Cognitive Subsystems Research Articles

Falling and rising in the vortex of cancer: children’s adaptation with cancer: a qualitative study

BackgroundCancer is a considerable health problem worldwide and the second leading cause of death in children. It has many physical, psychological, and social consequences for children and their families. The ability to adapt to cancer plays a vital role in the recovery and quality of life of affected children. This study aimed to explain the adaptation of children with cancer to their disease.MethodsThis qualitative study adopted the directed content analysis approach based on the Roy nursing model. The participants were nine children with cancer aged 6–18 years old, five family members, four nurses, one doctor, one teacher, and two charity association members, recruited by purposive sampling method. The information was collected via individual semi-structured interviews, a focus group discussion, and field notes. The data were analyzed simultaneously with data collection using the Elo and Kyngäs method. The study rigor was ensured based on the Guba and Lincoln criteria.FindingsOf the four categories of physical challenges, fragile self-concept, the difficulty of role transition, and disruption of the path to independence, the theme of Falling and rising in the cancer vortex was abstracted.ConclusionBased on the Roy model, the children in the present study were at the compensatory level of adaptation. This research demonstrates that the adaptation of children being treated for cancer is fragile and not constant. With each hospitalization and exacerbation of the disease, they made efforts to adapt to their disease using regulatory and cognitive subsystems. Paying attention to different stimulants and the effects of support systems on physical challenges, fragile self-concept, difficult role transition, and disruption of the path to independence for each child, as well as providing individualized care for these children, can help their adaptation to and healthy transition from the vortex of cancer. The Roy adaptation model was helpful and efficient for elucidating the adaptation of children with cancer. Providing care for children by healthcare specialists, especially nurses, should be theory-based and individualized.

The Role of Cognitive Architectures in the Modelling of Human Virtue

There has been increasing interest in virtue, both from the perspective of theology, and from human sciences such as psychology. This paper focuses on the possibility of modelling human virtue computationally, in terms of a particular cognitive architecture, Philip Barnard’s Interacting Cognitive Subsystems. It is unusual in being a macro cognitive architecture; it has been formulated with a computational level of precision; and its evolutionary development has been described. Though it is possible that computers could acquire virtue in a distinctive way, the focus here is on modelling human-like virtue. That needs to be grounded in empirical research on human moral functioning, and research is discussed on two main topics: whether or not virtue functions as a cross-situational, characterological trait; and the tendency of virtue to fragment into components such as values and behaviour which are only weakly connected. An important feature of Interacting Cognitive Subsystems is the distinction between two different modes of central cognition, one intuitive-embodied and the other conceptual. The interplay between these two different modes of cognition in the acquisition of virtue is discussed.

Interaction between multisensory information and emotional activation in video‐facilitated psychotherapy

AbstractBackgroundEmotional activation is regarded as central in psychotherapy. We have developed a method called VideoTalk, in which patients video themselves at home according to the therapist's instructions, and the videos are watched together in the therapy session. The aim of the study was to find out whether watching and listening to a video in psychotherapy readily activates the patient's emotions.MethodsThe video material was analysed by theory‐based content analysis using the interacting cognitive subsystems (ICS) theory. The ICS theory suggests a link between sensory information and emotions and describes two levels of meaning: propositional and implicational. The implicational level gains information from the propositional level and directly from perceptions and is central to the activation of emotions. Five patients participated in our schema therapy‐based intervention. Our material included videos of 10 therapy sessions, in which the patient and the therapist watched a video made by the patient at home in a state of helplessness. Watching the video in the session was performed in parts, and between watching periods, there were observation phases consisting of discussion about what the patient had seen and heard on the video and how it affected them. Our data included 38 observation phases, and in 35 of these, the patient verbalised an emotion after watching the video. The implicational level was involved in almost all observation phases in which the patient verbalised emotions.ResultsOur findings are in line with the hypothesis that added multisensory information via video enhances input to the implicational level and therefore emotional activation in psychotherapy. This is a possible mechanism by which the use of VideoTalk could facilitate the psychotherapy process.

Task-relevant brain dynamics among cognitive subsystems induced by regional stimulation in a whole-brain computational model.

Cognition involves the global integration of distributed brain regions that are known to work cohesively as cognitive subsystems during brain functioning. Empirical evidence has suggested that spatiotemporal phase relationships between brain regions, measured as synchronization and metastability, may encode important task-relevant information. However, it remains largely unknown how phase relationships aggregate at the level of cognitive subsystems under different cognitive processing. Here, we probe this question by simulating task-relevant brain dynamics through regional stimulation of a whole-brain dynamical network model operating in the resting-state dynamical regime. The model is constructed with structurally embedded Stuart-Laudon oscillators and then fitted with human resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data. Based on this framework, we first demonstrate the plausibility of introducing the cognitive system partition into the modeling analysis framework by showing that the clustering of regions across functional networks is better circumscribed by the predefined partition. At the cognitive subsystem level, we focus on how task-relevant phase dynamics are organized in terms of synchronization and metastability. We found that patterns of cognitive synchronization are more task specific, whereas patterns of cognitive metastability are more consistent across different states, suggesting it may encode a more task-general property during cognitive processing, an inherent property conferred by brain organization. This consistent network architecture in cognitive metastability may be related to the distinct functional responses of realistic cognitive systems. We also provide empirical evidence to partially support our computational results. Our paper may provide insights for the mechanisms underlying task-relevant brain dynamics, and establish a model-based link between brain structure, dynamics, and cognition, a fundamental step for computationally aided brain interventions.

RESHAPING THE HEART‐MIND: A RESPONSE TO ROWAN WILLIAMS

AbstractThis article suggests that themes in Williams’ (2023) analysis of attention and contemplation resonate powerfully with current thinking in cognitive science. By changing how we pay attention, we can change the shape, or underlying configuration, of the heart‐mind. This is the core process in mindfulness and contemplation. The Interacting Cognitive Subsystems (ICS) analysis suggests this involves a shift in the balance between conceptual knowing and holistic‐intuitive knowing.

Is There ‘Spiritual Intelligence’? An Evaluation of Strong and Weak Proposals

The debate about whether, and in what sense, there is ‘spiritual intelligence’ remains unresolved. We suggest it will be helpful to make a distinction between strong and weak versions of the claim. The strong version proposes that there is a separate and distinct spiritual intelligence that meets the criteria set out by Howard Gardner in his ‘multiple intelligences’ framework. This involves evidence from neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, individual differences, experimental tasks, and psychometrics. We review the relevant evidence and conclude that there is no support for the strong proposal. The weak version of the claim assumes that the intelligence that is apparent in spiritual contexts is the same as is found elsewhere, but it is nevertheless deployed in a distinctive way. We suggest that the evidence supports the claim, and we review six key marks of spiritual intelligence: ineffability, embodiment, open-minded attention, pattern-seeking meaning-making, participation, and relationality. Our approach makes use of a cognitive architecture, Interacting Cognitive Subsystems (ICS), which has been proved useful in modelling spiritual practices. It will be helpful in the future to bring this approach into dialogue with other scientific approaches to spiritual intelligence from psychometrics and from experimental research.

A case for somatic practices as embodied mindfulness

Presenting convergences between mindfulness and somatic practices, this article makes a case for somatic practices as embodied mindfulness. It discusses historical origins as well as brief comments supporting some shared value systems and qualities espoused in both practices. After giving an overview of embodied cognition theory and the Interacting Cognitive Subsystems model, I trace how developing expertise in both somatic and mindfulness practices create the same cognitive repatterning to support the argument that somatics is a field of embodied mindfulness practices.

Rapid phonotactic constraint learning in ageing: evidence from speech errors

ABSTRACT Older adults are able to implicitly pick up structural regularities in the environment despite declining cognitive abilities. Here, we investigated elderly’s abilities to implicitly pick up novel linguistic constraints in speech production. Across four training days, young and healthy older Dutch-speaking adults were asked to rapidly recite Dutch phonotactic syllables. Two unrestricted consonants were experimentally constrained to onset or coda positions depending on the medial vowel. Analysis of speech errors revealed rapid adherence to the novel second-order constraints in both the younger and the older group. However, in the older group, there was weaker trial-specific learning compared to the younger group, potentially due to explicit memory deficits. Strikingly, the error pattern of the elderly mirrors earlier developmental work with children using the same paradigm. The findings are discussed in light of possible age-dependent differences in implicit and explicit cognitive subsystems underlying human skill learning.

Mind the food: behavioural characteristics and imaging signatures of the specific handling of food objects

In our world with nearly omnipresent availability of attractive and palatable high-calorie food, the struggle against overweight and obesity is a major individual and public health challenge. Preference for unhealthy food and eating-related habits have a strong influence on health, suggesting that high-calorie food triggers fast and near-automatic reaching and grasping movements. Therefore, it is important to better understand the specific neural mechanisms that control the handling of food involving a coordinated interplay between sensoric, motoric, and cognitive subsystems. To this end, 30 healthy participants (Ø BMI: 22.86 kg/m2; BMI range: 19–30 kg/m2; 23 females) were instructed to collect one of two concurrently presented objects (food vs. office tools) by manual movement in virtual reality (VR) and on a touchscreen. Parallel to the task in VR, regional brain activity was measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). In the VR and on the touchscreen, stimulus recognition and selection were faster for food than for office tools. Yet, food was collected more slowly than office tools when measured in VR. On the background of increased brain activity in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) during food trials, this suggests more behavioural control activity during handling foods. In sum, this study emphasizes the role of the right dlPFC in faster recognition and selection of food as part of a food-valuation network, more controlled handling of food in the VR which highlights the relevance of medium for modelling food-specific embodied cognitions.

The unconscious in a new guise: Latent processes in two theories of the third wave of cognitive behavioral therapy

The concept of the unconscious is associated mainly with the psychodynamic approaches, as well as with research on latent processes in cognitive and social psychology. The aim of this article is to determine the status of this concept in Hayes’s relational frame theory (RFT) and in the interacting cognitive subsystems (ICS) theory by Teasdale and Barnard. These two theories serve as the theoretical basis for therapies that underscore aspects associated with acceptance and mindfulness. The mindfulness movement is an interesting phenomenon at the interface of science and spirituality. We believe that ICS and RFT are two different examples of how psychology can use the concept of the unconscious. ICS, adopting a cognitive model, relies on a computer metaphor of the unconscious. What it lacks is a conceptualization of the conflict of representations or needs. RFT, adopting a behavioral model, has a greater potential for explaining conflict.

Comprehend, Cope and Connect (CCC) – Getting to the simple heart of the complex problem

This paper provides a brief introduction to the CCC therapy approach while demonstrating how it is embedded in a transpersonal world view. Its origins, starting from inner experience and meeting specific service challenges within various NHS setting are discussed. The theoretical basis for CCC in Interacting Cognitive Subsystems is introduced, providing a non-medical explanation for psychotic and other so-called ‘symptoms’. The three components of the approach are explained. ‘Comprehend’ covers an emotion-focused, trauma-informed, co-produced formulation. ‘Cope’ is about finding other ways to manage, and ‘Connect’ is reflected in the central place given to relationship, both with the self, within the self, with other people, and reaching out to wider, spiritual connectedness beyond the human world. The paper concludes by summarising publications, research and deployment of the approach.

Qazaq jáne aǵylshyn toponımderіndegі túr-tús ataýlarynyń reprezenttelý erekshelіgі

This article deals with the study of toponyms of Kazakh and English toponymy in the context of cognitive linguistics and the mechanism of interpretation of representation and perception of color names in toponyms and the principles of construction of these mechanisms. Toponyms are analyzed as a speech expression processed in the consciousness of the linguistic image of the world-the relationship of man and the environment. The modern stage of place names in cognitive research includes the consideration of language as one of the cognitive subsystems and onomastic vocabulary in the formulation of surrounding truths. The composition of the national toponymic picture of the world determines the motivation of the land-water names made in relation to the color names. Studying the combination of onym appellation, nominated from the attributes of the colors used in both languages. The color designation in toponyms is considered in connection with the peculiarities of geographical objects and their perception by human visual organs. Due to the fact that the external world is transmitted to different peoples in the form of specific idioethnic patterns, in place names of different ethnic groups, color symbols are recognized by new facets. The article discusses the color characteristics of the space in the names earth-water, given as a sample. Various approaches to the nature of the color components of geographical names are analyzed, and the possibility of symbolic and orientational interpretation of color is shown. The fact that the color in toponyms can serve as an orientation function, and not just as an indicator of the horizon side, also does not go unnoticed. The toponyms also present the results of research related to the nature of the object in which the symbolism of color orientation is nominated.

Positive Psychotherapy with a Pulse: Achieving Depth through Dialogue

The majority of psychotherapeutic approaches work on the basis that addressing what is “wrong” with individuals will facilitate recovery. Positive therapies adopt a different approach, demonstrating that adaptive change can be achieved by addressing well-being and what is “right”. Unfortunately, research indicates the effectiveness of positive psychotherapeutic interventions is sometimes suboptimal, perhaps due to their reliance on written and talk-based strategies. Drawing on evidence from leading theories of cognition (e.g. Interacting Cognitive Subsystems and Dual Representation theories), the present paper suggests that therapeutic effects positive interventions might be augmented through greater use of experiential methods, namely ‘chairwork’. The practice-focused paper sets out the PPIs in their current form and describes how chairwork could be applied in these areas of well-being, including gratitude, personal strengths, forgiveness, benefit-finding, and existential meaning. Research is needed to establish the efficacy of experiential PPIs and to determine whether are advantageous compared to traditional positive interventions.

TECHNOLOGIES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL HELP FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD) IN THE HEALTH PRESERVATION ASPECT

The article is devoted to topical issues of providing professional psychological assistance in Ukraine. It is emphasized that in the conditions of social crises in the country, which take place against the background of the formation of the information society, the requirements for the quality and scientific provability of psychological technologies implemented in the work of psychological services are increasing. It is noted that the number of people suffering from various mental disorders in Ukraine is increasing, which exacerbates the issue of health care. The main aspects of the article focus on helping parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, in particular, those psychological technologies, the introduction of which would improve the overall psychological well-being of all family members to avoid negative consequences of ADHD in children and promote its development. It is pointed out that the positive dynamics of the development of a child with ADHD is facilitated by the creation of a system of positive behavioural guidance in the family. Such favourable conditions for child development in the family are often suboptimal for parents of children with ADHD, due to the high probability of disorders in themselves, their tendency to anxiety, depression, high levels of stress. In such cases, CPT technologies (cognitive-behavioural therapy) and mindfulness practices are offered as effective means of psychological assistance to parents of children with ADHD. Examples of changes in the structure of the human brain with ADHD under the influence of CPT, which contributes to the improvement of general conditions in the symptoms of the syndrome, are empirically proven in neurological visual studies. Mindfulness techniques help to neutralise stress, increase emotional intelligence, tone, resilience, self-acceptance, quality of life in general. The mechanisms of action of mindfulness practices in anxiety, depression and stress are methodologically described on the basis of the provisions of the theory of interacting cognitive subsystems F. Bernard and S. Tizdale, through the functioning of ruminations (Z. Segal, M. William and J. Tizdale) and on the principles of theory Ukhtomsky. On the basis of theoretical analysis, a conclusion was made about the feasibility of using in programs of psychological assistance to parents of children with ADHD cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques and mindfulness practices, which are effective non-drug tools in their health and resources.

Comprehension of legal reality: from the scientific tradition to the symbolic universe

The article deals with the problem of understanding and knowledge of legal reality, from the point of view of understanding the trends of development of humanitarian knowledge in General and legal knowledge in particular. The limitations of classical approaches and the need for their methodological updating are pointed out. The connection of law with the socio-cultural context that determines its specificity is revealed. Social reality is a complex multidimensional and multilayered system consisting of many social institutions (constructs). All social institutions, including in the sphere of legal life, are intersubjective (both objective and subjective). The process of formation of legal knowledge is considered in the institutional and related areas of discourse analysis and theory of social representations. The article states that what a person constructs contains subjective and objective at the same time and in sociological phenomenology such combination is called as intersubjectivity. Intersubjectivity is considered in terms of human dimension. Human dimension acts as a filter between people and a conditional objective situation, which is accompanied by subjective experiences, such as expectations, needs, interests, etc. it is Noted that the objective and subjective exist in an indissoluble dialectical connection. It is argued that the knowledge of this reality is a complex process, which includes institutional acts of knowledge and understanding. Special importance in this process is given to objectification, internalization and legitimation. At the same time, it is legitimation that has cognitive and normative aspects, since it is connected with the value and cognitive (knowledge, understanding) subsystems of consciousness. The connection of the symbolic universe with the legal life is pointed out.

A Dynamic Systems Theory of epistemic curiosity

The article offers a unified theory of epistemic curiosity within dynamic systems framework. It focuses on complex motivational dynamics leading to epistemic curiosity preferences, which are complexly determined by a combination of motivational, affective and cognitive sub-systems operating within an epistemic ecology. Each sub-system is delimited and modelled as an interacting dimension of the multidimensional causality of the system. The theory focuses on personal variations rather than population averages and offers a framework for modelling personality-based epistemic curiosity characteristics based on an analysis of epistemic curiosity preferences.

身体状態の「意味づけ」としての情動 ―相互作用認知サブシステムとマインドフルネス

身体状態の「意味づけ」としての情動 ―相互作用認知サブシステムとマインドフルネス

Стратегические аспекты развития современного промышленного предприятия

The article discusses main strategic aspects of modern corporations’ development. As a model, the model of G. Kleiner’sintrasystem space is used, which considers the mental, cultural, institutional, cognitive, technological, imitative and historical subsystems. Each subsystem includes key processes that contribute to the formation of enterprise competitiveness parameters. According to the system model, the characteristics of subsystems of industrial enterprises of the Altai Region are given. The strategic aspects of enterprise development are considered, in particular, the formation of the dynamic capabilities underlying the achievement of strategic competitiveness. A theoretical basis for the formation of the concepts “core competencies”, “dynamic abilities”, “routine” and their role in the formation of strategic landmarks is being formed. The author’s model of formation of unique dynamic abilities of an industrial enterprise and organization of an enterprise’s intrasystem space is given.

Spatial Attention, Motor Intention, and Bayesian Cue Predictability in the Human Brain.

Predictions about upcoming events influence how we perceive and respond to our environment. There is increasing evidence that predictions may be generated based upon previous observations following Bayesian principles, but little is known about the underlying cortical mechanisms and their specificity for different cognitive subsystems. The present study aimed at identifying common and distinct neural signatures of predictive processing in the spatial attentional and motor intentional system. Twenty-three female and male healthy human volunteers performed two probabilistic cueing tasks with either spatial or motor cues while lying in the fMRI scanner. In these tasks, the percentage of cue validity changed unpredictably over time. Trialwise estimates of cue predictability were derived from a Bayesian observer model of behavioral responses. These estimates were included as parametric regressors for analyzing the BOLD time series. Parametric effects of cue predictability in valid and invalid trials were considered to reflect belief updating by precision-weighted prediction errors. The brain areas exhibiting predictability-dependent effects dissociated between the spatial attention and motor intention task, with the right temporoparietal cortex being involved during spatial attention and the left angular gyrus and anterior cingulate cortex during motor intention. Connectivity analyses revealed that all three areas showed predictability-dependent coupling with the right hippocampus. These results suggest that precision-weighted prediction errors of stimulus locations and motor responses are encoded in distinct brain regions, but that crosstalk with the hippocampus may be necessary to integrate new trialwise outcomes in both cognitive systems.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The brain is able to infer the environments' statistical structure and responds strongly to expectancy violations. In the spatial attentional domain, it has been shown that parts of the attentional networks are sensitive to the predictability of stimuli. It remains unknown, however, whether these effects are ubiquitous or if they are specific for different cognitive systems. The present study compared the influence of model-derived cue predictability on brain activity in the spatial attentional and motor intentional system. We identified areas with distinct predictability-dependent activation for spatial attention and motor intention, but also common connectivity changes of these regions with the hippocampus. These findings provide novel insights into the generality and specificity of predictive processing signatures in the human brain.

Could a Unified Theory of Cognition and Emotion Further the Transdiagnostic Perspective? A Critical Analysis Using Interacting Cognitive Subsystems as a Case Example

There is evidence that common processes underlie psychological disorders transdiagnostically. A challenge for the transdiagnostic movement is accounting for such processes theoretically. Theories of psychological disorders are traditionally restricted in scope, often explaining specific aspects of a disorder. The alternative to such ‘micro-theories’ is developing frameworks which explain general human cognition, so called ‘macro-theories’, and applying these systematically to clinical phenomena. Interacting Cognitive Subsystems (ICS) [Teasdale, J.D., & Barnard, P.J. (1993). Affect, cognition and change: Re-modelling depressive thought, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hove] is a macro-theory which aims to explain aspects of information processing. The aim of this review is to examine whether ICS provides a useful platform for understanding common processes which maintain psychological disorders. The core principles of ICS are explained and theoretical papers adopting ICS to explain a particular psychological disorder or symptom are considered. Dysfunctional schematic mental models, reciprocal interactions between emotional and intellectual beliefs, as well as attention and memory processes, are identified as being important to the maintenance of psychological disorders. Concrete examples of how such variables can be translated into novel therapeutic strategies are given. The review concludes that unified theories of cognition and emotion have the potential to drive forward developments in transdiagnostic thinking, research and treatment.