◽

Neural Plasticity ◽

Cortical Plasticity ◽

Brain Plasticity ◽

Motor Nerve ◽

Predictive Coding ◽

Theoretical Framework ◽

Cortical Reorganization ◽

Nerve Lesion ◽

Peripheral Facial Palsy

Abstract. This paper reviews adaptive and maladaptive mechanisms of cortical plasticity in patients suffering from peripheral facial palsy. As the peripheral facial nerve is a pure motor nerve, a facial nerve lesion is causing an exclusive deefferentation without deafferentation. We focus on the question of how the investigation of pure deefferentation adds to our current understanding of brain plasticity which derives from studies on learning and studies on brain lesions. The importance of efference and afference as drivers for cortical plasticity is discussed in addition to the crossmodal influence of different competitive sensory inputs. We make the attempt to integrate the experimental findings of the effects of pure deefferentation within the theoretical framework of cortical responses and predictive coding. We show that the available experimental data can be explained within this theoretical framework which also clarifies the necessity for maladaptive plasticity. Finally, we propose rehabilitation approaches for directing cortical reorganization in the appropriate direction and highlight some challenging questions that are yet unexplored in the field.

Download Full-text

Time Window from Visual Images to Visual Short-Term Memory: Consolidation or Integration?

Experimental Psychology (formerly Zeitschrift für Experimentelle Psychologie) ◽

10.1027/1618-3169.51.1.45 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 51 (1) ◽

pp. 45-51 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Yuhong Jiang

Keyword(s):

Short Term Memory ◽

Time Window ◽

Short Interval ◽

Visual Images ◽

Short Term ◽

Temporal Window ◽

Term Memory ◽

Visual Short Term Memory ◽

Probe Task ◽

Long Time

Abstract. When two dot arrays are briefly presented, separated by a short interval of time, visual short-term memory of the first array is disrupted if the interval between arrays is shorter than 1300-1500 ms ( Brockmole, Wang, & Irwin, 2002 ). Here we investigated whether such a time window was triggered by the necessity to integrate arrays. Using a probe task we removed the need for integration but retained the requirement to represent the images. We found that a long time window was needed for performance to reach asymptote even when integration across images was not required. Furthermore, such window was lengthened if subjects had to remember the locations of the second array, but not if they only conducted a visual search among it. We suggest that a temporal window is required for consolidation of the first array, which is vulnerable to disruption by subsequent images that also need to be memorized.

Download Full-text