{"title":"Auditory facilitation in deterministic versus stochastic worlds.","authors":"Berfin Bastug, Urte Roeber, Erich Schröger","doi":"10.1080/17588928.2025.2497762","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17588928.2025.2497762","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The brain learns statistical regularities in sensory sequences, enhancing behavioral performance for predictable stimuli while impairing behavioral performance for unpredictable stimuli. While previous research has shown that violations of non-informative regularities hinder task performance, it remains unclear whether predictable but task-irrelevant structures can facilitate performance. In a tone duration discrimination task, we manipulated the task-irrelevant pitch dimension by varying transition probabilities (TP) between successive tone frequencies. Participants judged duration, while pitch sequences were either deterministic (a rule-governed pitch pattern, TP = 1) or stochastic (no discernible pitch pattern, TP = 1/number of pitch levels). The tone pitch was task-irrelevant and it did not predict duration. Results showed that reaction times (RTs) were significantly faster for deterministic sequences, suggesting that predictability in a task-irrelevant dimension still facilitates task performance. RTs were also faster in two-tone sequences compared to eight-tone sequences, likely due to reduced memory load. These findings suggest that statistical learning benefits extend beyond task-relevant dimensions, supporting a predictive coding framework in which the brain integrates predictable sensory input to optimize cognitive processing.</p>","PeriodicalId":10413,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"1-7"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143969935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Beyond Markov: Transformers, memory, and attention.","authors":"Thomas Parr, Giovanni Pezzulo, Karl Friston","doi":"10.1080/17588928.2025.2484485","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17588928.2025.2484485","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper asks what predictive processing models of brain function can learn from the success of transformer architectures. We suggest that the reason transformer architectures have been successful is that they implicitly commit to a non-Markovian generative model - in which we need memory to contextualize our current observations and make predictions about the future. Interestingly, both the notions of working memory in cognitive science and transformer architectures rely heavily upon the concept of attention. We will argue that the move beyond Markov is crucial in the construction of generative models capable of dealing with much of the sequential data - and certainly language - that our brains contend with. We characterize two broad approaches to this problem - deep temporal hierarchies and autoregressive models - with transformers being an example of the latter. Our key conclusions are that transformers benefit heavily from their use of embedding spaces that place strong metric priors on an implicit latent variable and utilize this metric to direct a form of attention that highlights the most relevant, and not only the most recent, previous elements in a sequence to help predict the next.</p>","PeriodicalId":10413,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"1-19"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143984568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Visuo-spatial working memory abilities modulate mental rotation: Evidence from event-related potentials.","authors":"Binglei Zhao, Sergio Della Sala, Elena Gherri","doi":"10.1080/17588928.2024.2409715","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17588928.2024.2409715","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the present study, we investigated whether differences in spatial working memory (SWM) abilities - assessed through the Corsi block task (CBT) - impact the processes of mental rotation (MR) engaged during a classic letter rotation task. Based on the median split of their scores in the CBT, participants were divided into a higher and a lower SWM group. Behavioral and electrophysiological data were recorded while participants completed the MR task and were compared across groups. Higher error rates were observed in individuals with lower than higher SWM scores, while no RT differences emerged. Systematic group differences were observed before and during the MR process of canonical letters. A delayed onset of the event-related potential (ERP) rotation-related negativity (RRN), a reliable psychophysiological marker for MR processes, was observed in the lower SWM group for all rotation angles, suggesting that a longer time is needed to generate a mental representation of familiar stimuli in individuals with lower SWM scores. Furthermore, a delayed RRN offset indicating the end of the MR process and longer RRN durations suggesting longer MR processes were found for letters with larger rotation angles (i.e. 120°, 150°) in individuals with lower SWM scores on canonical character trials. These observed group differences provided evidence for the debated issue of the interaction between SWM and MR, suggesting that SWM plays a role in both the initial phase to generate the mental representation of familiar objects and during the MR process, especially for larger angles.</p>","PeriodicalId":10413,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142459575","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cognitive NeurosciencePub Date : 2024-07-01Epub Date: 2024-09-21DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2024.2403340
Guy Dove
{"title":"How to build a better 4E cognition.","authors":"Guy Dove","doi":"10.1080/17588928.2024.2403340","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17588928.2024.2403340","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mougenot and Matheson outline a theoretical approach to cognitive neuroscience that combines the commitments of embodied cognition with a mechanistic approach to scientific explanation. They argue that this theoretical approach provides several general benefits, including enabling researchers to develop more robust theories and ontologies that do not require either neuroscientific reductionism or the complete autonomy of psychology from neuroscience. In this commentary, I argue that the sort of embodied cognitive neuroscience that they envision has a more specific benefit: it has the potential to help resolve internal tensions within 4E cognition.</p>","PeriodicalId":10413,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"104-105"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142281404","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cognitive NeurosciencePub Date : 2024-07-01Epub Date: 2024-09-21DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2024.2403339
Shaun Gallagher
{"title":"Mosaic or kaleidoscope: tensions between mereology and etiology.","authors":"Shaun Gallagher","doi":"10.1080/17588928.2024.2403339","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17588928.2024.2403339","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ecological and enactive approaches to embodied cognition endorse a concept of constitution that involves dynamical causality. I argue that this is a challenge for new mechanistic accounts which hold to a strict distinction between causality and constitution.</p>","PeriodicalId":10413,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"106-107"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142281407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cognitive NeurosciencePub Date : 2024-07-01Epub Date: 2024-09-21DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2024.2405190
Emiko J Muraki, Penny M Pexman
{"title":"Incorporating individual differences into a mechanistic embodied cognitive neuroscience.","authors":"Emiko J Muraki, Penny M Pexman","doi":"10.1080/17588928.2024.2405190","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17588928.2024.2405190","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The review article <i>Theoretical strategies for an embodied cognitive neuroscience</i> proposes that the embodied cognition framework can be applied to develop mechanistic explanations for cognitive neuroscience phenomena. In our commentary we argue that any mechanistic explanation of such phenomena must be able to account for individual differences in cognition that are an inevitable consequence of the varied brain-body-environment experiences that comprise embodied cognition. We propose that, while mechanistic accounts may be able to model individual differences, the definition of mechanistic models may limit their application to the study of individual differences.</p>","PeriodicalId":10413,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"117-118"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142281405","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cognitive NeurosciencePub Date : 2024-07-01Epub Date: 2024-10-03DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2024.2411317
Loïc P Heurley
{"title":"The diversity of possible constitutive components in cognitive neurosciences.","authors":"Loïc P Heurley","doi":"10.1080/17588928.2024.2411317","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17588928.2024.2411317","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>I aim to discuss which constitutive components are essential for explaining how the mind works. Rather than focusing on some specific components, I emphasize their diversity. Thus, I seek to complement the recent mechanistic proposal by underscoring that researchers should remain open-minded about which constitutive components should be investigated.</p>","PeriodicalId":10413,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","volume":"15 3-4","pages":"108-110"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142371149","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cognitive NeurosciencePub Date : 2024-07-01Epub Date: 2024-09-23DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2024.2405193
Carla E Cao, Vicente Raja
{"title":"Mechanisms after the end of New Mechanism.","authors":"Carla E Cao, Vicente Raja","doi":"10.1080/17588928.2024.2405193","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17588928.2024.2405193","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mougenot and Matheson provide an interesting analysis on how some core ideas of the 'New Mechanists' - the proponents of a normative framework for scientific explanations based on the identification and description of mechanisms - might be relevant for the development of an embodied approach to cognitive neuroscience. Although we are highly sympathetic to such an approach, we struggle to identify the benefits of adopting the notion of mechanism for such enterprise.</p>","PeriodicalId":10413,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"100-101"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142307255","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cognitive NeurosciencePub Date : 2024-07-01Epub Date: 2024-09-30DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2024.2403348
Fernando Marmolejo-Ramos, Julian Tejada, Alejandra Ciria, Francisco Cruz, Juan F Cardona
{"title":"Advancing mechanistic explanations through natural and artificial embodied cognitive systems.","authors":"Fernando Marmolejo-Ramos, Julian Tejada, Alejandra Ciria, Francisco Cruz, Juan F Cardona","doi":"10.1080/17588928.2024.2403348","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17588928.2024.2403348","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mougenot and Matheson propose that mechanistic models can explain behavior by describing the complex interactions among components of the brain, body, and environment as an integrated system, which aligns with embodied cognition. However, we suggest incorporating cognitive ontology theory and addressing degeneracy and neuronal reuse. We also recommend studying natural embodied cognition through artificial systems to develop a comprehensive mechanistic framework.</p>","PeriodicalId":10413,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"111-113"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142342873","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cognitive NeurosciencePub Date : 2024-07-01Epub Date: 2024-09-30DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2024.2405591
Matthieu M de Wit
{"title":"Separating minimal from radical embodied cognitive neuroscience.","authors":"Matthieu M de Wit","doi":"10.1080/17588928.2024.2405591","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17588928.2024.2405591","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mougenot and Matheson (2024) make a compelling case for the development of a mechanistic cognitive neuroscience that is embodied. However, their analysis of extant work under this header plays down important distinctions between 'minimal' and 'radical' embodiment. The former remains firmly neurocentric and therefore has limited potential to move the needle in understanding the functional contributions of neural dynamics to cognition in the context of wider organism-environment dynamics.</p>","PeriodicalId":10413,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"102-103"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142342875","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}