Chapter 13: Executive Function Pt. II

Question 1

What is the somatic-marker hypothesis?

Answer 1

A theory that motivated behaviour is influenced by neural representations of body states (the somatic markers) whose re-experiencing can shape behaviour positively or negatively; the hypothesis that evaluation of ones own body states makes important contributions to decision making.

Question 2

What is the conflict monitoring model of anterior cingulate activity? What is the evidence for and against this model?

Answer 2

Response conflict arises when the information that points to an incorrect response is available sooner than or simultaneous with information indicating a correct response. The cingulate is always activated when the attentional demands are high or there is a response conflict. The ACC is active during neural conflicts. Influences DLPFC on next trial. Doesn’t impair troop task. The ACC might be more involved with avoiding mistakes than in actual error detection. Errors are a learning signal

Question 3

What do the ventral and dorsal anterior cingulate gyrus do (generally speaking)?

Answer 3

Dorsal ACC projects to the DLPFC, parietal cortex, and supplementary motor cortex. Attention. Ventral ACC projects to the VMPFC, insula, and limbic system (e.g., hypothalamus, amygdala, etc.). Emotion

Question 4

What area of the brain responds to social pain like rejection?

Answer 4

DACC

Question 5

Make up a syllogism.

Answer 5

All cats hate water. Mittens is a cat. Mittens hates water. (the orphan black task)

Question 6

What is the mental model approach of deductive reasoning?

Answer 6

No formal rules of logic. People construct mental models that assume the truth of the premises, and then evaluate whether the conclusions make sense. If the conclusion is not false, truth is assumed.

Question 7

What is the difference between exploratory and exploitative reasoning? When is the frontopolar cortex activated?

Answer 7

Exploratory vs. exploitative reasoning Learning about an unknown option involves the frontopolar cortex and intraparietal sulcus. Choosing or exploiting a sure reward activates the VMPFC and striatum. Frontopolar cortex is activated when abstract information from different sources must be integrated.

Question 8

How does PFC activity differ during inductive and deductive reasoning?

Answer 8

Both deductive and inductive reasoning involve the left frontal cortex. RH damage does not affect inductive reasoning.But, different areas of the left PFC are involved in these processes.

Question 9

How is the water-jar problem related to functional fixedness?

Answer 9

How would you get 20 units, given jugs that hold 23, 49, and 3 units? Most people continue to use the same algorithm (49-23-3-3 = 20) instead of using a new, simpler algorithm (23-3=20).

Question 10

How is the concept of reorganization related to moments of insight during problem-solving?

Answer 10

When one way of viewing a problem is replaced by a new, more promising approach. Many problems are solved with sudden flashes of insight

Question 11

Provide one piece of evidence in favour of the idea that people are implicitly aware that they are close to having a moment of insight…even if they don’t realize

Answer 11

Problem-solvers have no explicit knowledge about whether they are close to having an insight or not. But, people often show semantic priming to words related to the solution just before their insight becomes conscious. Suggests people have implicit knowledge about ‘getting close’ to a solution.

Question 12

Is the left or right hemisphere better at insightful thinking (in general)?

Answer 12

The right hemisphere seems to be more involved with insight than the left hemisphere. Greater role in implicit associations and emotional processing. Solutions are reached faster when clues are presented to the LVF (RH).

Question 13

Cracker, union, and rabbit all relate to the word ‘jack’. What area of the brain is activated when you make that realization?

Answer 13

Moments of insight are correlated with activity in the anterior temporal lobe

Question 14

How is the lateral PFC related to problem-solving?

Answer 14

The lateral PFC helps establish links between stimuli; also figures out what actions are appropriate for given problems. However, some problems intentionally misrepresent the ‘problem space’so that normal rules don’t apply (e.g., the Duncker candle problem). So, the lateral PFC might sometimes slow down problem-solving because it is stuck with existing rules.

Question 15

You should know that the thalamus, pallidus, striatum, and cortex are involved in multiple cortical-subcortical loops, and that there are at least 5 loops (e.g., affective, motor, prefrontal).

Answer 15

Basal ganglia receive input from the frontal lobes and send projections to the thalamus and motor cortex. (e.g., affective, motor, prefrontal).

Question 16

How do patients with DLPFC and basal ganglia differ in rule-switching and object-switching tasks?

Answer 16

The basal ganglia do not respond to particular sets of abstract rules. Instead, create links between specific stimuli and specific responses. When the mapping rule changes, basal ganglia firing increases.

Question 17

How do the Baddeley and Cowan models of working memory differ?

Answer 17

Baddeley’s model: All theories of WM involve multiple buffers and/or storage ‘sites’that are controlled by a central executive system. Cowan model: Open dots = LTM. Closed dots = “activated LTM stores”. Working memory / attention holds approximately 4 items at a time.

Question 18

You should know the 5 points about the role of the lateral PFC and working memory listed on p. 461.

Answer 18

1) activation persists for entire length of delay period. 2) activation increases as more info must be held in memory 3) increased activation associates with better working memory [activateion greater when maintained meme used correctly]. 4) increased activation associated with resistance to effects of distraction from competing working men task. 5) activation greater when task requires manipulation of info in working men rather than maintenance of info

Question 19

How do the DLPFC and the VLPFC differ in terms of their responsibilities during working memory tasks?

Answer 19

The DLPFC makes WM representations more resistant to distraction. Trials with a lot of DLPFC activity during the delay between study and test are more likely to be correct. Deeper processing? Activity in the VLPFC and frontal-eye fields during the delay period does not correlate with accuracy.