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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Cognition'
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Hogervorst, Eva. "Age-related cognitive decline and cognition enhancers." Maastricht : Maastricht : Neuropsych Publishers ; University Library, Maastricht University [Host], 1998. http://arno.unimaas.nl/show.cgi?fid=6058.
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Cattinelli, I. "INVESTIGATIONS ON COGNITIVE COMPUTATION AND COMPUTATIONAL COGNITION." Doctoral thesis, Università degli Studi di Milano, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2434/155482.
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This Thesis describes our work at the boundary between Computer Science and Cognitive (Neuro)Science. In particular, (1) we have worked on methodological improvements to clustering-based meta-analysis of neuroimaging data, which is a technique that allows to collectively assess, in a quantitative way, activation peaks from several functional imaging studies, in order to extract the most robust results in the cognitive domain of interest. Hierarchical clustering is often used in this context, yet it is prone to the problem of non-uniqueness of the solution: a different permutation of the same input data might result in a different clustering result. In this Thesis, we propose a new version of hierarchical clustering that solves this problem. We also show the results of a meta-analysis, carried out using this algorithm, aimed at identifying specific cerebral circuits involved in single word reading. Moreover, (2) we describe preliminary work on a new connectionist model of single word reading, named the two-component model because it postulates a cascaded information flow from a more cognitive component that computes a distributed internal representation for the input word, to an articulatory component that translates this code into the corresponding sequence of phonemes. Output production is started when the internal code, which evolves in time, reaches a sufficient degree of clarity; this mechanism has been advanced as a possible explanation for behavioral effects consistently reported in the literature on reading, with a specific focus on the so called serial effects. This model is here discussed in its strength and weaknesses. Finally, (3) we have turned to consider how features that are typical of human cognition can inform the design of improved artificial agents; here, we have focused on modelling concepts inspired by emotion theory. A model of emotional interaction between artificial agents, based on probabilistic finite state automata, is presented: in this model, agents have personalities and attitudes that can change through the course of interaction (e.g. by reinforcement learning) to achieve autonomous adaptation to the interaction partner. Markov chain properties are then applied to derive reliable predictions of the outcome of an interaction. Taken together, these works show how the interplay between Cognitive Science and Computer Science can be fruitful, both for advancing our knowledge of the human brain and for designing more and more intelligent artificial systems.
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Fox, Nathan Josephe. "Cognitive architecture and the function of human cognition." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/25027.
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A number of models of cognitive architecture have been advanced with the intention of providing some sense of the psychological processes that subserve a range of behaviours. For instance, Sober & Wilson (1998), C. Daniel Batson (1988) and Robert Frank (1988 and 1990) attempt to account for contrasting (if not contradictory) behaviours respectively, hedonistic and altruistic behaviour, self-oriented behaviour and other-oriented behaviour marked by empathetic reactions, and behaviour that reflects rational self-interest in material incentives and behaviour that tends to produce long-term benefits in social interactions. However, the approaches that I have examined encounter difficulties. One difficulty in basing psychological models on empirical data is that the mental states that precede and accompany motivations may be ambiguous or obscure. Those states may be composite states consisting of components that are inextricably linked. For instance, it is not clear whether an altruistic act has some desire for pleasure lurking in the shadows. In Sober & Wilsons approach, cognitive structure is predicted largely on the basis of general factors in the natural selection of cognitive devices, e.g., their availability for selection, energetic efficiency, and reliability. However, the particular factors that play a role in the aetiology of traits depend upon the function that those traits evolved to perform. For instance, while the reliability of a physical system component may certainly be an important general factor in natural selection, it may be a detriment for a device that has as a particular biological function the production of phenotypic flexibility. To avoid the problems that I identified in these approaches, I derived a model of cognitive architecture that is intended to predict motivations and actions that are consistent with aspects of evolutionary theory about the function of cognition. The theory upon which I depended is advanced in Peter Godfrey-Smiths book Complexity and the Function of Mind if Nature. He proposes that there is a single overarching adaptive function for the mind: to subserve adaptive plasticity. Accordingly, my model suggests a general pattern in the sequencing of human mental states that would tend to maximize behavioural flexibility as a means of maximizing inclusive fitness.<br>Graduate
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Greenlee, Christopher Alan. "Situated Cognition, Dynamicism, and Explanation in Cognitive Science." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/46501.
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The majority of cognitive scientists today view the mind as a computer, instantiating some function mapping the inputs it gets from the environment to the gross behaviors of the organism. As a result, the emphasis in most ongoing research programmes is on finding that function, or some part of that function. Moreover, the types of functions considered are limited somewhat by the preconception that the mind must be instantiating a function that can be expressed as a computer program.
I argue that research done in the last two decades suggests that we should approach cognition with as much consideration to the environment as to the inner workings of the mind. Our cognition is often shaped by the constraints the environment places on us, not just by the "inputs" we receive from it. I argue also that there is a new approach to cognitive science, viewing the mind not as a computer but as a dynamical system, which captures the shift in perspective while eliminating the requirement that cognitive functions be expressable as computer programs.
Unfortunately, some advocates of this dynamical perspective have argued that we should replace all of traditional psychology and neuroscience with their new approach. In response to these advocates, I argue that we cannot develop an adequate dynamical picture of the mind without engaging in precisely those sorts of research and hypothesizing that traditional neuroscience and psychology engage in. In short, I argue that we require certain types of explanations in order to get our dynamical (or computational) theories off the ground, and we cannot get those from other dynamical (or computational) theories.<br>Master of Arts
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Holder, Barbara E. "Cognition in flight : understanding cockpits as cognitive systems /." Diss., Connect to a 24 p. preview or request complete full text in PDF format. Access restricted to UC campuses, 1999. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/ucsd/fullcit?p9945784.
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Schultheis, Holger. "Computational cognitive modeling of control in spatial cognition." Lengerich Berlin Bremen Miami, Fla. Riga Viernheim Wien Zagreb Pabst Science Publ, 2009. http://d-nb.info/998029661/04.
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Pinkston, Sophie Wardle. "Insomnia and Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2019. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1505168/.
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Daytime cognitive performance and sleep/wake cycles are strongly interrelated, and cognitive dysfunction has been extensively investigated in relation to insomnia. However, methods and outcomes vary widely by study, making comparison difficult without more systematic evaluation. Review of the literature reveals discrepant findings for the relationship between both subjective and objective measures of cognitive performance and insomnia. The current meta-analysis included 42 studies investigating the relationship between insomnia and cognitive performance. Results confirmed the discrepant nature of previous findings and suggest that type of cognitive performance (e.g., simple attention, procedural memory, verbal functions) is important to consider when discussing the impact of insomnia. Mixed-effect meta-analysis of aggregate effect sizes suggest impairments in working memory, complex attention, and episodic memory are significantly associated with insomnia. Analysis of the grouped subjective cognitive performance effect size revealed no significant impact of insomnia. Average age and gender makeup of the sample, study quality, and type of insomnia measure (i.e., clinical or diagnostic criteria, validated scale, or single unvalidated item) did not consistently moderate findings. These results confirm the equivocal nature of the relationship between insomnia and cognitive performance. Overall, about 44% of the studies included in the analysis failed to use DSM or ICSD criteria when categorizing insomnia. Additionally, the cognitive measures used varied widely and certain measures may not be sensitive enough to detect the degree of cognitive deficit that may be present for individuals with insomnia. This indicates a need for the standardization of methods used when assessing both insomnia and cognitive performance to elucidate these relationships.
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Marcellin, Catherine. "Un système cognitif polymorphe enculturé. Langues, langages et cognition." Thesis, La Réunion, 2012. http://www.theses.fr/2012LARE0033/document.
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Cette recherche porte sur l’étude des spécificités liées à l’apprentissage, dans un contexte interculturel. Elle se situe à l’intersection des réflexions menées sur les champs conceptuels traitant du lexique mental de l’adolescent et de l’existence de deux grandes orientations cognitives, en liaison avec la culture locale et la culture scolaire en lycée professionnel à La Réunion. Le contexte de cette étude réside dans le constat que les apprenants activeraient préférentiellement un certain type de logique selon les contextes d’enculturation. Il existe deux systèmes de développement parallèles. L’un conditionne l’autre en fonction de sa localisation. Ainsi, il y aurait une relation entre les codes linguistiques utilisés et les performances scolaires. Deux groupes d’adolescents, scolarisés dans un lycée professionnel au Nord de l’île acceptent de se soumettre aux tests. Ce panel de données est en nombre suffisant pour décrire et observer le comportement et les relations existantes au sein de notre population. Un certain nombre d’épreuves proviennent des évaluations de l’Éducation Nationale (ce2) et (6e). Pour compléter notre étude, nous comparons celles-ci avec les épreuves de Jean Piaget et des épreuves du Binet-Simon. Les résultats montrent des différences interculturelles. Ils suggèrent une perte des performances d’environ 40 % entre le niveau ce2 et l’entrée en 6e. Moins de 1 élève sur 2 réussit les épreuves de fin de primaire. Les épreuves tirées des différentes théories (Jean Piaget et Binet-Simon) sont significatives et indiquent un âge cognitif de 9-10 ans concernant la population étudiée<br>This research work is about the specific characteristics linked to learning in a multicultural context. It takes place at the crossroads between reflections on the conceptual fields dealing with the teenagers’ mental lexis and the two great existing cognitive orientations, in relation with local culture in vocational schools in Reunion Island. The context of this study lies in observing that learners might preferentially activate a certain kind of logic: whether it be an abstract logic or a natural logic depending on the contexts of integration. There exist two systems of development, which are parallel. One conditions the other according to its localization. Thus, there might be a relation between the linguistic codes used on the island and the learners’ performances at school. Two groups of teenagers attending the same vocational school in the island agreed to submit themselves to a battery of tests. This sample of data stands as numerically sufficient to describe and observe behavior and existing relations inside our population. Concerning of tests, were taken in the assessment-diagnosis implemented by the French Ministry of Education – their levels are: entering the consolidation of knowledge and the end of them. Then some Piaget’s evaluations as well as evaluations Binet-Simon were used. They suggest a loss in performance of around 40% between the level of the second year of primary school and the level at entering the first of secondary school. Less than one pupil out of two succeeds at the evaluations. The Piaget’s evaluations and the evaluation on verbal thinking linked with cognitive age would be that of a 9 year old
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Goodhew, Geoffrey. "Cognition and management: Managerial cognition and organisational performance." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Business Administration, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/4363.
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This thesis is about management. A review of the management literature revealed two under-researched areas of management - thinking and performance. Additionally, cognition has received increasing attention in management and other social sciences. This thesis addresses these issues by asking,
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Christou, Antonis. "CROWD COGNITION." OpenSIUC, 2010. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/theses/169.
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Study of Crowd dynamics had had significant overlaps with models of biological swarms. Understanding and directing human crowds have also been of interest. However, to be able to build crowd models, we have to understand how and why people form crowds. In this thesis, we describe a few basic cognitive processes that account for life cycle of typical human crowds. Individual stage to Crowd stage and back to Individual stage is been considered. This stride lays the groundwork for further modeling of crowds.
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Jin, Alvin B. "Perseverative Cognition, Cognitive Load, and Distraction in Recovery from Stress." Scholar Commons, 2011. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3170.
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Perseverative cognition is the repetitive cognitive representation of a stressor, which includes the concepts of worry and rumination. These thoughts delay post-stress cardiovascular recovery, which may lead to an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. This may be due to the negative emotional content of perseverative cognition or because it involves cognitive effort. The aim of this study was to identify the unique influences of negative emotional content and cognitive effort during recovery. Participants (N = 120) were given a demanding task purportedly as a measure of intelligence and then given false negative feedback. Immediately following, participants engaged in one of four recovery instruction conditions: think about task performance, perform a cognitive load task, watch a distracting video, or remain quietly seated. EKG, impedance cardiography, and blood pressure were recorded throughout. Perseverative cognition and cognitive load both resulted in significantly less heart rate recovery compared to the distracting video. Higher test motivation and anxiety were related to more blunted reactivity and delayed recovery of respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Reduced recovery during perseverative cognition and cognitive effort indicate that the cognitive load produced by perseveration is the pernicious component that explains its link to increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Further, the relationship between motivation/anxiety and blunted reactivity and recovery suggest effort may be important in the link between perseverative cognition and cardiovascular disease.
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Akagi, Mikio Shaun Mikuriya. "Cognition in practice| Conceptual development and disagreement in cognitive science." Thesis, University of Pittsburgh, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10183682.
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<p> Cognitive science has been beset for thirty years by foundational disputes about the nature and extension of cognition—e.g. whether cognition is necessarily representational, whether cognitive processes extend outside the brain or body, and whether plants or microbes have them. Whereas previous philosophical work aimed to settle these disputes, I aim to understand what conception of cognition scientists could share given that they disagree so fundamentally. To this end, I develop a number of variations on traditional conceptual explication, and defend a novel explication of cognition called the sensitive management hypothesis.</p><p> Since expert judgments about the extension of “cognition” vary so much, I argue that there is value in explication that accurately models the variance in judgments rather than taking sides or treating that variance as noise. I say of explications that accomplish this that they are <i> ecumenically extensionally adequate</i>. Thus, rather than adjudicating whether, say, plants can have cognitive processes like humans, an ecumenically adequate explication should classify these cases differently: human cognitive processes as paradigmatically cognitive, and plant processes as controversially cognitive.</p><p> I achieve ecumenical adequacy by articulating conceptual explications with <i>parameters</i>, or terms that can be assigned a number of distinct interpretations based on the background commitments of participants in a discourse. For example, an explication might require that cognition cause “behavior,” and imply that plant processes are cognitive or not depending on whether anything plants do can be considered “behavior.” Parameterization provides a unified treatment of embattled concepts by isolating topics of disagreement in a small number of parameters.</p><p> I incorporate these innovations into an account on which cognition is the “sensitive management of organismal behavior.” The sensitive management hypothesis is ecumenically extensionally adequate, accurately classifying a broad variety of cases as paradigmatically or controversially cognitive phenomena. I also describe an extremely permissive version of the sensitive management hypothesis, arguing that it has the potential to explain several features of cognitive scientific discourse, including various facts about the way cognitive scientists ascribe representations to cognitive systems. </p>
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Makány, Tamás. "Strategies of human spatial cognition : cognitive and behavioural trade-offs." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2009. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/66157/.
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Human spatial strategies are heuristics that allocate cognitive and behavioural resources for navigation tasks. These spatial strategies help the individual optimize its interactions with the surrounding space through functional trade-offs between the memory costs of planning routes and the cost involved in actually travelling that distance. These trade-offs result in visitation patterns of initial exploration of the space and subsequently determine navigation efficiency. The purpose of this thesis was to observe, identify and describe patterns of spatial exploration, understand the trade-offs and strategy optimizations they encompass and empirically quantify their performance both in physical and abstract (i.e., virtual, computational model and informational) spaces. The first study presented a novel methodology of identifying spatial exploration patterns based on cluster analyses in a physical room and measured navigation efficiencies according to a spatial strategy trade-off between memory demands and distances travelled. Two exploration patterns were found that determined subsequent navigation. Explorers with an ‘axial’ pattern were more memory efficient and followed a fixed route sequence to find objects; whereas ‘circular’ pattern explorers were more distance efficient with less overall travel on more flexible route choices. The following two studies used the same experimental design and methodology to further examine the effect of spatial constraints on cognitive and behavioural resource optimization, specifically looking at the issues of exploration on forced routes in a physical space and in an effortless virtual space. In both spaces, the efficiency trade-off observed in the first study was affected. On the one hand, forced physical exploration reduced navigational control and overwrote individually preferred spatial strategy optimizations. On the other hand, effortless virtual exploration resulted in preference towards optimization of cognitive resources over distances travelled. These presented examples of spatial environmental biases. Following the three behavioural studies, an agent-based model is presented. It formalized the main hypothesis of this thesis that human spatial cognition is optimized by spatial strategies via simulating exploration patterns with memory and distance heuristics. The model also replicated the behavioural findings and allowed further insights into the trade-off observed in the first study. The lessons learnt from the model and the three behavioural studies were then tested in a practical e-learning environment. The application of the theoretical findings provides further understanding into human spatial cognition. In the study, three different spatial layout website designs were analysed for their navigational and learning utilities both immediately and 2-weeks post exploration. This web based navigational study revealed the role of spatial control in long-term retention and other cognitive benefits. Together these studies present important insights to human spatial cognition and its implications.
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Mortu, Ancuta-Maria. "De la cognition esthétique à l'esthétique cognitive : une étude généalogique." Paris, EHESS, 2015. http://www.theses.fr/2015EHES0138.
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Ce travail a pour objectif de dresser une généalogie de la cognition en tant que partie prenante de l'expérience esthétique, domaine qui se ne cesse de se constituer depuis la naissance de la discipline elle-même. L'hypothèse que nous défendons est que l'expérience esthétique, comme toute expérience ordinaire, est un processus de traitement de l'information qui se caractérise par une dynamique susceptible d'être comprise avec les outils de la psychologie cognitive. Parmi les questions qui sont posées au fil de ce travail, dont les enjeux se situent également à l'échelle de l'esthétique philosophique et de l'histoire des idées, les principales peuvent être formulées comme suit : quels sont les processus de traitement qui participent de l'expérience esthétique ? Comment est-ce que l'information a modifié la compréhension traditionnelle de l'expérience esthétique ? Que nous apprend-t-elle de plus sur la phénoménologie de ce type d'expérience ? La thèse est organisée en deux parties, dont la première porte essentiellement sur l'archéologie de la présence de la cognition au sein du discours esthétique, notamment au siècle des Lumières et à l'époque de la naissance officielle de la psychologie expérimentale, tandis que la seconde repose sur l'examen de la structure architecturale des modèles esthétiques informationnels qui se développent à partir de la seconde moitié du vingtième siècle. L'approche généalogique que nous privilégions permet de mettre en valeur la continuité des problèmes qui touchent aux constantes de l'esprit humain manifestées dans les conduites esthétiques<br>The purpose of this thesis is to draw a genealogy of cognition as a constitutive part of aesthetic experience, considering that this field has been developing ever since the birth of the discipline of aesthetics itself. More specifically, we argue that aesthetic experience, as any ordinary experience, is an information-processing activity whose dynamics car be accounted for by using the conceptual tools of cognitive psychology. The main questions that we ask throughout this work, that also concern the philosophical aesthetics as well as the history of ideas, are the following : what are the informational processes involved in aesthetic experience ? In what respect did the concept of information modify the classical approaches to aesthetic experience ? In what way does it contribute to understanding the phenomenology of this particular type of experience ? In order to give an answer to these questions, we have organized this work into two parts : Part I deals with the archeology or the prehistory of cognition and its presence in aesthetic discourse, namely in the enlightenment period and at the birth of experimental psychology, while Part II comprises a close analysis of the architectural structure of informational aesthetic models that are being developed starting with the second half of the twentieth century. The genealogical approach that we favor allows us to emphasize the continuing relevance of questions related to invariants of mental reality engaged in aesthetic encounters
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Sussams, Rebecca. "Stress and its impact on cognition in mild cognitive impairment." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2017. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/422260/.
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Participants with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) do not inevitably show cognitive decline or convert to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) supporting the hypothesis that secondary events are crucial in the conversion process. Research suggests that psychological stress is a risk factor for AD. Therefore, we proposed psychological stress will be associated with worsened cognitive decline, a clinical marker of advancing neurodegeneration. This was a longitudinal observational study assessing the association between the degree of psychological stress and cognitive decline in 134 aMCI participants and 69 control participants. We hypothesised that stress, as measured by the Recent Life Change Questionnaire (RLCQ), would be associated with worsened cognitive decline, as measured by the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test with Immediate Recall (FCSRT-IR), over an 18 month follow-up period. Other secondary cognitive outcomes included the difference in change of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment score and the Trail Making Test Part B. Exploratory measures of stress included the Perceived Stress Scale and the presence of physical stressors. Hypothesised modulators of the stress response were assessed including mood, neuroticism, social support, and favoured coping style. Biological outcomes included changes in blood levels of inflammatory markers and salivary cortisol. Objective stressful life events occurring during the course of the study were associated with increased rates of cognitive decline across a range of measures in the aMCI group. Whereas, as predicted, psychological stress was not associated with cognitive decline in the control group. Presence of the ApoE ε4 allele was associated with an increased rate of cognitive decline and increased serum levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine TGFβ was associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline in the aMCI group. We found that neither measures of mood nor potential modulators of stress exerted a consistent significant influence over rates of cognitive decline in the aMCI group.
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Cooke, Richard. "Moderation of cognition-behaviour consistency by properties of cognition." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2003. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/15178/.
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The present research investigated the impact of properties of cognitions as moderators of cognition-behaviour consistency within the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB: Ajzen, 1991). Study I compared accessibility, direct experience and temporal stability as moderators of cognition-behaviour relations for donation behaviour. Temporal stability was the only significant moderator of cognition-behaviour consistency. Study 2 used meta-analysis to quantify the impact of seven properties of cognitions-accessibility, affective-cognitive consistency, ambivalence, certainty, direct experience, involvement and temporal stability--on cognition-behaviour and cognition intention relations. All variables moderated cognition-behaviour and/or cognitionintention relations. Temporal stability emerged as the most effective moderator of attitude-behaviour and intention-behaviour relations. Study 3 examined the factor structure of properties of intentions and provided a second test of properties of intentions as moderators of intention-behaviour relations. Principal components analysis found a four factor solution for five properties of intentions with accessibility and temporal stability loading on independent factors and the other factors consisting of the other three properties. Temporal stability was the only variable to moderate intention behaviour relations. Two further studies showed that temporal stability had a direct effect on participants' information processing. In Study 4, participants with more stable intentions had better recognition memory for intention-relevant information whereas Study 5 found that temporal stability moderated the effect of a rating scale manipulation on participants' ratings such that participants with more stable intentions were unaffected by the manipulation, whereas participants with less stable intentions were affected by the manipulation. Overall, the findings demonstrate that temporal stability (a) is a conceptually distinct property of participants' cognitions, (b) is the most effective moderator of cognition-behaviour relations in previous research, and (c) affects participants' information processing and social judgment. These findings have important implications both for the TPB and health-promotion interventions.
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Wang, Ji 1949. "Ren shi xi tong yun xing lun." Beijing : Zhongguo ren min da xue chu ban she, 1990.
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Rudkin, Susan. "Executive processes in visual and spatial working memory tasks." Thesis, University of Aberdeen, 2001. http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk/R?func=search-advanced-go&find_code1=WSN&request1=AAIU140973.
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The main aim of the thesis was to investigate the nature of the cognitive mechanisms which underlie performance on specific visuo-spatial working memory tasks, with the emphasis on exploring the extent of central executive involvement. This research began with an attempt to investigate performance on two standard visual and spatial tasks in a small sample of mild-to-moderate AD patients, and compare this with performance on two adapted versions of the tasks (Experiments 1 & 2). The tasks were adapted to increase the ecological validity, but this adaptation appeared to alter the demands of the tasks, which prevented their further investigation as useful alternatives. The following experiments concentrated on investigating visual and spatial working memory in healthy populations. Experiments 3, 4, 5 and 6 employed a dual-task paradigm, whereby specific visual and spatial working memory tasks were combined with tasks assumed to involve executive processes. Experiments 3, 4 and 5 employed oral random digit generation as an executive task. The results of Experiments 3 and 5 indicated that visuo-spatial tasks which involve sequential processing show more interference with random digit generation than visuo-spatial tasks which involve simultaneous processing. The findings of Experiment 4 suggested that, when both item and order information are presented (i.e. with sequential presentation), subsequent recall or visuo-spatial material is attention demanding regardless of whether item only, order only, or both item and order information are required in response. These findings appear to indicate that visuo-spatial tasks which involve sequential processing require executive resources to a greater extent than visuo-spatial tasks which involve simultaneous processing. However, oral random generation is a sequential task, and requires the maintenance of serial order (in order to produce a random sequence). Therefore an alternative interpretation could be that the sequential nature of the oral random generation task gave rise to the pattern of selective impairment on sequential visuo-spatial tasks, rather than more general executive load.
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Revell, Emily. "Combined cognitive remediation and social cognition training in first episode psychosis." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2017. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/combined-cognitive-remediation-and-social-cognition-training-in-first-episode-psychosis(a309c184-9478-4763-b2a2-2547463e08da).html.
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Introduction: Impaired neurocognition, especially social cognition, predicts disability in schizophrenia. Early intervention to target impairment is theoretically attractive as a means to minimise chronic disability. Many trials confirm that Cognitive Remediation (CR) produces meaningful, durable improvements in cognition and functioning but few interventions remediate social cognition or focus on the early stages of schizophrenia. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 11 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of CR in first episode psychosis (FEP) was completed. A randomised controlled pilot trial was then conducted to investigate a combined CR and social cognition training (CR+SCT) intervention in FEP compared to CR alone, assessing cognition, functioning and symptoms at baseline and follow-up. Qualitative feedback was also obtained in a nested feasibility and acceptability study to assess engagement, intervention suitability and attrition. Results: In the systematic review and meta-analysis, random effects models revealed a non-significant effect of CR on global cognition in FEP. However, there was a significant effect on functioning and symptoms, which was larger in trials with adjunctive psychiatric rehabilitation and small group interventions. In the pilot trial, the CR+SCT group had significantly better social functioning scores post-treatment, especially on the interpersonal relationships scale, however there was no significant effect on social cognition. CR+SCT also improved visual learning and set-shifting. There was no specific effect on symptoms. The nested feasibility and acceptability study found CR and CR+SCT to be acceptable and feasible for early intervention in psychosis service users, with high engagement rates and high user-reported satisfaction. Users perceived improvements in neurocognition and reported using strategies learnt during CR in daily life. Conclusions: Meta-analysis suggests that CR is beneficial in FEP. Evidence from the pilot trial shows that a CR intervention enhanced with SCT can improve functioning more than CR alone and that such an intervention is feasible and acceptable. A larger RCT is required to explore the full benefits of a CR+SCT intervention compared to CR and treatment as usual.
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Carmien, Stefan Parry. "Socio-technical environments supporting distributed cognition for persons with cognitive disabilities." Diss., Connect to online resource, 2006. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3239390.
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D'Alessandro, Marco. "Cognitive Modeling of high-level cognition through Discrete State Dynamic processes." Doctoral thesis, Università degli studi di Trento, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/11572/290039.
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Modeling complex cognitive phenomena is a challenging task, especially when it is required to account for the functioning of a cognitive system interacting with an uncertain and changing environment. Psychometrics offers a heterogeneous corpus of computational tools to infer latent cognitive constructs from the observation of behavioral outcomes. However, there is not an explicit consensus regarding the optimal way to properly take into account the intrinsic dynamic properties of the environment, as well as the dynamic nature of cognitive states. In the present dissertation, we explore the potentials of relying on discrete state dynamic models to formally account for the unfolding of cognitive sub-processes in changing task environments. In particular, we propose Probabilistic Graphical Models (PGMs) as an ideal and unifying mathematical language to represent cognitive dynamics as structured graphs codifying (causal) relationships between cognitive sub-components which unfolds in discrete time. We propose several works demonstrating the advantage and the representational power of such a modeling framework, by providing dynamic models of cognition specified according to different levels of abstraction.
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Cheng, San Chye. "Effects of Socio-Cognitive Conflicts on Group Cognition and Group Performance." Thesis, Harvard University, 2014. http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:13383546.
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Socio-cognitive conflict is a mechanism that drives cognitive development/learning in collaborative learning. Such conflicts occur when individuals have different perspectives on the same problem. To adequately solve problems, groups face the challenge of integrating different perspectives, which when successful can result in an increase in shared knowledge (i.e., knowledge convergence), an intermediate process-related collaborative learning outcome. Knowledge convergence plays an important role in explaining the quality of group performance, an ultimate collaborative learning outcome.
However, students do not always learn from one another in groups, with studies revealing variability in collaborative learning outcomes. Among other factors, their communication can be unproductive or productive. This mixed evidence could be because: (1) interactions have not been analyzed using instruments developed with theoretical and empirical underpinnings within a socio-cognitive conflict paradigm to measure a comprehensive range of socio-cognitive processes; and (2) it is insufficient to assign group tasks without providing any scaffolding.
My study acknowledges these issues and uses a randomized experimental design that aims to: (1) Test out a script that strives to scaffold interactions to generate collaborative socio-cognitive processes. To analyze interactions, my study uses an instrument capable of identifying a comprehensive range of socio-cognitive processes; and (2) Examine the effect of socio-cognitive processes on knowledge convergence and consequently on the quality of group performance.
Findings suggest that the script offers a promising way to facilitate the type of productive communication to make group-work beneficial. It generated interactions with collaborative socio-cognitive processes. Additionally, the frequency of collaborative socio-cognitive processes is positively related to the increase in shared knowledge in terms of the number of similar elements and statements members had in common after dyads’ interactions. Also, the increase in the number of similar elements is positively related to the quality of dyads’ performance, whereas there is no corresponding effect for statements.
Implications for designing collaborative learning activities include requiring the duration of students’ interactions to be long enough to have sufficient collaborative socio-cognitive processes so as to have substantial knowledge convergence and higher quality of group performance. Future studies include addressing issues regarding measurement accuracy in analyzing chat-logs and knowledge convergence.
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Blakey, Emma. "Deconstructing complex cognition : the development of cognitive flexibility in early childhood." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2015. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/12451/.
Full textAbstract:
The goal of this research was to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how cognitive flexibility (CF) develops in early childhood. Previous research on cognitive flexibility development has tended to focus solely on studying 3- to 4-year-olds on a single paradigm that involves children switching from one task to another while resolving response conflict. For example, children switch from sorting coloured shapes by a rule (e.g., colour) to sorting the same stimuli by a new rule (e.g., shape). This has led to the pervasive, but simplistic idea that children achieve CF when they overcome perseveration at age 4 (e.g., Munakata, 2012; Zelazo et al., 2003). Consequently, theoretical accounts of CF development have focused on explaining why 3-year-olds perseverate. Perseveration has been explained as either a failure of working memory or a failure of inhibitory control, and little progress has been made in testing between these two accounts. Three approaches were combined in the current research to address this issue: 1) A new paradigm was used to study cognitive flexibility, capable of examining different types of flexible behaviour; 2) 2-year-olds were studied for the first time on measures of CF to learn about its emergence; and 3) both individual differences studies and randomised control training studies were used to examine how working memory and inhibitory control contribute to the development of CF. Together, the findings challenge the prevailing view that CF development begins with perseveration at age 3 and flexible behaviour at age 4 due to increases in working memory or inhibitory control by showing that: 1) overcoming response conflict is not the only way children can demonstrate flexible behaviour; 2) key developments in CF occur prior to age 3; and 3) both working memory and inhibitory control contribute to CF development depending on the task demands. Collectively, the findings provide a more comprehensive and nuanced account of cognitive flexibility development.
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D'Alessandro, Marco. "Cognitive Modeling of high-level cognition through Discrete State Dynamic processes." Doctoral thesis, Università degli studi di Trento, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/11572/290039.
Full textAbstract:
Modeling complex cognitive phenomena is a challenging task, especially when it is required to account for the functioning of a cognitive system interacting with an uncertain and changing environment. Psychometrics offers a heterogeneous corpus of computational tools to infer latent cognitive constructs from the observation of behavioral outcomes. However, there is not an explicit consensus regarding the optimal way to properly take into account the intrinsic dynamic properties of the environment, as well as the dynamic nature of cognitive states. In the present dissertation, we explore the potentials of relying on discrete state dynamic models to formally account for the unfolding of cognitive sub-processes in changing task environments. In particular, we propose Probabilistic Graphical Models (PGMs) as an ideal and unifying mathematical language to represent cognitive dynamics as structured graphs codifying (causal) relationships between cognitive sub-components which unfolds in discrete time. We propose several works demonstrating the advantage and the representational power of such a modeling framework, by providing dynamic models of cognition specified according to different levels of abstraction.
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D'Alessandro, Marco. "Cognitive Modeling of high-level cognition through Discrete State Dynamic processes." Doctoral thesis, Università degli studi di Trento, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/11572/290039.
Full textAbstract:
Modeling complex cognitive phenomena is a challenging task, especially when it is required to account for the functioning of a cognitive system interacting with an uncertain and changing environment. Psychometrics offers a heterogeneous corpus of computational tools to infer latent cognitive constructs from the observation of behavioral outcomes. However, there is not an explicit consensus regarding the optimal way to properly take into account the intrinsic dynamic properties of the environment, as well as the dynamic nature of cognitive states. In the present dissertation, we explore the potentials of relying on discrete state dynamic models to formally account for the unfolding of cognitive sub-processes in changing task environments. In particular, we propose Probabilistic Graphical Models (PGMs) as an ideal and unifying mathematical language to represent cognitive dynamics as structured graphs codifying (causal) relationships between cognitive sub-components which unfolds in discrete time. We propose several works demonstrating the advantage and the representational power of such a modeling framework, by providing dynamic models of cognition specified according to different levels of abstraction.
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Noble, Rhonda. "An assessment of student cognition in basic instruction bowling classes." Morgantown, W. Va. : [West Virginia University Libraries], 2002. http://etd.wvu.edu/templates/showETD.cfm?recnum=2539.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2002.<br>Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 152, [25] p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 141-152).
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Wright, Cory D. "Truth and cognition." Connect to a 24 p. preview or request complete full text in PDF format. Access restricted to UC campuses, 2007. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/ucsd/fullcit?p3259624.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2007.<br>Title from first page of PDF file (viewed June 21, 2007). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 273-290).
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Eccles, David. "Cognition in orienteering." Thesis, Bangor University, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.341183.
Full text
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Trilla, Gros Irene. "Situated social cognition." Doctoral thesis, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 2021. http://edoc.hu-berlin.de/18452/24079.
Full textAbstract:
In der vorliegenden Dissertation werden vier Studien vorgestellt, in denen untersucht wurde, wie altrozentrische (Mimikry) und egozentrische (Selbstprojektion) Prozesse der sozialen Kognition in Abhängigkeit vom sozialen Kontext und persönlichen Dispositionen reguliert werden.
Studie 1 zeigte, dass die Tendenz, fröhliche Gesichtsausdrücke anderer nachzuahmen abhängig von dem mit der beobachteten Person assoziierten Belohnungswert ist. Die Auswirkung der Belohnung ging jedoch weder in die vorhergesagte Richtung, noch konnten wir einen Einfluss von Oxytocin, einem Hormon, das der Neurobiologie der sozialen Anpassung zugrunde liegt, finden. Studie 2 zeigte, im Vergleich zu vorherigen Studien, keine allgemeine Verbesserung der automatischen Nachahmung nach direktem Blickkontakt im Vergleich zum abgewandten Blick. Wir konnten jedoch potenzielle dispositionelle Faktoren (z.B. autistische Eigenschaften) identifizieren, denen unterschiedlichen Mimikry-Reaktionen auf den Blickkontakt zugrunde liegen könnten.
Studie 3 kombinierte kurze Phasen der Emotionsinduktion mit psychophysischen Messungen der Emotionswahrnehmung. Es zeigte sich, dass emotionale Gesichtsausdrücke tendenziell als fröhlicher beurteilt werden, wenn Personen angeben, dass sie sich fröhlich im Vergleich zu traurig fühlen. Emotionale egozentrische Verzerrungen wurden in Studie 4 erneut untersucht. Im Gegensatz zu unseren Vorhersagen fanden wir jedoch keine stärkeren egozentrischen Verzerrungen, wenn die Teilnehmenden emotionale Gesichtsausdrücke von ähnlichen im Vergleich zu unähnlichen Personen beurteilten.
In allen Studien fanden wir Hinweise für den kontextabhängigen Charakter der sozialen Kognition. Allerdings konnten wir einige der in der Literatur berichteten Phänomene nicht replizieren. Diese Ergebnisse unterstreichen die Notwendigkeit, die Robustheit und Generalisierbarkeit früherer Befunde systematisch neu zu bewerten.<br>This dissertation presents four studies that investigated how altercentric (mimicry) and egocentric (self-projection) processes of social cognition are regulated according to the social context and personal dispositions.
Study 1 showed that the tendency to mimic others’ happy facial expressions depends on the reward value associated with the observed agent. However, the effects of reward were not in the hypothesised direction, nor could we detect an influence of oxytocin treatment, a hormone involved in the neurobiology of social adaptation. Study 2 could not detect a general enhancement of the tendency to automatically imitate others’ hand actions following direct gaze compared to averted gaze, in contrast to previous studies. However, we could identify dispositional factors (e.g., autistic traits) that might underlie different mimicry responses to gaze cues.
Combining brief emotion induction blocks with psychophysical measures of emotion perception, Study 3 showed that facial emotional expressions tend to be judged as happier when individuals feel happy than when they feel sad. Emotional egocentric biases were replicated in Study 4. But contrary to our predictions, we did not find stronger egocentric biases when participants judged emotional facial expressions of similar compared to dissimilar others.
Across all studies, we found evidence supporting the contextual nature of social cognition. However, we could not replicate some of the phenomena reported in the literature. These results highlight the need to systematically re-evaluate the robustness and generalizability of prior findings.
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Natorina, A. O. "Brand management cognition." Thesis, Tkachov O.O, 2016. http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/47016.
Full textAbstract:
Today, the commodity marketplace is flooded with various brands. The requirement of the seller’s brand to stand out among other parallel brands is crucial. Hence, there is a fierce competition among the sellers to
make their products or services stand out in the market, thereby winning new consumers and retaining the existing ones. At times, it even leads to diverting the consumers following other brands to the seller’s brand. To
remain competitive in the marketplace, strong brand management is required.
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Vakarelov, Orlin. "GENERAL SITUATED COGNITION." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/202751.
Full textAbstract:
The dissertation is based on four papers that together offer a theory of General Situated Cognition. The project has two overarching goals: (1) to unify existing foundational approaches to cognition by investigating cognition within the framework of the philosophy of information; (2) to characterize the function of cognition and suggest a general (meta-)framework for cognitive architecture. Two of the papers, "Pre-cognitive Semantic Information" and "The Information Medium", deal primarily with the concept of information. They offer a pragmatic and structural account of information, as well as a novel and more general theory of meaning appropriate for simple, non-linguistic organisms - the interface theory of meaning. The papers lay the theoretical and conceptual machinery needed for the other two papers, "The Cognitive Agent: Overcoming Informational Limitations" and "Information Networks: A Meta-architecture for Situated Cognition", which investigate cognition as a general natural phenomenon. They specify the function of cognition as the mechanism in an organism that overcomes informational deficits. They also offer a broad architecture of cognitive systems based on networks of information media, which encompasses, and thus unifies existing approaches to cognition, such as the computational/symbolic approach, the connectionist approach, the dynamicist approach and the ecological embodied approach.
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Briscoe, Garry. "Adaptive behavioural cognition." Thesis, Curtin University, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/1008.
Full textAbstract:
Cognitive Science is at a crossroad. Since its inception, the prevailing paradigm in Cognitive Science (and associated fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Psychology, and Linguistics), has been a formal, computer-based model of cognition - often termed the Symbol Processing System model (SPS) or cognitivism. This view, while still accepted by the majority of researchers, has been dogged by persistent and cutting criticism by various authors over many years. As well, the initial over-inflated promises made by the early practitioners within these fields have not come to fruition, and the initial enthusiasm has in many cases been reduced to frustration.Many researchers have looked to the field of connectionism as a solution, and this discipline has found a new lease of life after a serious setback in the early 1970s. The major emphasis within this area has been on feed-forward neural networks (FFNN), but this paradigm also has its detractors.In this thesis we critically evaluate both of these research programs, especially that of SPS. We propose a new model of human and animal cognition, termed Adaptive Behavioral Cognition (ABC), which integrates many current views on cognition, and provides a single-architecture, biologically-feasible theory that overcomes many of the problems associated with current models. As well as being an accurate description of the processes relevant to the new model, the term ABC is a none-too-subtle reference to the fact that we need to closely re-examine the aims and achievements of Cognitive Science and return to basic empirical findings in developing a theory of cognition.The new model synthesises, unifies and links together many previously disjoint ideas and observations, from the neural level through to neurological structures and to observed behaviour. The claims that we make of the model are that it is biologically and neurologically consistent and reasonable, and that it has properties more closely associated with the actual brain than either the computational (cognitivist) approach, or the simplistic FFNN. Further, the model is internally consistent and self-similar, and is consistent with the observed neuroanatomical structures of the cortex. It also provides for massive parallelism, yet retains a serial component through its use of temporal sequences.The ABC proposal outlined in this thesis takes the view that the processes of the brain are to learn associated and temporally connected sequences, rather than 'facts' or 'representations', and that the learned behaviours resulting from the associated temporal sequences are the means of cognition, rather than computational operations on representations.
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Briscoe, Garry. "Adaptive behavioural cognition." Curtin University of Technology, School of Computing, 1997. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=11599.
Full textAbstract:
Cognitive Science is at a crossroad. Since its inception, the prevailing paradigm in Cognitive Science (and associated fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Psychology, and Linguistics), has been a formal, computer-based model of cognition - often termed the Symbol Processing System model (SPS) or cognitivism. This view, while still accepted by the majority of researchers, has been dogged by persistent and cutting criticism by various authors over many years. As well, the initial over-inflated promises made by the early practitioners within these fields have not come to fruition, and the initial enthusiasm has in many cases been reduced to frustration.Many researchers have looked to the field of connectionism as a solution, and this discipline has found a new lease of life after a serious setback in the early 1970s. The major emphasis within this area has been on feed-forward neural networks (FFNN), but this paradigm also has its detractors.In this thesis we critically evaluate both of these research programs, especially that of SPS. We propose a new model of human and animal cognition, termed Adaptive Behavioral Cognition (ABC), which integrates many current views on cognition, and provides a single-architecture, biologically-feasible theory that overcomes many of the problems associated with current models. As well as being an accurate description of the processes relevant to the new model, the term ABC is a none-too-subtle reference to the fact that we need to closely re-examine the aims and achievements of Cognitive Science and return to basic empirical findings in developing a theory of cognition.The new model synthesises, unifies and links together many previously disjoint ideas and observations, from the neural level through to neurological structures and to observed behaviour. The claims that we make of the model are that it is biologically and ++<br>neurologically consistent and reasonable, and that it has properties more closely associated with the actual brain than either the computational (cognitivist) approach, or the simplistic FFNN. Further, the model is internally consistent and self-similar, and is consistent with the observed neuroanatomical structures of the cortex. It also provides for massive parallelism, yet retains a serial component through its use of temporal sequences.The ABC proposal outlined in this thesis takes the view that the processes of the brain are to learn associated and temporally connected sequences, rather than 'facts' or 'representations', and that the learned behaviours resulting from the associated temporal sequences are the means of cognition, rather than computational operations on representations.
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Bazzanella, Barbara. "Uniqueness in Cognition." Doctoral thesis, Università degli studi di Trento, 2010. https://hdl.handle.net/11572/369237.
Full textAbstract:
A fundamental aspect of human cognition is that we construe the environment as including unique individuals that belong to various categories. An individual dog, for example, could simultaneously be a living being, a mammal or a poodle, but when it comes to things that are important to us - our dog Fido, our favorite restaurant, our spouse - we also represent the individuals themselves, not just the categories they belong to. Cognitive psychologists have made an extensive study of categories of objects but have had less to say concerning conceptions of individuals, i.e. singular concepts, and how they support our ability to uniquely identify individual entities in different situations.
The primary goal of this work is to investigate the nature and the functioning dynamics of singular concepts and explore how these concepts underlie singular cognition, i.e. the ability to identify a known entity, through perceptual or epistemic access to its memorial representation, and trace it as the same unique entity over time and change.
To perform such a process the cognitive system is confronted with a uniqueness problem. It needs to pick an individual entity out, secure a unique mental referential link with the entity and maintain that link over time and change.
We argue that singular concepts are the cognitive devices that are specialized for this function and we propose a model of singular cognition that has the notion of singular concept at its core. The main assumption of this model is that conceptual representations about individuals (i.e. singular concepts) represent a networks of unique files in memory which mediate the direct access to individual-specific knowledge and provide a unique mechanism of identification and reference for unique individuals. According to our model, the access to this system is not mediated by higher level representations (i.e. general concepts), neither is internally organized by these representations. On the contrary, it is
subjected to its own functioning dynamics and it is organized through associative links which connect different individual concepts and causal links which maintain the conceptual history of an entity, by linking different states of the same singular concept, across time and change.
We can distinguish four main phases of our investigation about singular concepts which led to the proposed model of singular cognition.
1) In the first phase we investigated what is the preferential level of abstraction at which an individual entity is first identified (i.e. the entry point of recognition). Since any individual object can be identified at multiple levels of abstraction (e.g. a dog can be Identified as a “dog†, more generally as “animal†or more specifically as “poodle†or “Fido†), the aim was to test the hypothesis that the singular concept of an object acts as the access node to the knowledge that the agent has about the object and this access is direct and not mediated by higher level concepts. Results from three experiments on visual recognition provided evidences in favor of this hypothesis, indicating that the entry level of identification of unique individuals is shifted to the most subordinate level of abstraction, i.e. the level of unique identity.
2) The second phase of this work explored how our semantic representations of individual things are accessed and how these representations are inter-linked with those of other individual things. This issue has been investigated through a priming experiment which provided evidence in favor of a model in which singular concepts are organized by means of horizontal associative links instead of by vertical links with higher level representations.
3) In the third phase of our investigation we looked inside a singular concept and we explored which attributes people consider more relevant to uniquely identify entities belonging to different categories and determine the cognitive importance that individual attributes have in identifying these entities. We also explored which are the most relevant attributes that people use to identify entities in a specific task, i.e. the search for information about individual entities by means of keyword queries on the Web.
4) The last phase of the investigation concerned with the problem of how people judge the identity of entities over time and change. An experiment was conducted which explored how people evaluate the identity of entities over changes in their descriptions. The results of the study have been interpreted in the light of a causal model of the functioning of singular concepts in keeping the unique referential link with the entity across change.
Beyond the cognitive issues, this work is also motivated by the recent development of technological approaches to the problem of entity identification.
Since many identification problems which are addressed by a cognitive system have a counterpart in information systems which manage information about individual entities (e.g. to represent or extract information about unique individuals and manage individual-specific knowledge across time and change), the last goal of our work is to make an investigation of possible contributions that a cognitive study on the problem of individual identification can provide to technological applications. In particular we focused on the problem of entity identification in search systems. A model and an application for a specific technological problem, i.e. entity type disambiguation in Web-search queries, is described and its beneficial impact is evaluated.
In summary, the contribution of this work is twofold. On one hand, we provide new evidence on the nature of high-level cognitive mechanisms involved in entity representation and identification, revealing new research issues on this topic in cognitive psychology. On the other hand, we show how a better understanding of these processes at a cognitive level can improve the development of entity identification approaches in information systems, suggesting a middle ground where cognitive models and technological models developed in other research fields can find the opportunity for communication and integration.
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Bazzanella, Barbara. "Uniqueness in Cognition." Doctoral thesis, University of Trento, 2010. http://eprints-phd.biblio.unitn.it/387/2/PhD_thesis_Bazzanella_finale_.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
A fundamental aspect of human cognition is that we construe the environment as including unique individuals that belong to various categories. An individual dog, for example, could simultaneously be a living being, a mammal or a poodle, but when it comes to things that are important to us - our dog Fido, our favorite restaurant, our spouse - we also represent the individuals themselves, not just the categories they belong to. Cognitive psychologists have made an extensive study of categories of objects but have had less to say concerning conceptions of individuals, i.e. singular concepts, and how they support our ability to uniquely identify individual entities in different situations.
The primary goal of this work is to investigate the nature and the functioning dynamics of singular concepts and explore how these concepts underlie singular cognition, i.e. the ability to identify a known entity, through perceptual or epistemic access to its memorial representation, and trace it as the same unique entity over time and change.
To perform such a process the cognitive system is confronted with a uniqueness problem. It needs to pick an individual entity out, secure a unique mental referential link with the entity and maintain that link over time and change.
We argue that singular concepts are the cognitive devices that are specialized for this function and we propose a model of singular cognition that has the notion of singular concept at its core. The main assumption of this model is that conceptual representations about individuals (i.e. singular concepts) represent a networks of unique files in memory which mediate the direct access to individual-specific knowledge and provide a unique mechanism of identification and reference for unique individuals. According to our model, the access to this system is not mediated by higher level representations (i.e. general concepts), neither is internally organized by these representations. On the contrary, it is
subjected to its own functioning dynamics and it is organized through associative links which connect different individual concepts and causal links which maintain the conceptual history of an entity, by linking different states of the same singular concept, across time and change.
We can distinguish four main phases of our investigation about singular concepts which led to the proposed model of singular cognition.
1) In the first phase we investigated what is the preferential level of abstraction at which an individual entity is first identified (i.e. the entry point of recognition). Since any individual object can be identified at multiple levels of abstraction (e.g. a dog can be Identified as a “dog”, more generally as “animal” or more specifically as “poodle” or “Fido”), the aim was to test the hypothesis that the singular concept of an object acts as the access node to the knowledge that the agent has about the object and this access is direct and not mediated by higher level concepts. Results from three experiments on visual recognition provided evidences in favor of this hypothesis, indicating that the entry level of identification of unique individuals is shifted to the most subordinate level of abstraction, i.e. the level of unique identity.
2) The second phase of this work explored how our semantic representations of individual things are accessed and how these representations are inter-linked with those of other individual things. This issue has been investigated through a priming experiment which provided evidence in favor of a model in which singular concepts are organized by means of horizontal associative links instead of by vertical links with higher level representations.
3) In the third phase of our investigation we looked inside a singular concept and we explored which attributes people consider more relevant to uniquely identify entities belonging to different categories and determine the cognitive importance that individual attributes have in identifying these entities. We also explored which are the most relevant attributes that people use to identify entities in a specific task, i.e. the search for information about individual entities by means of keyword queries on the Web.
4) The last phase of the investigation concerned with the problem of how people judge the identity of entities over time and change. An experiment was conducted which explored how people evaluate the identity of entities over changes in their descriptions. The results of the study have been interpreted in the light of a causal model of the functioning of singular concepts in keeping the unique referential link with the entity across change.
Beyond the cognitive issues, this work is also motivated by the recent development of technological approaches to the problem of entity identification.
Since many identification problems which are addressed by a cognitive system have a counterpart in information systems which manage information about individual entities (e.g. to represent or extract information about unique individuals and manage individual-specific knowledge across time and change), the last goal of our work is to make an investigation of possible contributions that a cognitive study on the problem of individual identification can provide to technological applications. In particular we focused on the problem of entity identification in search systems. A model and an application for a specific technological problem, i.e. entity type disambiguation in Web-search queries, is described and its beneficial impact is evaluated.
In summary, the contribution of this work is twofold. On one hand, we provide new evidence on the nature of high-level cognitive mechanisms involved in entity representation and identification, revealing new research issues on this topic in cognitive psychology. On the other hand, we show how a better understanding of these processes at a cognitive level can improve the development of entity identification approaches in information systems, suggesting a middle ground where cognitive models and technological models developed in other research fields can find the opportunity for communication and integration.
36
Chaney, Rémi. "Électromyostimulation et cognition." Electronic Thesis or Diss., Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 2023. http://www.theses.fr/2023UBFCK056.
Full textAbstract:
De nombreuses preuves scientifiques confirment les bienfaits de l'exercice physique (EX)sur la santé cérébrale, manifestés notamment par une amélioration de la cognition et de l'état émotionnel. Des investigations précliniques ont mis en évidence que le facteur neurotrophique dérivé du cerveau (BDNF, pour Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) joue un rôle central dans les bénéfices cérébraux engendrés par l'EX. L'augmentation des taux de BDNF dans le cerveau, en réponse à l'EX, résulte d'une augmentation de l'activité neuronale, du flux sanguin cérébral, ainsi que de la sécrétion d'exerkines telles que l'irisine et le lactate par les muscles squelettiques. En dépit du lien solide entre la pratique de l'EX et les bienfaits pour la santé cérébrale, de nombreuses contraintes entravent la participation à un programme d'EX actif chez de nombreuses personnes. En conséquence, l'objectif principal de cette thèse a été d'évaluer si l'électromyostimulation (EMS), c'est-à-dire l'induction de contractions musculaires involontaires au moyen d'une source de courant exogène, pouvait représenter une alternative efficace à l'EX pour améliorer la santé cérébrale. Les résultats de cette thèse ont révélé que la stimulation d'une grande masse musculaire, entraînant des lésions musculaires substantielles, avait un effet délétère sur la neuroplasticité dépendante du BDNF chez le rat. En revanche, un protocole de stimulation appliqué au muscle quadriceps, générant de rares lésions musculaires, a permis l'induction d'une neuroplasticité dépendante du BDNF chez le rat, ainsi qu'une amélioration de la cognition et de l'humeur chez l'Homme. Même si aucun des protocoles de stimulation n'a eu d'impact sur les taux circulants d'irisine, ni sur l'activité neuronale et le flux sanguin dans les régions cérébrales associées à la cognition, il convient de noter que les effets bénéfiques sur le cerveau étaient positivement corrélés à la production de lactate en réponse à l'EMS, à la fois chez l'Homme et chez le rat. En conclusion, l'EMS comme méthode alternative à l'EX peut exercer des effets positifs sur la santé cérébrale, mais le choix du protocole s'avère crucial pour obtenir des bénéfices neuroplastiques et cognitifs optimaux<br>Numerous pieces of evidence confirm the benefits of physical exercise (EX) on brain health, notably manifested by improvements in cognition and emotional state. Preclinical investigations have highlighted the central role of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) in the cerebral benefits brought about by EX. The increase in BDNF levels in the brain in response to EX results from heightened neuronal activity, cerebral blood flow, as well as the secretion of exerkines such as irisin and lactate by skeletal muscles. Nonetheless, despite this robust evidence demonstrating the cerebral benefits of EX, numerous individuals are unable to engage in an active EX program due to various constraints. Consequently, the aim of this thesis was to evaluate whether Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS), i.e., the induction of involuntary muscle contractions through an exogenous current source, could represent an effective alternative to EX for improving brain health. The results of this thesis have revealed that stimulating a large muscle mass, leading to substantial muscle lesions, had a detrimental effect on BDNF-dependent neuroplasticity in rats hippocampus. In contrast, a stimulation protocol applied to the quadriceps muscle, generating rare muscle lesions, allowed for the induction of BDNF-dependent neuroplasticity in rats, as well as improvements in cognition and mood in humans. Although none of the stimulation protocols had an impact on circulating levels of irisin or on neuronal activity and cerebral blood flow in brain regions associated with cognition, it is worth noting that the beneficial effects on the brain were positively correlated with lactate production in response to EMS, both in humans and rats. In conclusion, EMS as an alternative method to EX can exert positive effects on brain health, but the choice of the protocol proves to be crucial in achieving optimal cognitive and neuroplastic benefits
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Roberts, Patricia Isobel. "An investigation into the structure of numerical cognition." Thesis, University of Bedfordshire, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10547/322172.
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This thesis reports work relating to theoretical frameworks in the area of numerical cognition that have been developed by McCloskey, Caramazza & Basili (1985), Clark & Campbell (1991), Dehaene (1992) and Noel & Seron (1992). The associations between numerical cognition and memory processes in relation to the working memory model of Baddeley (1986) were investigated. The first study used the factor analytic method to elucidate the factor structure of the processes that underlie numerical cognition, and to investigate the various components of the working memory model in relation to arithmetic. A battery of 21 tests was administered to 100 participants. The contribution of the factor analytic study to the structure of numerical cognition is discussed. An examination of the factors (labelled 'access to representations' and 'working memory') identified specific aspects of numerical cognition that were investigated further using experimental methods. The data on magnitude comparisons of numbers and animals that have been found to load onto Factor 1 were reanalysed. Similar patterns were found with the two types of stimuli in some cases. This suggested that Dehaene's notion of a 'number line' might not be specific to numbers. To build on the investigation of magnitude comparisons two experiments were carried out using the dual task paradigm. The results confirmed that magnitude judgements are represented at the level of semantic processing and may not be specific to numbers. The subitizing circles test was also found to load onto Factor 1. This raised a question about the common processes that may be involved both in this test and in other tests loading on that factor. A dual task experiment was used to investigate that possibility. It appeared from the results that the verbally presented tasks in the control and experimental groups produced interference with the s ubitizing task. This result lent support for the view that subitizing is an early pre-lexical perceptual process, possibly based on canonical representations ofthe stimuli. Complex addition and multiplication loaded onto Factor 2, 'working memory' and a further dual task experiment was conducted to investigate the speCUlative view held by Aschraft (1995), that the visuo-spatial sketchpad may playa role in arithmetic problem solving. The results lent support for the view held by Aschraft (1995) of the involvement of the visual-spatial component of working memory in the calculation of multi-digit addition problems. Thus the research reported in this thesis has used a range of investigative techniques and data analysis, with the aim of clarifying the scope and the limitations of major recent models of numerical cognition and the role of working memory in numerical processing. The results of the research programme supported those models which link numerical cognition with other forms of mental processing by identifying specific ways in which diverse numerical processes such as magnitude comparison, subitizing and the calculation of multi-digit problems draw on forms of processing associated with other types of stimuli.
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Dilax, Albert. "Informatisation d'une situation de travail : l'exemple d'un test cognitif, la batterie factorielle d'aptitudes de Manzione." Rouen, 1994. http://www.theses.fr/1995ROUEL202.
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Dans une phase de croissance spectaculaire, l'évaluation psychologique informatisée est la cible de nombreuses interrogations concernant les règles de déontologie et l'identité même de la profession de psychologue. L'élément central de cette problématique est l'équivalence des formes informatiques et traditionnelles d'un même test. En réalisant nous-même l'informatisation des différents subtests d'une batterie factorielle d’aptitudes, nous voulions éprouver l'hypothèse que le respect des principes ergonomiques de conception d'une application interactive que la maîtrise de l'interface utilisateur permet d'éviter tout risque d'invalidation de la présentation informatique. Cette hypothèse n'est pas vérifiée pour de nombreux subtests. Seuls les scores aux subtests de vocabulaire et de représentation spatiale restent constante. La nouvelle version perd les qualités psychométriques de la version initiale. L'informatisation modifie l'attitude du sujet face à la tâche; elle l'oblige à changer de stratégies dans la résolution des problèmes ou à adopter de nouveaux modes opératoires. Cependant, l'informatisation se justifie si le logiciel permet de faire l'analyse ne serait-ce que d'un seul processus ou style cognitif de l'activité de l'utilisateur<br>Although in dramatic growth, computer-based testing is the target of many interrogations concerning the rules of the ethic and the identity itself of the psychologists. The central element of its paradigm is the equivalence between the traditionnal and the informatic forms of a same test. When working myself the computerization of different subtests of a factorial battery of aptitudes, i should prove that the respect of the principles of the conception of an interactive application and the knowledge of the user interface enable to reduce the risk of the invalidity of the informatic presentation. This hypothesis is not verified for many subtests. Only the subtests of vocabular and spatial representation are constant. The new form lose the psychometrics properties of the initial test. The computerization modify the attitude of the user in the task; she forces him into changing his strategies or his operationnal modes. However, the assumption is made that even if only cognitive process or style can be performed with this software, computerization is justified
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Jarvstad, Andreas. "The optimality of perception and cognition : the perception-cognition gap explored." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2012. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/24208/.
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The ability to choose wisely is crucial for our survival. Yet, the received wisdom has been that humans choose irrationally and sub-optimally. This conclusion is largely based on studies in which participants are asked to make choices on the basis of explicit numerical information. Lately, our ability to make such high-level choices has been contrasted with our ability to make low-level (perceptual or perceptuo-motor) choices. Remarkably, we seem able to make near-optimal low-level choices. Taken at face value, the discrepancy gives rise to a perception-cognition gap. The gap implies, for example, that our ancestors were much better at choosing where to put their feet on a rocky ridge (a perceptuo-motor task), compared to choosing which prey to hunt (a cognitive task).The work reported herein probes this gap. There are many differences between literatures showing optimal and sub-optimal performance. The main approach taken here was to match low- and high-level tasks as closely as possible to eliminate such differences. When this is done one finds very little evidence for a perception-cognition gap. Moreover, once the standards of performance assessment of the respective literature are applied to data generated under such conditions it becomes apparent that the cause of the gap seems to lie in the standards themselves. When low-level standards are applied, human choice, whether low- or high-level, looks good. When high-level standards are applied, human choice, whether low- or high-level, looks rather poor. It is easy to see then, that applying high-level standards to high-level tasks, and low-level standards to low-level tasks, will give rise to a “gap”, with no or little actual difference in performance.
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Camp, Sophie Jane. "Memory function in multiple sclerosis." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.327043.
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Davies, Joanne. "A detailed analysis of the wholist-analytic style ratio : a methodology for developing a reliable and valid measure of style." Thesis, University of South Wales, 2009. https://pure.southwales.ac.uk/en/studentthesis/a-detailed-analysis-of-the-wholistanalytic-style-ratio(074c3b8c-1ce0-4b30-82c5-7c0b90ef8aec).html.
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Riding's (1991) wholist-analytic dimension of cognitive style proposes a unidimensional view of global-analytic constructs, however, very little empirical evidence exists in support of a relationship between the styles in the wholist-analytic family, which has led to suggestions that style is best conceptualised as a more complex multidimensional construct (Hodgkinson and Sadler-Smith, 2003). Another major problem for Riding's (1991) wholist-analytic style construct is its lack of temporal reliability (Peterson, Deary and Austin, 2003; Rezaei and Katz, 2004; Parkinson, Mullally and Redmond, 2004; Cook, 2008). Furthermore, the current thesis argues that in addition to problems of reliability, the wholist-analytic dimension lacks predictive and construct validity. This thesis outlines two major methodological limitations with the current wholist-analytic ratio measurement, which have raised doubts over the efficacy of the ratio in discriminating between part processing and whole processing style. Firstly, the wholist-analytic ratio is confounded by reflective-impulsive style differences (Kagan, Rosman, Day, Albert and Phillips, 1964). Secondly, the nature of the tasks, combined with strategy preferences, set up an asymmetry in the basis of the wholist-analytic ratio. A new measure of wholist-analytic style, hereafter called the 'Wholist-Analytic Style (WAS) Analysis' has been developed to experimentally manipulate the presentation order of the subtests and the number of parts in the geometric stimuli. Performances on the WAS analysis and the CSA were compared to other styles in the wholist-analytic family to test the unidimensional approach to style. It was found that the wholist-analytic ratio is confounded by sensitivity to reflective style, with much of its discriminatory power being limited to the first subtest, and 6 there is an asymmetry in the part-whole processing basis of the wholist-analytic ratio. Furthermore, there is a consistent relationship between reflective-impulsive style and part-whole processing. This thesis proposes the theory of diminished reflection, which renders the wholist-analytic ratio invalid in its current form. The theory can account for the hereto-unexplained lack of temporal reliability of the wholist-analytic ratio and offers a practical solution to improve both the validity and stability of the ratio. This thesis offers partial support for the unidimensional perspective of style but makes strong links between reflective-impulsive style and part-whole processing preferences.
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Morcom, Alexandra. "The role of executive control in task switching." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/1983/d1108d24-de51-45e7-b3fe-49bdde78bacf.
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This thesis addressed the question of whether global, 'executive' control processes are involved in switching between discrete cognitive tasks. The involvement of executive working memory processes in the control of switching was examined, using a combination of cognitive and cognitive neuropsychological methods. In all studies, participants switched unpredictably between two simple tasks, and in some cases they also performed concurrent tasks. The focus throughout was on two putative areas of executive control that may influence task switching, goal-directed advance processing, and the suppression of interference between tasks. The first series of experiments explored whether the central executive of working memory is required to prepare for a task switch, but found no evidence that this is the case, whether an endogenous or an exogenous method of task cueing is used. The possibility was then raised that cognitive control does not just operate when the task switches, and a further study showed that this is, indeed, the case. However, two experiments using different task cueing methods did not reveal any evidence that executive processes in working memory carry out this control. It did, however, appear that the central executive is required for overall task performance, as opposed to task switching, when the method of cueing requires that participants keep track of and update information about which task is to be performed. The final study examined task switching and executive function in a group of patients with damage to the frontal lobes, and to posterior areas of the brain. Although a number of participants showed evidence of executive deficits, they had no difficulty in switching in a speeded response task. In conclusion, it is argued that local, rather than global, control processes are involved in switching tasks in the present paradigm, and implications are discussed for theories and investigation of executive control. 2
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Prat, Michèle. "Processus cognitifs et émotion : jugement et mémorisation de situations émotionnelles." Montpellier 3, 2001. http://www.theses.fr/2001MON30048.
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L'objectif de cette recherche est plus particulièrement d'analyser l'articulation entre émotion et cognition à partir d'une approche expérimentale qui repose d'une part sur l'utilisation d'un matériel visuel complexe et standardisé et, d'autre part, sur un contrôle des conditions dans lesquelles ces émotions sont produites. La recherche a été menée de manière longitudinale sur un même groupe de sujets soumis à trois phases expérimentales successives, séparées chacune par un intervalle de six mois. Les épreuves d'identification et de reconnaissance des émotions ont démontré l'excellente mémorisation à long terme du matériel expérimental (visuel ou verbal) lorsque celui-ci présente une signification émotionnelle pour le sujet. Par ailleurs, la contrainte cognitive imposée au sujet influence son expérience émotionnelle et modifie sa production par rapport aux autres conditions. Elle permet également une meilleure discrimination des émotions, en particulier, à partir de textes qu'ils n'ont pas eux-mêmes produits. Enfin, les sujets sont également capables d'identifier les stimuli qui ont provoqué l'expérience émotionnelle initiale chez d'autres individus, et ceci d'autant mieux que les contraintes cognitives ont été plus fortes. En conclusion de cette analyse,un nouveau modèle de jugement des émotions est proposé sous sa double facette irrationnelle (appréhension immédiate) et rationnelle (évaluation catégorielle). Un tel modèle pourrait, d'un point de vue méthodologique, renouveler les perspectives de l'évaluation cognitive [des émotions]<br>The objective of this research is to analyze more precisely the juncture between emotion and cognition from an experimental approach based on one hand on the use of a complex and standardized visual material to arouse emotions, and on the other hand a control of the conditions in which those emotions are produced. The research has been carried out in a longitudinal way on the same groupe of subjects submitted to three successive experimental phases, each one separated by a six month interval). The identification and emotional acknowledgment test have shown an excellent long term memorisation of the experimental material (whether visual or verbal) whenever this is emotionally significant to the subject. In other respects, the cognitive constraint imposed on the subject () influences his emotional experience and modifies his speech with regard to the other conditions. It also allows a better discrimination of emotions from texts the subject has not produced. Finally, the subjects were also able to identify the stimuli which provoked the initial emotional experience in other individuals, and this identification was even better when the cognitive constraints were stronger. To conclude this analysis, a new model of judgement of emotions is proposed and considered from both an irrational (immediate apprehension) and rational (categorical assessment) point of view. Such a model could, from a methodological point of view, provides a new perspective of the cognitive assessment (of emotions)
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Miermont, Jacques. "Les signes de l'autonomie dans la communication et la cognition." Aix-Marseille 3, 1993. http://www.theses.fr/1993AIX32008.
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Dans le cadre des developpements contemporains des sciences de la cognition et de la communication, c'est une etude synthetique des systemes complexes qui est ici proposee par une exploration conjointe des phenomenes autoreproducteurs qui les organisent (comportements representations affects, memorisations, organisations, decisions, relations), la ou ces phenomenes sont classiquement envisages de maniere independante et exclusive les uns des autres. A partir de la clinique des formes psychopathologiques complexes apprehendees par la psychanalyse etles therapies familiales, des hypotheses sont formulees pour l'evaluation des fonctions cognitives et des processus interactifs qui differencient les identites personnelles et collectives dazns un ecosysteme. Le self presente la propriete d'une entite a se referencer par rapport a elle-meme en faisant osciller cette autoreference avec l'aptitude a reconnaitre autrui comme un semblable, et un semblable comme different de soi. La theorie de l'autonomie se developpe au sein d'une meditation epistemologique qu'elle produit et qui la produit. On note l'importance des inferences abductives dans le deploiement de l'activite autonome, par la transformation mutuelle des procedures cognitives et des modalites de communication, garantes de l'epreuve de viabilite<br>In the frame of contemporary develpopments of the cognition and communication sciences, a synthetic study of complex systems is proposed, through patterns of connexion between autoreproducting phenomena which organize them (behaviors, representations, affects, memorisations, organisations, decisions, relationships), instead of the classical point of view according to which these phenomena must be separatly and exclusively scanned. From the clinic of complex psychopathologic states treated by psychoanalysis and family therapy, hypothesis are suggested about the the evaluation of cognitive fonctions and interactive processes which differenciate personal and collective identities in ecosystems. The self describes the ability of a system to refer to itself by the oscillation of autoreference and recognition of others as fellow creatures, and fellow creatures as different of the self. The theory of autonomy develops itself within an epistemological framework which is produced by an produces this theory. The autonomic activity unfolds abductive inferences, through mutual transformations of cognitive processes and communication modalities, which allow the experience of viability
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Li, Jun. "Genetic Granular Cognitive Fuzzy Neural Networks and Human Brains for Comparative Cognition." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2005. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/cs_theses/7.
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In this thesis, Genetic Granular Cognitive Fuzzy Neural Networks (GGCFNN), combining genetic algorithms (GA) and granular cognitive fuzzy neural networks (GCFNN), is proposed for pattern recognition problems. According to cognitive patterns, biological neural networks in the human brain can recognize different patterns. Since GA and neural networks represent two learning methods based on biological science, it is indispensable and valuable to investigate how biological neural networks and artificial neural networks recognize different patterns. The new GGCFNN, based on granular computing, soft computing and cognitive science, is used in the pattern recognition problems. The hybrid forward-wave-backward-wave learning algorithm, as a main learning technology in GCFNN, is used to enhance learning quality. GA optimizes parameters to make GGCFNN get better learning results. Both pattern recognition results generated by human persons and those by GGCFNN are analyzed in terms of computer science and cognitive science.
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Teufel, Christoph Rupert. "Mental attribution : its role in socio-cognitive development and adult social cognition." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2009. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.611347.
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Noonan, Krist Anthony. "Conceptualising the void : Bridging the gap between semantic cognition and cognitive control." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.517858.
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Soldati, Francesca. "Animal cognition meets ecosystem ecology : the impact of cognition on seed dispersal." Thesis, University of Lincoln, 2015. http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/23685/.
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Seed dispersal by endozoochory is important for the maintenance of plant populations and biodiversity. As a result, understanding the impact that frugivores’ activities have on seed dispersal is essential in order to better understand plant population dynamics. One factor that is known to affect an animal’s behaviour, yet has received little attention in this context, is animal cognition i.e. whether the information animals learn and remember affects where they access fruit and deposit seeds. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to address how animal learning and memory affects the seed dispersal process, using two key approaches – experimental tests of frugivore cognition, and a model paramaterised to examine the consequences of different cognitive abilities on seed dispersal. Three questions were investigated: (1) The “where?” - whether the ability of frugivores to relocate previously visited food sources impacts upon their movements and, as a consequence, on plants’ seed shadows. The spatial learning and memory of red-footed tortoises was tested using an egocentric task. Tortoises were able to navigate efficiently in the environment, and remembered the spatial location of food for at least two months. A seed dispersal model designed to test whether frugivores with different spatial memory skills differently affect plants’ seed shadow, suggested that animals with long spatial memory relocate more efficiently food sources than animals’ with shorter memory. As a consequence, animals with longer memory survived longer, dispersed a bigger amount of seeds, and moved less at random around the environment, all of which lead to different spatial distribution of deposited seeds. (2) The “What?” - whether seed dispersers’ discriminatory skills and memory affects their choice of fruit. Tortoises’ ability to discriminate between quantity and quality of food was tested. They were able to successfully discriminate between the visual cues indicating different types of food and remembered the task for at least 18 months. A seed dispersal model designed to II investigate whether the memory of quality and quantity of food affects seed dispersal showed that the ability to discriminate between the features of fruits and, in particular, the memory of those, allows animals to base their foraging decision on previous learned experiences, significantly increasing the amount of seed dispersed from the preferred fruit. (3) The “When?” - whether the ability to anticipate events, such as food availability, and learn about plants fruiting cycles affects plants’ seed shadows. Tortoises’ anticipatory skills were tested on a 24 h cycle. They were able to anticipate food delivery, showing an increase in activity immediately prior the scheduled food delivery time. A seed dispersal model designed to test the impact of timing on dispersal showed that animals that are able to anticipate cycles equal to or longer than plants’ fruiting cycle readily relocate food, survive longer and disperse more seeds than those with memory that doesn’t last as long as a fruiting cycle. Finally, I present a model parameterised with red-footed tortoise cognitive data, with the aim to test one of the characteristics that makes tortoises unusual as seed dispersal vectors: the use of gaps in the forest. The results suggest that the active use of gaps enhances the probability of seed deposition in gaps and deforested areas, making tortoises a possible reforestation “tool”. I have demonstrated that the study of frugivores’ cognition can help to build more reliable predictions of seed dispersal by endozoochory: cognition is probably the most effective way to understand and predict an animal’s choices and movements around the environment. Future research should incorporate cognition in the study seed dispersal via endozoochory to have more reliable predictions of plant dynamics.
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Saeedi, Hasti. "Extended Cognition and Brain-Bound Cognition: Exploring Both Sides of the Debate." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2021. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/27783.
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In this thesis, I address the question of where the disagreement between extended cognition theorists and intracranialists stems from. To lay out the state of the dialectic in the debate, Chapter 1 is dedicated to spelling out what the extended cognition view involves and reasons for supporting it. Chapter 2 is dedicated to spelling out what the intracranialist view involves and reasons for supporting it against extended cognition. In Chapter 3, I introduce my view, theoretical contextualism, as a two-dimensional framework that I claim should be used to characterise the debate, such that the reason there is a disagreement between the parties is because of their internal, theoretical contexts. In short, the parties are psychologically the same in regards to primary intension of ‘cognition’, yet are psychologically different in regards to secondary intension. In Chapter 4, I explore the potential explanatory virtues of the two views, and claim that they are views which are not incompatible with one another. Rather, I claim, under the framework of explanatory holism, that they are perhaps equally useful explanations for cognition, insofar as proponents of each party are asking distinct, worthwhile questions, with different answers given their different theoretical contexts. I explore whether the two different models of cognition pick out different natural kinds, and suggest that the question of whether cognition extends should be replaced by the question of which kind we should prefer, relative to a particular theoretical context. I conclude by suggesting that future research into extended cognition and intracranialism steer away from which view is determinedly correct, and toward what explanatory virtues they have in service of cognitive science. I claim this, because I ultimately think that the different questions and answers pertaining to the parties can play an important role in coming to a holistic, rich understanding of cognition as a whole.
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Laplante, Louise S. "Humour, cognition et société : vers un modèle socio-cognitif des blagues encadrées." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/5114.
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