Computational models of the “active self” and its disturbances in schizophrenia

The notion that self-disorders are at the root of the emergence of schizophrenia rather than a symptom of the disease, is getting more traction in the cognitive sciences. This is in line with philosophical approaches that consider an enactive self, constituted through action and interaction with the environment. We thereby analyze different definitions of the self and evaluate various computational theories lending to these ideas. Bayesian and predictive processing are promising approaches for computational modeling of the “active self”. We evaluate their implementation and challenges in computational psychiatry and cognitive developmental robotics. We describe how and why embodied robotic systems provide a valuable tool in psychiatry to assess, validate, and simulate mechanisms of self-disorders. Specifically, mechanisms involving sensorimotor learning, prediction, and self-other distinction, can be assessed with artificial agents. This link can provide essential insights to the formation of the self and new avenues in the treatment of psychiatric disorders.     

The effectiveness of cognitive behavioral group intervention on depression and anxiety in patients with type II diabetes

IntroductionDepression and anxiety are important risk factors for diabetes and high blood pressure.ObjectiveThis study investigated the effectiveness of the Cognitive-Behavioral Group Intervention for Diabetes Disease (CBGI-DD) in reducing depression and anxiety in female patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).MethodThe CBGI-DD program includes 12 weekly 2.5 h sessions, spread weekly over the course of 3 months. The present study was semi-experimental and controlled, with assessments at pre-test and post-test. It included diagnostic criteria for the diagnosis of T2D in the patient's medical records by a diabetes specialist. Participants (62 female volunteers aged 25 to 75 years) were randomly allocated to a control or test group. Both groups responded to the Second edition of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) before (pretest) and immediately after the intervention (posttest). Participants in the test group received CBGI-DD (from April up to the end of September 2018) at Mashhad Diabetes Center. The control group received only medical care during this period.ResultsAn analysis of covariance showed that compared to the control group, the test group had a significant reduction in anxiety and depression from pre-test to post-test (p < 0.05). It was compared post-test scores between the two groups, controlling for pre-test scores.ConclusionThe CBGI-DD program seems to be effective in reducing anxiety and depression in female patients with T2D. However, further research exploring the potential for long-term improvements in depression and anxiety is needed.     

An empirical investigation into carpooling behaviour for sustainability

Carpooling is a sustainable, economical, and environmental friendly solution that can significantly reduce air pollution and traffic congestion in urban areas. In spite of its numerous benefits, commuters are still skeptic about adopting it as a routine choice for transportation. This study attempts to map commuters’ attitude towards carpooling services. The study has focused on a few motivational constructs that can have an influence on commuters’ behavior. The study has looked at the role of cognitive complexity and empowerment perceptions of commuters to check if these constructs significantly intervene in the behavioral outcomes. The methodology used is a scenario-based 2 × 2 survey design where the sample is an individual who has experience with carpooling. The survey has used two levels (high, low) each of cognitive complexity and psychological empowerment to give rise to four scenarios. The final sample consisted of 400 carpoolers selected from an IT park having more than 5000 employees. MANOVA analysis showed that cognitive complexity and psychological empowerment had significant influence on the motivational constructs used in the study. Value beliefs, safety and platform quality perceptions were found to have a direct impact on attitude formation and intention to engage in carpooling behavior. The findings offer many implications for managers in the sense that that they can focus on creating suitable communication that creates favorable perceptions towards carpooling to bring about better adoption intentions.     

Effect of advanced driver-assistance system trainings on driver workload,knowledge, and trust

Older adults are more likely to get severely injured or die in vehicle crashes. Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) can reduce their risk of crashes; however, due to the lack of knowledge and training, usage rate of these systems among older drivers is limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of two ADAS training approaches (i.e., video-based and demonstration-based training) on older drivers’ subjective and objective measures of mental workload, knowledge and trust considering drivers’ demographic information. Twenty older adults, balanced by gender, participated in a driving simulation study. Results indicated that the video-based training might be more effective for females in reducing their mental workload while driving, whereas the demonstration-based training could be more beneficial for males. There was no significant difference between the video-based and demonstration-based trainings in terms of drivers’ trust and knowledge of automation. The findings suggested that ADAS training protocols can potentially be more effective if they are tailored to specific driver demographics.     

Distracted driving caused by voice message apps: A series of experimental studies

Hand-free voice message apps are frequently used by young people while driving. Previous studies have identified voice message apps as a common source of driving distraction. To quantitatively evaluate the factors contributing to driving distractions, three simulated driving experiments were designed using a dual-task experimental paradigm. In Experiment 1, participants completed several common tasks related to voice messages in WeChat with or without manual operations (perceptual-motor distraction). Experiments 2 and 3 further took into consideration the cognitive distraction level, measured by task difficulty and task frequency. The results showed that, in comparison with undistracted driving, the perceptual-motor distraction related to voice message app use significantly (ps < 0.05) weakened young drivers’ driving performance with respect to the standard deviation of lateral position (SDLP) between two cars (0.24 m), response time (0.21 s) and error rate (0.12) to turning lights, and collision percentage (0.54%), similar to the effects induced by non-voice-based apps. There were also significant differences (ps < 0.05) between driving with secondary tasks with and without continuous manual operations in the SDLP between two cars (0.19 m) and in the response time (0.18 s) and error rate (0.10) to turning lights, which indicates that the distracting effect produced by voice-message apps comes from the related manual operations. The effects of cognitive distraction on driving performance mainly depended on task difficulty level. High-difficulty secondary tasks via a voice message app significantly (ps < 0.05) weakened the driving performance in response time (by 0.13 s and 0.13 s compared to low-difficulty and baseline conditions, respectively) and error rate (by 0.07 and 0.07 compared to low-difficulty and baseline conditions, respectively) to turning lights and collision percentage (by 0.90% and 0.80% compared to low-difficulty and baseline conditions, respectively). The findings provide a theoretical reference for analysing the distracting components of voice messages and suggest that drivers should limit the use of these kinds of apps during driving.     

Cognitive control models of multiple access IoT networks using LoRa technology

In this paper,we propose a random-access model for describing several wireless communication technologies. These networks have found application in the construction of wireless sensor networks, and the proposed model can be used for flows with different properties, considering the corresponding distribution functions. The model considers the technical features of the LoRa technology and subscriber traffic. We also address the management of random multiple wireless access in a Software-Defined Networking (SDN) like control architectures, and proposing a model for flows with different properties, considering the corresponding distribution functions. We develop a method for optimizing the parameters of an access network by the probability of data delivery. Then we describe the probability of bit error, frame loss, collision, and the choice of network parameters considering the heterogeneity of conditions for different users. Numerical results show the efficiency of our proposed scheme by maintaining the required network parameters in case of its function conditions changing.     

Cognitive Evaluation of Machine Learning Agents

Advances in applying statistical Machine Learning (ML) led to several claims of human-level or near-human performance in tasks such as image classification & speech recognition. Such claims are unscientific primarily for two reasons, (1) They incorrectly enforce the notion that task-specific performance can be treated as manifestation of General Intelligence and (2) They are not verifiable as currently there is no set benchmark for measuring human-like cognition in a machine learning agent. Moreover, ML agent’s performance is influenced by knowledge ingested in it by its human designers. Therefore, agent’s performance may not necessarily reflect its true cognition. In this paper, we propose a framework that draws parallels from human cognition to measure machine’s cognition. Human cognitive learning is quite well studied in developmental psychology with frameworks and metrics in place to measure actual learning. To either believe or refute the claims of human-level performance of machine learning agent, we need scientific methodology to measure its cognition. Our framework formalizes incremental implementation of human-like cognitive processes in ML agents with an implicit goal to measure it. The framework offers guiding principles for measuring, (1) Task-specific machine cognition and (2) General machine cognition that spans across tasks. The framework also provides guidelines for building domain-specific task taxonomies to cognitively profile tasks. We demonstrate application of the framework with a case study where two ML agents that perform Vision and NLP tasks are cognitively evaluated.     

An expanded model for perceptual visual single object recognition system using expectation priming following neuroscientific evidence

Under numerous circumstances, humans recognize visual objects in their environment with remarkable response times and accuracy. Existing artificial visual object recognition systems have not yet surpassed human vision, especially in its universality of application. We argue that modeling the recognition process in an exclusive feedforward manner hinders those systems’ performance. To bridge that performance gap between them and human vision, we present a brief review of neuroscientific data, which suggests that considering an agent’s internal influences (from cognitive systems that peripherally interact with visual-perceptual processes) recognition can be improved. Then, we propose a model for visual object recognition which uses these systems’ information, such as affection, for generating expectation to prime the object recognition system, thus reducing its execution times. Later, an implementation of the model is described. Finally, we present and discuss an experiment and its results.     

Decision-making bioinspired model for target definition and “satisfactor” selection for physiological needs

Every person, from an early age, has to make decisions to resolve situations that arise in life. In general, different people make different decisions in the same situation, since decision-making takes into account different factors such as age, emotional state, experience, among others. We can make decisions about situations that we classify as: more important than others, routine, unexpected, or trivial. However, making the correct decision(s) in a timely manner for these situations is one of the most complex and delicate challenges that human beings face. This is due to the arduous mental process required to be carried out. Providing such behavior to a virtual entity is possible through the use of Cognitive Architectures (CAs). CAs are an approach for modeling human intelligence and behavior. This paper presents an functional bioinspired computational decision-making model to satisfy the physiological needs of hunger and thirst. Our proposal considers as black boxes other cognitive functions that are part of a general CA (named Cuäyöllötl or brain in Nahuatl). In the proposed case study, it is proved that the decision-making process plays an essential role in determining the objective and selecting the object that satisfies the established need.     

Declarative working memory: A bio-inspired cognitive architecture proposal

Memory is considered one of the most important functions since it allows us to code, store and retrieve knowledge. These qualities make it an indispensable function for a virtual creature. In general, memory can be classified based on the durability of the stored data in working memory and long-term memory. Working memory refers to the capacity to maintain temporarily a limited amount of information in mind, which can then be used to support various abilities, including learning, reasoning, planning and decision-making. Unlike short-term memory, working memory is not only a storage site, but it is also a framework of interacting processes that involve the temporary storage and manipulation of information in the service of performing complex cognitive activities. Declarative memory is a type of long-term memory related with the storage of facts and events. This research focuses on the development of a cognitive architecture for the type of working memory that maintains and manipulates declarative information. The construction of the model was grounded in theoretical evidence taken from cognitive sciences such as neuroscience and psychology, which gave us the components and their processes. The model was evaluated through a case study that covers the encoding, storing, and retrieval stages. Our hypothesis is that a virtual creature endowed with our working memory model will provide faster access to the information needed for the ongoing task. Therefore, it improves the planning and decision-making processes.