Fear Selectively Modulates Visual Mental Imagery and Visual Perception

Emotions have been shown to modulate low-level visual processing of simple stimuli. In this study, we investigate whether emotions only modulate processing of visual representations created from direct visual inputs or whether they also modulate representations that underlie visual mental images. Our results demonstrate that when participants visualize or look at the global shape of written words (low-spatial-frequency visual information), the prior brief presentation of fearful faces enhances processing, whereas when participants visualize or look at details of written words (high-spatial-frequency visual information), the prior brief presentation of fearful faces impairs processing. This study demonstrates that emotions have similar effects on low-level processing of visual percepts and of internal representations created on the basis of information stored in long-term memory.Psycholog

Mental Rotation is Not Easily Cognitively Penetrable

When participants take part in mental imagery experiments, are they using their "tacit knowledge" of perception to mimic what they believe should occur in the corresponding perceptual task? Two experiments were conducted to examine whether such an account can be applied to mental imagery in general. These experiments both examined tasks that required participants to "mentally rotate" stimuli. In Experiment 1, instructions led participants to believe that they could re-orient shapes in one step or avoid re-orienting the shapes altogether. Regardless of instruction type, response times increased linearly with increasing rotation angles. In Experiment 2, participants first observed novel objects rotating at different speeds, and then performed a mental rotation task with those objects. The speed of perceptually demonstrated rotation did not affect the speed of mental rotation. We argue that tacit knowledge cannot explain mental imagery results in general, and that in particular the mental rotation effect reflects the nature of the underlying internal representation and processes that transform it, rather than participants’ pre-existing knowledge.Psycholog

NeuroStratE: An educational neuroscience intervention to reduce procrastination behavior and improve executive planning function in higher students

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an educational cognitive neuroscience intervention (NeuroStratE) focusing on teaching the functioning of the brain and practical tools to address the procrastination behavior of 199 students enrolled at university from 2019 to 2021. The evolution of procrastination behavior is measured by specific scales and the planning ability through the Tower of Hanoi test. We compared the change in procrastination behaviors and planning ability between the pre and post-test to those of a control group. Procrastination behavior reduction and planning ability improved more in the students who followed the intervention (N = 179) than those in the control group (N = 20). Using mixed methods, these results were qualitatively refined with student feedback on the value of the intervention program, along with individual student interviews. This study highlights that it is particularly courses of procrastination and associated practical tools which contributed to reduced procrastination behavior and improved the planning ability

Towards Deciphering the Fetal Foundation of Normal Cognition and Cognitive Symptoms From Sulcation of the Cortex.

Growing evidence supports that prenatal processes play an important role for cognitive ability in normal and clinical conditions. In this context, several neuroimaging studies searched for features in postnatal life that could serve as a proxy for earlier developmental events. A very interesting candidate is the sulcal, or sulco-gyral, patterns, macroscopic features of the cortex anatomy related to the fold topology-e.g., continuous vs. interrupted/broken fold, present vs. absent fold-or their spatial organization. Indeed, as opposed to quantitative features of the cortical sheet (e.g., thickness, surface area or curvature) taking decades to reach the levels measured in adult, the qualitative sulcal patterns are mainly determined before birth and stable across the lifespan. The sulcal patterns therefore offer a window on the fetal constraints on specific brain areas on cognitive abilities and clinical symptoms that manifest later in life. After a global review of the cerebral cortex sulcation, its mechanisms, its ontogenesis along with methodological issues on how to measure the sulcal patterns, we present a selection of studies illustrating that analysis of the sulcal patterns can provide information on prenatal dispositions to cognition (with a focus on cognitive control and academic abilities) and cognitive symptoms (with a focus on schizophrenia and bipolar disorders). Finally, perspectives of sulcal studies are discussed

Fear improves mental rotation of low-spatial-frequency visual representation.

International audienc

Fear selectively modulates visual mental imagery and visual perception

International audienc

Evidence for an inhibitory-control theory of the reasoning brain

International audienc

Inhibitory control as a core mechanism for cognitive development and learning at school.

International audienc

Processus cognitifs mis en oeuvre dans deux paradigmes d'exploration mentale

LES ETUDES MENEES CES VINGT DERNIERES ANNEES DANS LE DOMAINE DE L IMAGERIE MENTALE ONT PERMIS DE RENFORCER LES CONNAISSANCES THEORIQUES ET EMPIRIQUES DE CETTE FORME DE REPRESENTATION. LES CHERCHEURS DANS CE DOMAINE CONVERGENT VERS UNE DEFINITION COMMUNE DE LA NOTION D IMAGE MENTALE VISUELLE : CETTE REPRESENTATION EST UNE CONFIGURATION EN MEMOIRE A COURT TERME GENEREE A PARTIR DE REPRESENTATIONS PLUS ABSTRAITES STOCKEES EN MEMOIRE A LONG TERME. NOUS SOMMES INTERESSE PLUS SPECIFIQUEMENT A L'UN DES PROCESSUS COGNITIFS MIS EN OEUVRE SUR LES IMAGES MENTALES, L EXPLORATION MENTALE, QUI PERMET AUX SUJETS DE DEPLACER LEUR ATTENTION SUR DES OBJETS EVOQUES DANS DES IMAGES MENTALES VISUELLES. CE PROCESSUS, ETUDIE A L'AIDE D'UNE VARIETE DE PARADIGMES EXPERIMENTAUX, EST SUPPOSE ETRE IDENTIQUE DANS TOUTES LES SITUATIONS OU IL EST MIS EN ŒUVRE. CEPENDANT, L'HYPOTHESE IMPLICITE SELON LAQUELLE LES DIFFERENTS PARADIGMES METTENT EN JEU LE MEME PROCESSUS COGNITIF D EXPLORATION MENTALE RESTAIT A DEMONTRER. DANS CETTE THESE, NOUS AVONS DISCUTE CETTE CONCEPTION UNITAIRE DU PROCESSUS D EXPLORATION MENTALE. LE BUT DE NOTRE RECHERCHE A ETE DE CONTRASTER DEUX MODES D EXPLORATION MENTALE MIS EN JEU RESPECTIVEMENT DANS LE PARADIGME DE KOSSLYN, BALL ET REISER (1978) ET DANS CELUI DE FINKE ET PINKER (1982). EN ETUDIANT LES CORRELATIONS ENTRE LES PERFORMANCES DES SUJETS AYANT PARTICIPE AUX DEUX PARADIGMES EXPERIMENTAUX, NOUS AVONS MIS EN EVIDENCE QUE CEUX-CI N IMPLIQUAIENT PAS LE MEME PROCESSUS D EXPLORATION MENTALE. NOUS AVONS PROPOSE UNE DISTINCTION ENTRE UN SOUS-PROCESSUS PERMETTANT DE SIMULER UN MOUVEMENT ENTRE DEUX POINTS ET UN SOUS-PROCESSUS LOCALISANT UNE CIBLE.RESEARCH ON MENTAL IMAGERY OVER THE PAST TWENTY YEARS HAS SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED OUR EMPIRICAL AND THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE OF THIS FORM OF REPRESENTATION. ON THE THEORETICAL SIDE, THE STUDY OF MENTAL IMAGERY HAS CONVERGED ON THE NOTION OF VISUAL MENTAL IMAGES AS SHORT-TERM MEMORY DISPLAYS THAT ARE GENERATED FROM MORE ABSTRACT REPRESENTATIONS STORED IN LONG-TERM MEMORY. SEVERAL MECHANISMS ARE POSTULATED TO OPERATE ON MENTAL IMAGES IN ORDER TO INTERPRET AND TRANSFORM THESE REPRESENTATIONS. THE PRESENT RESEARCH FOCUSED ON ONE OF THEM, MENTAL SCANNING. THE PROCESS OF MENTAL SCANNING HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED IN A VARIETY OF EXPERIMENTAL PARADIGMS. ALL OF THESE TASKS HAVE BEEN IMPLICITLY ASSUMED TO TAP A SINGLE PROCESS THAT ALLOWS SUBJECTS TO SHIFT THEIR ATTENTION ACROSS OBJECTS IN VISUAL MENTAL IMAGES. HOWEVER, SUCH AN IMPLICIT ASSUMPTION IS OPEN TO QUESTION. IN THE PRESENT THESIS, THE CONCEPTION OF A UNITARY SCANNING PROCESS WAS DISCUSSED. THE AIM OF OUR STUDY WAS TO CONTRAST TWO MODES OF MENTAL SCANNING, AS THEY WERE STUDIED IN THE PARADIGMS OF KOSSLYN, BALL AND REISER (1978) AND FINKE AND PINKER (1982), RESPECTIVELY. BY STUDYING THE CORRELATIONS BETWEEN THE PERFORMANCE OF SUBJECTS HAVING TAKEN PART IN THE TWO EXPERIMENTAL PARADIGMS, WE HIGHLIGHTED THAT THESE PARADIGMS DO NOT IMPLY THE SAME PROCESS OF MENTAL SCANNING. ONE SUB-PROCESS CONSISTS OF MENTALLY SIMULATING A MOVEMENT BETWEEN TWO POINTS IN A TWO-DIMENSIONAL ARRAY, WHEREAS THE OTHER CONSISTS OF MENTALLY INFERRING THE LOCALIZATION OF A TARGET POINT.ORSAY-PARIS 11-BU Sciences (914712101) / SudocSudocFranceF