L34 - Cognition Flashcards
Theory of mind (often abbreviated ToM)
Ability to attribute mental states—beliefs, intents, desires, pretending, knowledge, etc.—to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires, intentions, and perspectives that are different from one’s own
Is there evidence of Theory of Mind in animals?
No, only humans.
What brain regions are activated during REM sleep? Deactivated?
ACTIVATED: Anterior cingulate cortex, Amygdala, Parahippocampal gyrus, Pontine tegmentum
*Amygdala is involved in fear circuit, hence activation during sleep leads to nightmares
DEACTIVATED: Posterior cingulate cortex, Dosrsolateral prefrontal cortex
Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
Has rules about how the world works e.g. rules passed down culturally or rules we work out ourselves
As this region is deactivated when we are asleep, we are relaxed about these rules.
Our most influential way of thinking is Science through empirical methods, deductive methods and strategies
Our most influential way of thinking is Science through empirical methods, deductive methods and strategies
Tool use was first seen in Homo habilis
Used simple tools but don’t have creative vocab. Of tool use (they don’t make tools that are used to make other tools)
How tools evolved overtime (3)
2.4 mya: Oldowan tools
- Fortuitous and ad hoc (made when necessary) simple tools
- Stone tools
1.8 mya: Acheulean bi-faced tools
- Required careful selection of starting material, considerable bimanual dexterity and some sense of recursion e.g. tools that make tools
200 000 ya: Levallios tools
- Vocab of tools and processes gives variation
- As this is harder, they can’t re-learn it all the time. This knowledge needs to be passed down, hence suggests advanced capacity to communicate using language
What did Levallios tools require?
A temporal structuring of behaviour and the creation of intermediate solution prior to the final solution
-needs the right stone, right shape, specific pattern
Brodmanns Area 45 and 47 is involved in?
Object naming - also active during object recognising
*BA 45: descriptive representation, BA 47: symbolic potential
From objects: superior temporal gyrus, fusiform gyrus —ventral stream To objective conceptualization: BA 45: descriptive representation, BA 47: symbolic potential
Evidence suggests that BA organises not just language but organises body movements in relation to motor learning and communication
From objects: superior temporal gyrus, fusiform gyrus —ventral stream To objective conceptualization: BA 45: descriptive representation, BA 47: symbolic potential
Evidence suggests that BA organises not just language but organises body movements in relation to motor learning and communication
Left and right hemisphere show asymmetry in tool recognition where they show?
L: quantitative/parametric - descriptions, how long, how sharp
R: objective/iconographic - what sort of a tool, what does it represent
Images of tools, but not animals or people, activate language areas in people
Images of tools, but not animals or people, activate language areas in people
Last area of brain to mature? What does it do?
BA 46, Abstraction and reification - make something real)
*Top of the hierarchy in behavioural control
The dorsal stream carries info from sensory association areas about the when and where of events and objects to BA 46. It ideates space and time and other abstractions (e.g. atomic structure and existence of gods). The currency of BA46 is abstract concepts and the synthesis of possibilities, general principles of action and hypotheses
The dorsal stream carries info from sensory association areas about the when and where of events and objects to BA 46. It ideates space and time and other abstractions (e.g. atomic structure and existence of gods). The currency of BA46 is abstract concepts and the synthesis of possibilities, general principles of action and hypotheses
At what age are children able to perform logical operation and abstract conceptualizations to form and integrate a personal set of constructs (beliefs)?
12
