Cognitive Research-Principles and Implications最新文献

Associative memory deteriorates with age. One possible reason for this associative memory deficit in older adults is a decline in inhibitory function. However, it remains unclear what role of inhibitory function plays in age-related associative memory deficits, and whether and how acute training of inhibitory function could ameliorate the detrimental effects of inhibitory deficits on associative memory in older adults. In Experiment 1, 80 participants (40 younger and 40 older adults) studied scene-word pairs while attempting to inhibit interfering words during encoding, with two conditions: gist and non-gist interferences. In Experiment 2, 66 older adults were randomly assigned to either acute inhibitory training or a control group, and eye-tracking technology was used to capture the benefits of acute inhibitory training. Results showed that older adults were more disturbed by gist than non-gist interferences because of hyper-binding, and that inhibitory function mediated the relationship between age and associative memory accuracy. Notably, although acute inhibitory training did not significantly improve associative memory accuracy in the training group compared to the control group, structural equation model showed that older adults in the acute training group showed shorter fixation durations and lower frequencies in the interference region of interest, leading to better associative memory. These results indicate that inhibitory function plays a mediating role in age-related associative memory decline, as well as its plasticity in this association. It provides a potential pathway to improve associative memory in older adults.

Submariners must interpret SONAR data and make rapid tactical decisions under challenging conditions. The broadband time-bearing plot is a common visualisation method which requires mental spatial transformations to generate an actionable representation. Participants (N = 81) were trained on a VR scenario that required them to spatially localize an enemy vessel indicated on a time-bearing plot. In the supported condition, participants were given access to a novel egocentric, conformal display, which wrapped the time-bearing plot around the user's field of view. The unsupported group received no assistance. Compared to a baseline unsupported condition, we found that the VR overlay markedly improved both speed and accuracy. Test performance revealed over-reliance in the supported group, but this phenomenon varied notably between participants. Those who jointly used the initial time-bearing plot and the conformal aid during training showed good performance with the aid, and no cost of prior exposure at test. Comprehension of SONAR data can be aided by novel display formats, but care must be taken to avoid over-reliance.

Soldiers are challenged with interpreting information in unpredictable contexts, while maintaining high levels of job-specific performance. Virtual reality (VR) provides a controlled, immersive environment to evaluate military-relevant tasks under stress. This study determined psychological, physical, and cognitive associations with military-relevant VR task performance. Twenty-five male active-duty soldiers completed baseline psychological and cognitive assessments and then returned twice to complete VR-based Recognition Memory (RMT), Spatial Orienting (SOT), and Decision-Making (DMT) tasks under conditions of stress (active threat of torso electric shock) or no stress (torso vibration only). Baseline measures were categorized into 13 domains and standardized via z-scores. Generalized estimating equations were run with experimental condition (shock vs. vibrate) as the within-subject variable. Variables associated with correct object identification during the RMT include coping skills (e.g., acceptance), physical fitness (e.g., 2-mile run time), social intelligence, and personality traits (e.g., conscientiousness). Other coping skills (e.g., denial) decreased the odds of correct identification. Variables associated with accurate orienting on the SOT include coping skills (e.g., restraint), neurocognitive function (e.g., working memory), and prior video game experience. Additional measures of neurocognitive function (e.g., spatial orientation) reduced the odds of correct orientation. Variables associated with distinguishing targets during the DMT include coping skills (e.g., acceptance) and neurocognitive function (e.g., spatial orientation). Other coping skills (e.g., disengagement coping styles) reduced these odds. Coping skills, specifically higher acceptance, are associated with performance on military-relevant VR tasks and should be examined further to better understand how military performance could benefit from interventions targeting modifiable characteristics.

Event segmentation theory, which explores how individuals divide continuous experiences into discrete events, has been extensively studied in naturalistic stimuli. We investigate whether key findings generalize to animated data visualizations, specifically dynamic thematic maps. Experiment 1 showed that inter-individual segmentation agreement in dynamic maps occurs above chance levels and is influenced by the direction of the depicted trend. Experiments 2 and 3 build on these findings by systematically varying the depicted trend in maps showing population changes of fictional insect species. In addition, we examined how conceptual (framing of the species as endangered or invasive) and perceptual factors (salience of directional change) interact to shape segmentation agreement. In Experiment 2, salience was manipulated using different color scales: Saturation-based scales as the high-salience condition and hue-based scales as the low-salience condition. We found a significant three-way interaction between trend, framing, and salience: Agreement was higher when the framing matched the trend direction, but only in the high-salience condition. In Experiment 3, salience was more subtly manipulated by showing the trend either spatially clustered (high salience) or spatially distributed (low salience) across the maps. The results partly replicate the findings of Experiment 2, showing a significant interaction between trend, framing, and spatial pattern on segmentation agreement, with higher agreement for negative trends when population decline was salient and framed as endangered. These findings suggest that symbolic visualizations are subject to event segmentation processes, provided both bottom-up perceptual features and top-down conceptual expectations support the formation and updating of internal event models.

Successful action anticipation in dynamic social environments, such as sports, requires the integration of prior expectations with observed kinematic cues. However, little is known about how temporal constraints modulate this integration process. In this EEG study, thirty-five expert basketball players completed a sport-specific prediction task in which both time constraints and prior cue availability were manipulated. Time constraints significantly impaired prediction accuracy, yet the behavioral benefit of congruent prior cues remained stable, indicating preserved strategic reliance on prior information. Multivariate pattern classification revealed that neural signals preceding action onset reliably distinguished trials with and without prior information in both time conditions, suggesting intact neural encoding of contextual priors regardless of temporal constraints. Time-frequency analyses further demonstrated increased parietal alpha synchronization during the preparatory phase and enhanced central mu suppression during kinematic processing under time constraints. These results indicate a shift toward more top-down, expectation-driven strategies when time is limited. Specifically, enhanced alpha activities may reflect compensatory top-down engagement to maintain predictive readiness, while mu suppression may support motor simulation when processing time is limited. Together, these findings underscore the brain's flexibility in adapting anticipatory mechanisms to meet the demands of fast-paced and uncertain environments.

All scientists must cope with variability in data to make inferences about the world. However, in observation-based geology, how scientists cope with variability is particularly consequential because it determines what become data in the first place, with observations that are deemed "too variable" potentially being ignored or minimized. Here, across three experiments with 97 geologists, we assess (i) how variability impacts their willingness to turn an observation into data by recording it and their willingness to share data by publishing it, and (ii) whether scientists can make inferences from variable observations and how the accuracy of their inferences is impacted by level of variability. Geologists were presented with arrays of disciplinary data representing the orientation of planar features within a rock formation, where orientation variability was systematically manipulated. Results showed substantial individual differences in criterion tolerance of variability: high-criterion individuals perceived low-to-moderate degrees of variability as more noise than signal and were never willing to publish high variability data (and often not willing to record it), while those with low criterion perceived low-to-moderate degrees of variability as more signal than noise and were always willing to record high variability data (and often publish it). Regardless of tolerance for variability, geologists overall were good at making accurate orientation estimates from variable data, even at the highest levels of variability employed in the study. Together, these results imply there may be situations where scientists avoid recording or publishing variable data, despite being able to draw meaningful conclusions from such data.

Cognitive effects of cellphone dependency among young adults have garnered increasing research attention. While cellphones have been identified as a distractor in daily tasks, related psychological processes remain unclear. As a potential mechanism underlying those effects of cellphones, excessive working memory (WM) load has not yet been well examined. Our study investigated the effects of the mental representation of cellphone separation on WM. Seventy-five participants (M_age = 21.3 years; 55 females, 20 males) were assigned into three groups: the cued separation, natural separation, or control group, and completed a block of choice reaction time (CRT) task, and a dual-task block: the CRT and a concurrent WM task. CRT performance was analyzed using the ex-Gaussian model, providing the parameters μ and τ to reflect lower-order processing and top-down control, respectively. Results showed that WM load reduced cognitive performance, with the cued separation group exhibiting the largest performance impairments, and ex-Gaussian μ and τ were sensitive to WM load and cellphone separation. Our findings suggest that the mental representation of cellphone separation, especially when cued, depletes cognitive resources, and impairs executive functions, which highlight the need for strategies to mitigate the cognitive costs of cellphone dependency, particularly in high-stakes applied contexts.

Effective multitasking in high-stakes military environments is critical yet often compromised by cognitive overload, leading to operational errors. This scoping review explores the potential of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as a cognitive enhancement tool for improving multitasking performance, with a focus on task-switching and dual-task paradigms. Evidence suggests that tDCS targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) shows promise in mitigating task-switching deficits and reducing dual-task interference, particularly under unpredictable or high-demand conditions. However, variability in outcomes, influenced by stimulation parameters, task characteristics, and individual differences, highlights the need for further refinement of this approach. The limited but emerging evidence on high-definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) is also discussed, emphasizing its potential for more precise targeting, though current findings show mixed efficacy for multitasking enhancement. Practical applications of tDCS for military training and operations are examined, including skill acquisition, analyst performance, and drone piloting, where optimized multitasking capabilities could alleviate cognitive overload and enhance operational efficiency. While the findings are encouraging, additional research is essential to establish standardized protocols and assess the real-world utility of tDCS in complex military scenarios. This review highlights the importance of advancing neuromodulation techniques to address the increasing cognitive demands of modern military operations.

Human users are now able to generate synthetic face images with artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Although indistinguishable from real photographs, these images have tended to feature fictional identities that do not exist in the real world. As a result, their use in applied contexts, including the spread of fake information, is similarly limited. Here, we investigated a new method for generating face images (via ChatGPT plus DALL·E) and its application to both fictional and real (in this case, celebrity) identities. Our results demonstrated that generated images of both fictional (Experiment 1) and celebrity identities (Experiment 2) could not be distinguished from real photographs. Further, providing additional real photographs for comparison during the task resulted in limited gains (Experiments 3 and 4). Finally, prior familiarity with celebrity faces produced only modest performance improvements. Therefore, new methods of detection should be explored as a matter of urgency since the latest 'off the shelf' AI tools can now generate face images of real people that are essentially undetectable as synthetic to most human observers.

We report the results of a preregistered classroom experiment ( https://aspredicted.org/x25h-d427.pdf ) investigating the immediate and long-term effects of interleaved practice for learning spelling rules among German third graders (N = 147). The study also investigated whether instructional guidance-comprising prompts and explanations that highlight key features and direct attention to relevant differences between concepts-enhances the effectiveness of interleaving by supporting comparison processes. Children completed two training sessions practicing words governed by specific spelling rules (capitalization, single and multiple consonants, words with "i" and "ie," and words with "ss" and "ß"), with one session conducted in a blocked and the other in an interleaved format. Children made fewer spelling errors on words practiced under the interleaved condition compared to the blocked condition, both immediately after training and at an 8-week follow-up. Instructional guidance influenced performance on new, unpracticed words governed by the same spelling rules. However, its effectiveness was moderated by children's prior knowledge: instructional guidance supported children with low prior knowledge during blocked practice in the immediate posttest and benefited children with high prior knowledge during interleaved practice at follow-up. These findings suggest that interleaved practice is an effective strategy for promoting lasting learning of spelling rules and facilitating transfer, though primarily among children with high prior knowledge. Future research should investigate whether providing children with a broader knowledge base through explicit instruction before the practice phase can help children with low prior knowledge to benefit more fully from interleaving.