Cognitive Hypothesis Research Articles

Has Anybody Asked How People Change Their Minds? Pre-crastination and Its Underlying Basis in Decision-Making

Procrastination is much too familiar to us, a derogatory term taught to students as something to avoid, which, to teachers’ despair, counterproductively encourages students to take up procrastination as a challenge. The opposite of procrastination, pre-crastination describes the likelihood of completing tasks early at the expense of extra effort, and may be a phenomenon as common as procrastination (Rosenbaum et al., 2014). We hypothesize that fundamentally, pre-crastination is cognitively driven, given that participants offload cognitive tasks before determining the course of action. This study took place over three experiments. Our pool of UCR undergraduate participants (N=89) made two forced yes/no responses pertaining to the same stimulus in each trial. The stimuli in the first experiment was determining chronology of number sequences while the stimuli in the subsequent two experiments was determining digit-matching. The most significant alteration was made in the third experiment, in which the second response was changed from a yes/no to a confirm/disconfirm submission. This innovative testing strategy, coined double-response in our lab, allows us to correlate response time to decision-making bases. Largely, participants exhibited a significantly longer reaction time in submitting their first response. This outcome supports our cognitive hypothesis which predicts that action-planning occurs through longer first-response times, going against the behavioral hypothesis which predicts that action is taken prematurely through shorter first-response times. Ultimately, this double-response method better helps us understand the dynamics of decision-making through pre-crastination.

The Effect of Manipulating Task Complexity Along Resource-Dispersing Dimension on L2 Written Performance from the Perspective of Complexity Theory

From the perspective of complexity theory and based on Robinson's Cognition Hypothesis and the Triadic Componential Framework, this paper investigated the effect of manipulating task complexity along resource-dispersing dimension on L2 written performance. The results showed that: 1) Significant interactive effects were found between the two variables (i.e. task structure and planning). 2) Without planning, the accuracy and fluency of written output in tasks without structural constraint were significantly higher, while the syntactic complexity was lower. 3) Planning had no significant effect on accuracy. In macro-structure given task, planning promoted fluency and lexical complexity, but did not affect syntactic complexity. The result only partially supports the Cognition Hypothesis. Combined with previous research, it can be found that written output in tasks is nonlinear, multidimensional and self-adaptive. Researchers and teachers are suggested to fully consider task characteristics and individual differences, and not to take task complexity as the sole criterion when designing writing tasks. 
  

Science Communication, Cultural Cognition, and the Pull of Epistemic Paternalism

ABSTRACTThere is a correlation between positions taken on some scientific questions and political leaning. One way to explain this correlation is the cultural cognition hypothesis (CCH): people's political leanings are causing them to process evidence to maintain fixed answers to the questions, rather than to seek the truth. Another way is the different background belief hypothesis (DBBH): people of different political leanings have different background beliefs which rationalize different positions on these scientific questions. In this article, I argue for two things. I argue that two attempts by proponents of the CCH to discredit the DBBH fail. And I argue that this matters, because while the CCH makes epistemic paternalistic interventions seem called for (as some philosophers have argued compellingly), the DBBH does not. The DBBH makes it much easier to stay closer to an ideal of deliberative democracy.

Language and Intelligence: A Relationship Supporting the Embodied Cognition Hypothesis.

Cognitive science has gathered robust evidence supporting the hypothesis that cognitive processes do not occur in an amodal format but take shape through the activation of the sensorimotor systems of the agent body, which works as simulation system upon which concepts, words, and thought are based. However, studies that have investigated the relationship between language and cognitive processes, as both embedded processes, are very rare. In this study, we investigated the hypothesis that intelligence is associated with referential competence, conceived as the ability to find words to refer to our subjective and perceptual experience, and to evoke understanding of this experience in the listener. We administered the WAIS-IV test to 32 nonclinical subjects and collected autobiographical narratives from them through the Relationship Anecdotes Paradigm Interview. The narratives were analyzed linguistically by applying computerized measures of referential competence. Intelligence scores were found to correlate with the use in narratives of words related to somatic and sensory sensations, while they were not associated with other measures of referential competence related to more abstract domains of experience or based on vivid or reflective dimensions of language style. The results support the hypothesis that sensorimotor schemas have an intrinsic role in language and cognition.

Review of Obsessive Compulsive Disorders Theories

The present review aimed to analyze the scientific literature untill 2010 about the theories of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in order to make clear how a biological and cognitive hypotheses might be integrated in a comprehensive point of view.
 In the analysis, at biological level were included neuroanatomic and neurophysiologic models and animal models; instead at cognitive level were included different theories of Salwoskies, Van den Hout, Mancini e Rachman. Biological, cognitive, and behavioral elements of the theories have to be clearly distinguished between specific and general conditions, as do critical past events and current trigger conditions. The theories compared were drawn from the neurobiological, cognitive, and behavioral literature that proposed empirical supported models. We conclude that there are substantive differences among the cognitive theories and between the biological theories reviewed. However, cognitive and biological theories appear to be compatible in principle. It is not clear whether substantive differences among theories are due to the existence of subtypes of OCD or due to the predominance of multifactorial cause.
 It is argued that current treatment methods imply particular theories, and that particular patterns of success and failure can be understood in relation to theory through the methods we have employed.

Unlimited Associative Learning as a Null Hypothesis

AbstractA common strategy in comparative cognition is to require that one reject associative learning as an explanation for behavior before concluding that an organism is capable of causal reasoning. In this paper, I argue that standard causal-reasoning tasks can be explained by a powerful form of associative learning: unlimited associative learning (UAL). The lesson, however, is not that researchers should conduct more studies to reject UAL, but that they should instead focus on 1) enriching the cognitive hypothesis space and 2) testing a broader range of information processing patterns—errors, biases and limits, rather than successful problem solving alone.

Modesty brings gains: The mechanisms of individual psychology and social culture

<p id="p00005">Modesty, or humility, is a character strength and virtue jointly advocated by Eastern and Western cultures, which promotes individuals’ well-being and helps us better cope with risks and difficulties. In the past two decades, researchers from different fields have studied the concept structure, measurement method, influencing factors, and effects of modesty, and made important progress. <br/>From the perspective of psychology, modesty has been regarded as an important personality trait, which involves the individual internal and interpersonal characteristics, such as moderate self-perception, low self-centeredness along with high pro-social tendencies, and less self-enhancing or boastful. The phenomenon of "modesty brings gains" is also reflected in individual and interpersonal aspects. Modesty helps individuals evaluate themselves objectively and accurately, reduces self-enhancement bias, and has a positive impact on the individuals’ mental health; modesty helps individuals succeed in interpersonal communication, reduces interpersonal conflicts, and maintains good interpersonal relationships; modesty can promote teamwork within the organization, maintain team harmony, and be helpful for the long-term development of the individual and organization. However, the question of how modesty functions has not yet been fully explained. <br/>Based on previous studies, the current work examined the mechanism of "modesty brings gains" from three perspectives: cognition, motivation, and norms. The cognitive hypothesis of "self-knowledge" suggests that modesty is an individual's willingness to seek objective and accurate self-knowledge or the ability to correctly view their strengths and weaknesses. It includes two internal processes: metacognition and low self-centeredness. From the perspective of metacognition, modesty involves the individual's static awareness and reflective evaluation of self-related information, as well as the dynamic process of self-regulation. Low self-centeredness means that modest individuals have low self-centered tendencies, no sense of entitlement and superiority, and are good at discovering the advantages of others and affirming their contributions. <br/>The motivation hypothesis of "social oil" focuses on the social characteristics of modesty and emphasizes the important role of modesty in creating, regulating, and maintaining harmonious interpersonal relationships. Modesty is a polite rule in social interaction, conveying the message of friendliness, cooperation, and altruism. People who take modest self-presentation strategy can avoid potential interpersonal risks, protect others' self-esteem, and maintain balance in interpersonal relationships. Modest individuals will not only in the aspect of behavior control their desire and impulse, and act more fairly in cognitive level, which helps to maintain social harmony. <br/>The normative hypothesis of "traditional virtues" pays attention to the cultural attributes of modesty, and emphasizes the influence of social and cultural environmental factors on the formation and adaptability of modesty. In Chinese culture, modest is not only a personal inherent trait but also an important social norm that affects people's behaviors in social interactions. The norm of modesty is a kind of social script, which limits the social behaviors that individuals should make in interpersonal interaction. Violating the norms of modesty can easily arouse people's resentment, even hostility and exclusion. <br/>Modesty is a complex psychological phenomenon involving multiple aspects such as personality, cognition, culture, and society. The current study provided explanations of the mechanism of "modesty brings gains" from three perspectives, and future research is encouraged to explore the connotation and psychological structure, the potential boundary conditions and neural basis of modesty.

Effects of prior knowledge and reasoning demands on Chinese EFL writing performance

Task design features have different effects on second language (L2) production and can be adopted for different pedagogical purposes. However, the synergistic effects of task features were left unexplored in the extant task-based literature. The present study investigated the synergistic effects of two task design features, namely, prior knowledge and reasoning demands, on the writing performance of Chinese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). Fifty EFL learners were invited to complete two writing tasks, with varying reasoning demands, under one of two conditions, namely, with prior knowledge available or without prior knowledge available. Their written texts were analysed in terms of complexity, accuracy, fluency, and communicative adequacy, to reflect the multi-componential nature of task performance. The results revealed that increasing reasoning demands reduced syntactic complexity. Furthermore, the availability of prior knowledge resulted in greater lexical sophistication. The findings also showed that the interaction of prior knowledge and reasoning demands led to substantial effects on lexical diversity, lexical sophistication, and communicative adequacy. These findings are interpreted in light of Skehan’s Limited Capacity Model and Robinson’s Cognition Hypothesis. Suggestions are provided for the direction of further research on the influence of task complexity on EFL writing performance.

Effects of Task Complexity on Linguistic Complexity for Sustainable EFL Writing Skills Development

This paper reports the findings from a study that explored the effects of task complexity on linguistic complexity in EFL writing with a within-and-between-subject design for the sustainability of EFL writing skills. A total of 178 English majors and non-English majors participated in the study. They each performed two writing tasks that were manipulated using two variables: the number of elements and prior knowledge. Linguistic complexity was measured from both syntactic and lexical aspects with 39 indices. Data analysis indicated that task complexity produced different effects on different dimensions of linguistic complexity, suggesting that research on task complexity needs to break away from simplicity and that the Cognition Hypothesis and Limited Attentional Capacity Hypothesis require further verification and refinement. This study contributes to a better understanding of task complexity and linguistic complexity in EFL writing, yielding meaningful implications for pedagogy and assessment in this field.

L2 writing development through two types of writing task repetition

Abstract This study investigated whether any remarkable effects emerge in terms of overall complexity, complexity by subordination, accuracy, and fluency in two types of writing task repetition during a single academic semester (16 weeks). The Cognition Hypothesis states that tasks involving different cognitive demands will lead to different L2 output. Thus, this study explored whether any significant differences existed between two task types: descriptive and argumentative essays. The results revealed different patterns in the two types of writing tasks. For the descriptive essays, despite the improvements in overall complexity, complexity by subordination, and fluency with a large effect size, no significant findings were confirmed for accuracy. In contrast, in the argumentative essays, the learners improved all the linguistic aspects, but with a medium effect size. This study also unraveled developmental trajectories to demonstrate how different variables interacted in the two different types of writing tasks throughout the measurement period.

Examining Distinctive Working Memory Profiles in Chinese Children With Predominantly Inattentive Subtype of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and/or Reading Difficulties

Although evidence has shown that both RD and ADHD-I children suffer from working memory problems, inconsistencies in impaired modalities have been reported. This study aimed to (1) compare the three WM domains (i.e., verbal WM, visual-spatial WM, and behavioral WM) among pure ADHD-I, pure RD, comorbid ADHD-I+RD, and typical control groups and (2) examine the impact of comorbidity on the three WM domains. A Chinese sample of participants from Hong Kong included 29 children in the ADHD-I group, 78 children in the RD group, 31 children in the comorbid group (ADHD-I+RD), and 64 children in the TD control group. All participants completed the assessments individually. The findings showed that the children with ADHD-I and/or RD exhibited diverse cognitive profiles. In particular, RD was associated with verbal and visual-spatial working memory deficits, while ADHD-I was associated with behavioral working memory deficits. Interestingly, the comorbid condition demonstrated additive deficits of the two disorders but with greater deficits in behavioral working memory. These findings support the cognitive subtype hypothesis and provide a clearer picture of the distinctive working memory profiles of different groups, allowing for the development of intervention programs in the future.

On the Translation Enrichment of Chinese Poetry into English Based on the Adaptation Theory

Pragmatics is closely related to translation. It emphasizes the correct understanding or derivation of communicative information and the effective and appropriate transmission of information. In this paper, based on Verschueren’s theory of language adaptation theory framework, by comparing different translators on the translation of Chinese poetry and analysis, we explore how to adapt to readers’ cognitive hypothesis, choose the appropriate language translation form, fill a vacancy empty point or breakpoint primitive information, communicate to the target language context (mental world and physical world, social world) and language context information of vacancy and pragmatic enrichment, so as to realize the target language the pragmatic functions of equivalence with the original language.

Dual coding of knowledge in the human brain.

How does the human brain code knowledge about the world? While disciplines such as artificial intelligence represent world knowledge based on human language, neurocognitive models of knowledge have been dominated by sensory embodiment, in which knowledge is derived from sensory/motor experience and supported by high-level sensory/motor and association cortices. The neural correlates of an alternative disembodied symbolic system had previously been difficult to establish. A recent line of studies exploring knowledge about visual properties, such as color, in visually deprived individuals converge to provide positive, compelling evidence for non-sensory, language-derived, knowledge representation in dorsal anterior temporal lobe and extended language network, in addition to the sensory-derived representations, leading to a sketch of a dual-coding knowledge neural framework.

Boosting stress resilience using flexibility as a framework to reduce depression risk

Stress exposure is inevitable, and major life events often precede depression onset. However, a majority do not develop depression after a major life event. Inflexible physiological responses to stress, in which the magnitude or duration is disproportionate to the stressor, may increase risk for depression – especially in the context of frequent or repetitive stress. Although past psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) research focused primarily on stress response magnitude, two relatively recent stress theories – the Perseverative Cognition Hypothesis and Generalized Unsafety Theory – shift the focus to response duration, including anticipatory reactivity and poor recovery. Using these theories as framework, this article reviews evidence suggesting that psychological inflexibility, such as perseverative cognition, and the inability to recognize safety promote heightened and prolonged (i.e., inflexible) physiological stress responses. Moreover, interventions that increase psychological flexibility or safety recognition may foster more flexible physiological responses to psychological stress. By adopting the lens of flexibility to examine physiological responses to stress, PNI will speak the same language as clinical psychology, which has identified inflexibility as an etiological and maintenance factor of depression.

Working on dreams, from neuroscience to psychotherapy.

Within the current clinical practice, the debate on the use of dream is still very topical. In this article, the author suggests to address this question with a notable scientific and cultural openness that embraces either the psychoanalytic approach (classical, modern and intersubjective), and the neurophysiological assumptions and both clinical research and cognitive hypotheses. The utility of dream - in the clinical work with patients - is supported by the author with extensive bibliographic references and personal clinical insights, drawn from his experience as a psychotherapist. Results: From an analysis of recent literature on this topic, the dream assumes a very different function and position in the clinical practice: from ‘via regia to the unconscious’ of Freudian theories - an expression of repressed infantile wishes of libidinal or aggressive drive nature - it becomes the very fulcrum of the analysis, a fundamental capacity to be developed, a necessary and decisive element for the patient’s transformation. The dream can also be use with the function of thinking and mentalization, of problem solving, of adaptation, as well as an indicator of the relationship with the therapist in the analytic dialogue or of dissociated aspects of the self. Finally, the author proposes a challenging reading of the clinical relevance of dream: through listening to the dream, the clinician can help the patient to stand in the spaces of his own self in a more open and fluid way and therefore to know himself better, to regulate his affects, to think and to integrate oneself.A dream which is not interpreted is like a letter which is not read (Babylonian Talmud, tractate Berakhòt, folio 55a)A man is shown [a dream] only from the thoughts of his heart (Babylonian Talmud, tractate Berakhòt, folio 55b)

Breaking down the musician’s minds: How small changes in the musical instrument can impair your musical performance

The relationship between musicians and their musical instruments has influenced music engagement and musical structure across societies. In this work, we study how musicians react to changes in their instrument and the associations between keys and pitches using experiments that simulate the interface of the accordion. Seventeen accordionists, pianists and guitarists took part in the study. The results show accordion players are more affected by the changes in the musical interface than non-according players, for the same tasks. These observations support the extended cognition hypothesis, which proposes that coupled processes, such as the musician-instrument chain, count as an entire cognitive process.

Cognitive maps in the wild: revealing the use of metric information in black howler monkey route navigation.

ABSTRACTWhen navigating, wild animals rely on internal representations of the external world – called ‘cognitive maps’ – to take movement decisions. Generally, flexible navigation is hypothesized to be supported by sophisticated spatial skills (i.e. Euclidean cognitive maps); however, constrained movements along habitual routes are the most commonly reported navigation strategy. Even though incorporating metric information (i.e. distances and angles between locations) in route-based cognitive maps would likely enhance an animal's navigation efficiency, there has been no evidence of this strategy reported for non-human animals to date. Here, we examined the properties of the cognitive map used by a wild population of primates by testing a series of cognitive hypotheses against spatially explicit movement simulations. We collected 3104 h of ranging and behavioural data on five groups of black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) at Palenque National Park, Mexico, from September 2016 through August 2017. We simulated correlated random walks mimicking the ranging behaviour of the study subjects and tested for differences between observed and simulated movement patterns. Our results indicated that black howler monkeys engaged in constrained movement patterns characterized by a high path recursion tendency, which limited their capacity to travel in straight lines and approach feeding trees from multiple directions. In addition, we found that the structure of observed route networks was more complex and efficient than simulated route networks, suggesting that black howler monkeys incorporate metric information into their cognitive map. Our findings not only expand the use of metric information during route navigation to non-human animals, but also highlight the importance of considering efficient route-based navigation as a cognitively demanding mechanism.

Kea (Nestor notabilis) fail a loose-string connectivity task

Naïve individuals of some bird species can rapidly solve vertical string-pulling tasks with virtually no errors. This has led to various hypotheses being proposed which suggest that birds mentally simulate the effects of their actions on strings. A competing embodied cognition hypothesis proposes that this behaviour is instead modulated by perceptual-motor feedback loops, where feedback of the reward moving closer acts as an internal motivator for functional behaviours, such as pull-stepping. To date, the kea parrot has produced some of the best performances of any bird species at string-pulling tasks. Here, we tested the predictions of the four leading hypotheses for the cognition underpinning bird string-pulling by presenting kea with a horizontal connectivity task where only one of two loose strings was connected to the reward, both before and after receiving perceptual-motor feedback experience. We find that kea fail the connectivity task both before and after perceptual-motor feedback experience, suggesting not only that kea do not mentally simulate their string-pulling actions, but also that perceptual-motor feedback alone is insufficient in eliciting successful performance in the horizontal connectivity task. This suggests a more complex interplay of cognitive factors underlies this iconic example of animal problem-solving.

Using corpus analysis to extend experimental research: Genre effects in L2 writing

This study investigates differences in the writing performance of L1-Korean learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) in response to tasks requiring different genres of writing. Utilizing data controlled for L1 and proficiency level from the Gachon Learner Corpus, the study partially replicates a study by Yoon and Polio (2017), and examines genre effects by comparing descriptive and argumentative essays. A total of 481 essays (270 descriptive and 211 argumentative) from two proficiency groups were analyzed in order to evaluate the effects of different genres on EFL learners' writing performance. Using syntactic complexity and lexical complexity measures, the analysis found statistically significant differences between the two genres. The L2 learners produced more subordination, more of particular structures, and more sophisticated vocabulary in argumentative writing than in descriptive writing. These findings of genre effects can be interpreted on the basis of either the cognition hypothesis or the role of genres' communicative function. No proficiency differences were detected between the two genres except in lexical diversity. The study's findings suggest that existing corpora may be useful for studies seeking to confirm or extend experimental research.

IsiZulu task-based syllabus for medical students: Grading and sequencing doctor-patient communication tasks

The task-based language teaching approach related to the second language learning process is a widely researched area across many global languages. Yet this approach is given scant attention in South African tertiary education. This study, therefore, explores an isiZulu task-based syllabus design for doctor-patient communication aimed at enhancing communicative skills in the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) programme at the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Specifically, the study investigates the use of tasks in a task-based syllabus design, the process involved in grading, and sequencing tasks based on cognitive complexity analysis. The cognition hypothesis and the stabilise-simplify-automatise-restructure-complexify (SSARC) model proposed by Robinson posits that pedagogical tasks should be sequenced by gradually increasing cognitive complexity. Following this view and by invoking Robinsons’ SSARC model, this article investigates how target tasks may be sequenced by manipulating task features of doctor and patient pedagogic tasks. This theoretical analysis intends to demonstrate how second language syllabus designers can advance and strengthen more widely in tertiary education the teaching and learning of isiZulu – or other African languages – for health sciences students and professionals.