Evaluating Explanations in Law, Science, and Everyday Life

ABSTRACT— This article reviews a theory of explanatory coherence that provides a psychologically plausible account of how people evaluate competing explanations. The theory is implemented in a computational model that uses simple artificial neural networks to simulate many important cases of scientific and legal reasoning. Current research directions include extensions to emotional thinking and implementation in more biologically realistic neural networks.     

Expresiones faciales de la emoción

RESUMEN

En este trabajo Ekman y Oster sintetizan los estudios acerca de las expresiones faciales de la emoción. Comienzan presentando los datos observados y las cuestiones pendientes de los estudios transculturale s y evolutivos, centrándose a continuación en el repaso de las mediciones faciales llevadas a cabo desde diversas perspectivas, en las cuestiones relativas a la exactitud de la información proporcionada por la expresión y en los trabajos sobre retroalimentación facial. La última parte se reserva a la exposición del control neural y correlatos autónomos de la expresión facial, cerrando su síntesis con una visión prometedora de las aportaciones de investigaciones futuras en este campo a otras áreas de la psicología y citando varios hallazgos que muestran cómo el estudio de la expresión facial puede ayudar a entender algunos de los aspectos prácticos de la interacción social.     

自我控制对欺骗的影响

自我控制是欺骗识别中一种重要的动机线索。但无论是在识别欺骗中, 自我控制扮演的动机线索角色, 还是在欺骗行为中, 自我控制扮演的监管机制的角色, 其认知机制和神经基础还不完全清楚。自我控制能力与自我控制资源对欺骗的影响也是不一样的, 而这些影响的神经基础也还没有完全破解。因此, 有必要结合行为、事件相关电位(ERP)及功能性磁共振(fMRI)等多种技术手段来考察识别欺骗和欺骗行为中自我控制能力和自我控制资源在欺骗中的作用及其心理机制。旨在探求在识别欺骗中是识别他人自我控制能力, 还是识别他人自我控制资源在起主要作用; 欺骗行为中是自我控制能力, 还是自我控制资源在起主要作用; 自我控制资源对欺骗行为的影响是符合能量耗竭观, 还是符合能量保存观。     

QEEG markers of superior shooting performance in skilled marksmen: An investigation of cortical activity on psychomotor efficiency hypothesis

For elite performers, psychomotor behavior's success or failure can be traced to differences in brain dynamics. The psychomotor efficiency hypothesis suggests refined cortical activity through 1) selective activation of task-relevant processes and 2) inhibition of non-essential processes. The use of electroencephalography (EEG) has been applied to investigate psychomotor performance's neural processes. The EEG markers that reflect an elevation of psychomotor efficiency include left temporal alpha (T3 alpha), frontal midline theta (Fm theta), sensorimotor rhythm (SMR), and the coherence between frontal and left temporal regions. However, the relationship between elite performers' task-relevant and non-essential neural processes is still not well understood. Therefore, this study aimed to explore how each task-relevant and inhibition of non-essential processes contribute to superior psychomotor behavior. Thirty-five highly skilled marksmen were recruited to perform 30 shots in the shooting task while the EEG was recorded. The marksmen were divided into two groups (superior & inferior) based on a median split of shooting performance. The superior group exhibited higher accuracy and precision, with a reduction in movement jerk. EEG measures revealed that the superior group exhibited higher SMR before the trigger pull than the inferior group. In addition, the superior group demonstrated reduced Fz-T3 coherence in their bull's eye shots than the missed shots. These results suggest that the superior group exhibited less effortful engagement of task-relevant processes and lower interference from non-essential cortical regions than the inferior group. The study's overall findings support the psychomotor efficiency hypothesis. When comparing highly skilled performers, the slight differences in brain dynamics ultimately contribute to the success or failure of psychomotor performance.     

决策信心的认知机制与神经基础

决策信心是指在进行判断或决策时, 个体对其决策最优性或正确性的信心程度。决策信心的单过程理论认为决策与信心评估是并行的同一加工过程; 而决策后理论认为决策和信心评估是串行的两个加工过程。决策信心存在两种典型的偏差效应：过分自信和信心不足。决策信心的神经机制研究指出, 信心评估可能是决策过程中最基本并且普遍存在的一个成分; 对决策信心评估敏感的脑区包括扣带回、背外侧前额叶和顶上小叶等。未来研究应该在决策信心产生的机制、信心与决策如何交互的心理及神经机制等领域展开大量研究。     

脑干诱发电位在言语感知研究中的应用

脑干诱发电位是一种考察听觉脑干加工声音信号时神经活动的非侵入性技术, 近年来被广泛用于探索言语感知的神经基础。相关研究主要集中在考察成年人和正常发展儿童语音编码时脑干的活动特征及发展模式, 探讨发展性阅读障碍及其他语言损伤的语音编码缺陷及其神经表现等方面。在已有研究的基础上进一步探索初级语音编码和高级言语加工之间的相互作用机制, 考察阅读障碍的底层神经基础将成为未来该技术在言语感知研究中应用的重点。     

Synthetic Neuroethology

Computation and philosophy intersect three times in this essay. Computation is considered as an object, as a method, and as a model used in a certain line of philosophical inquiry concerning the relation of mind to matter. As object, the question considered is whether computation and related notions of mental representation constitute the best ways to conceive of how physical systems give rise to mental properties. As method and model, the computational techniques of artificial life and embodied evolutionary connectionism are used to conduct prosthetically enhanced thought experiments concerning the evolvability of mental representations. Central to this essay is a discussion of the computer simulation and evolution of three-dimensional synthetic animals with neural network controllers. The minimally cognitive behavior of finding food by exhibiting positive chemotaxis is simulated with swimming and walking creatures. These simulations form the basis of a discussion of the evolutionary and neurocomputational bases of the incremental emergence of more complex forms of cognition. Other related work has been used to attack computational and representational theories of cognition. In contrast, I argue that the proper understanding of the evolutionary emergence of minimally cognitive behaviors is computational and representational through and through.     

内隐序列学习的研究进展

内隐序列学习是内隐学习的一种重要形式。该文回顾和总结了内隐序列学习研究的诸多方面,包括内隐序列学习的一般影响因素、内隐序列学习与意识的关系、内隐序列学习的心理机制、序列知识的心理表征、序列学习的神经基础,以及内隐序列学习与年龄的关系等,并对最近可能进行的研究进行了展望。     

旋律语调疗法及其对失语症的临床应用

失语症是当今人类面临的一个重要的健康问题。旋律语调疗法被认为是治疗失语症的有效手段之一。传统旋律语调疗法强调严格的程序和材料,改编版本则依据患者情况进行调整,二者均能提高失语症者的自发言语产生、言语复述以及命名等能力。研究还表明,旋律语调疗法不仅能提高失语症者相关脑区的激活水平,而且也能通过影响失语症者的相关神经结构改善其言语功能。未来研究需要进一步确定该疗法的干预机制及其对汉语失语症的适用性。     

社会互动视角下人际公平形成的脑机制

最后通牒博弈任务被广泛用以探究公平行为, 以往研究大多集中于对博弈中某一方决策行为和神经机制的探讨, 但是人际公平可能是互动双方重复博弈的结果。因此只考察单个大脑活动, 并不足以揭示由互动双方共同完成的社会认知活动的脑机制。因此, 本研究结合修改版的最后通牒博弈任务和基于fNIRS的超扫描技术, 从群体脑水平上考察人际公平形成的脑机制。行为结果显示, 相比无惩罚条件, 惩罚下提议者的分配金额更高, 且惩罚力度越强, 分配越趋近公平分配。fNIRS的结果显示, 惩罚下右侧背外侧前额叶皮层、顶下小叶和颞-顶联合区的脑间活动同步性显著强于无惩罚条件, 而且两条件的分配金额差异越大, 右侧顶下小叶的脑间活动同步性差异也越大。综上, 脑间活动同步性可以作为惩罚下人际公平形成的客观脑指标, 研究为探讨人际公平的内在机制提供了新的视角。