Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences最新文献

Humans are remarkably efficient at being on task, and flexibly switching back and forth between different tasks. The degree to which they focus on a task, or the extent to which they remain open for switching between tasks, are often considered ‘control parameters’ that are thought to be under parametric control. Theories on cognitive control often assume that people can readily up- or downregulate these control parameters that determine the degree of task focus or switch readiness. Here, we review evidence suggesting that humans are rather inefficient at this parametric regulation of control, as if ‘turning a knob,’ through explicit cues alone. Instead, our research highlights the role of task experience, training, and reward contingencies to cultivate flexible, dynamic adaptations in control parameters.

One of the hallmarks of human cognition is the flexibility to adjust action and thought to changing demands from the environment. The (voluntary) task-switching (VTS) paradigm is the prime tool to study cognitive flexibility, as it allows measuring the ability (switch costs) and the motivation (voluntary switch rates [VSRs]) to switch between cognitive tasks. We will review recent research showing how switch costs and VSRs are modulated by the task context. We further outline how task difficulty and the individual switching ability influence performance in the VTS paradigm. In sum, the reviewed findings suggest that flexibility is not only a matter of contextual adjustment of cognitive control but also depends on individual differences in task and switching performance.

Cognitive deficits are an increasingly well-recognised feature of spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs). A growing body of research using the Cerebellar Cognitive Affective Syndrome Scale, as well as more targeted neuropsychological assessments, consistently supports the presence of multidomain cognitive impairments in the most common SCAs. However, it is also becoming clear that cognitive changes may impact only a subset of patients. Further research is necessary to understand the risk factors, demographic correlates and neural basis of this heterogeneity. Evidence that cognitive changes precede the onset of motor symptoms is emerging but remains equivocal, with many studies of pre-ataxic individuals limited by small sample sizes. Longitudinal assessments similarly suggest progressive cognitive decline over time, but the cognitive domains and tests that are most sensitive to change remain unclear. Finally, the functional impact of cognitive deficits on daily life in individuals with SCAs remains a significant knowledge gap.

A clear overview of biological correlates to vitality is still lacking. Consequently, in the current opinion paper, we suggest an electrophysiological and biological approach to the question of vitality. We will examine this issue by bringing forth the interconnectedness between life, consciousness, neuronal synchronization, and death. In addition, we will then connect the state of self to vitality and biophotons. While Electroencephalogram (EEG) activity and biophoton emissions have been linked to different states of health, here we argue that a more complete picture can be obtained by considering them together with another general biomarker of longetivity, namely telomeres for a fuller understanding of the life–death continuum and its relation to consciousness.

Resilience was critical for individual well-being under COVID-19 lockdown measures. Resilience fostered mental health and adaptive coping for students and working adults. Resilience promoted post-traumatic growth from the pandemic. There is a need to further resilience research and evidence-based intervent. The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a series of unparalleled lockdown measures that have had a profound impact on individuals on a global scale. In this context, resilience has emerged as a critical factor in effectively navigating the ‘new normal’ that has been shaped by the pandemic. Resilience encompasses the adept management of thoughts, emotions, and coping mechanisms and the pursuit of social support, all of which are beneficial in effectively navigating a constantly evolving environment. This review highlights the crucial role of resilience in effectively addressing the novel stressors arising from the implementation of lockdown measures during the pandemic. Research has documented that resilience promotes the adoption of effective study strategies in students undergoing remote learning and enables teleworking adults to sustain their job performance and psychological well-being, with resilient individuals demonstrating adaptability and strength in the face of novel challenges.

Medical innovation and technologic advances enrich daily living and occur within our normative worlds that are socially constructed. These advances confront society with critical questions about the nature of human life, laying bare the inadequacies of extant norms and boundaries. Yet, society has been unable to develop consensus about when life ends. Scientific studies highlight that life is best characterized by continua without natural boundaries. Thus, scientific information alone cannot be employed to justify the socially constructed health categories required for setting norms and boundaries. An iterative process that integrates a broad range of nonscientific data with advancing scientific information is needed to facilitate consensus for updating social norms and boundaries. This can lead to a new taxonomy of living across the measurable continuum of life and align our normative worlds with the dizzying pace of medical innovation and advances in technologies transforming the world in which we live.

Cognitive flexibility denotes the ability to disengage from a current task and shift one’s focus to a different activity. An individual’s level of flexibility is not fixed; rather, people adapt their readiness to switch tasks to changing circumstances. We here review recent studies in the task-switching literature that have produced new insights into the contextual factors that drive this adaptation of flexibility, as well as proposals regarding the underlying cognitive mechanisms and learning processes. A fast-growing literature suggests that there are several different means of learning the need for, and implementing, changes in one’s level of flexibility. These, in turn, have distinct consequences for the degree to which adjustments in cognitive flexibility are transferrable to new stimuli and tasks.

The biological, social, and individual-level foundations of mathematics development are typically studied in isolation. However, isolated study of these areas can only offer limited understanding. In order to facilitate a holistic, integrative view of the field, here, we review recent studies in several of the above domains, focusing on how individual-level cognitive, emotional, motivational, and self-concept-related variables interact within- and cross-domain.

Lesion-behavior mapping in patients with focal cerebellar lesions provides important insights into functional compartmentalization of the cerebellum. Advances of magnetic resonance brain imaging have made it possible to map functions even in small cerebellar structures such as the dentate nucleus. Although functions do not strictly follow the boundaries of cerebellar lobules, precise delineation of individual lobules is nonetheless an important prerequisite to localize functions within the cerebellar cortex. In this review, we will summarize recent findings of disordered cognitive and affective functions in patients with focal cerebellar lesions, including strokes and lesions resulting from cerebellar tumor resection. Knowledge of cerebellar lesion sites associated with cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome and postoperative cerebellar mutism syndrome (CMS) has important clinical implications for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention in focal cerebellar disease.

Investigations of structural brain abnormalities in antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy associated with aggression have focused on prefrontal, limbic, and paralimbic regions. In this narrative review, a series of structural neuroanatomical studies are discussed, which points toward an important role of the cerebellum in antisocial and aggressive behavior. Across the reviewed studies, volumetric reduction of the vermis and right posterior cerebellum was a consistent finding in violent psychopathic offenders. The observations agree with results in healthy volunteers, which show that volumes of the vermis and right cerebellar hemisphere are correlated with impulsivity and aggressive behavior. Deviations in cerebellar volumes in violent psychopathic offenders are proposed to be part of a deficient neural circuit implicated in emotion regulation and executive functions.