Cognición y desarrollo

Este trabajo resalta el carácter central de la perspectiva evolutiva para el estudio de lacognición humana, mediante la descripción de  algunos importantes avances teóricos yexperimentales recientes. Se aborda el problema del cambio evolutivo a partir del estudio de laestrecha relación entre cerebro y desarrollo, y las transformaciones evolucionistas que dan cuenta de las capacidades de la mente humana. Se analizan tres campos de estudio que permiten ilustrar algunas cuestiones básicas: el desarrollo de la noción de objeto, la adquisición de la gramática y el desarrollo de las estrategias de pensamiento.Finalmente, se destacan las limitaciones de nuestro conocimiento sobre el funcionamiento dela cognición, a partir de la crítica de las concepciones más optimistas, defensoras de lamodularidad masiva

Working memory, reading comprehension and reasoning in secondary school

En el presente trabajo se evalúa la memoria operativa, la comprensión lectora y el razonamiento en dos grupos de estudiantes de 1º y 4º de ESO y se analizan las interrelaciones entre estas tres variables cognitivas. Como medidas de estas variables, se utilizan respectivamente la Prueba de Amplitud Lectora de Elosúa, Gutiérrez, García Madruga, Luque y Gárate (1996; versión española del Reading Span Test de Daneman y Carpenter, 1980), el Test de Estrategias de Comprensión de Vidal-Abarca, Gilabert, Martínez, Sellés, Abad y Ferrer (2007), y una prueba de razonamiento proposicional que incluye dos enunciados condicionales y una disyunción incluyente. Se estudia también la capacidad predictiva de estas tres variables con respecto al rendimiento académico, obtenido a partir de las calificaciones finales de los sujetos en diversas materias. Los resultados mostraron incrementos con la edad y el nivel escolar en las medidas de memoria operativa y comprensión lectora, pero no así en el razonamiento proposicional. Se encontró, asimismo, un patrón de correlaciones significativas entre las tres medidas experimentales, así como entre ellas y el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes. En la discusión se analiza el papel que estas variables cognitivas tienen en la explicación de los resultados académicos y se apuntan medidas tendentes a su mejora.The main objective of this paper was to assess working memory, reading comprehension and reasoning abilities of two groups of Secondary School students (1st and 4th levels), and to analyse the relations among these three cognitive variables. As measures of these three variables we used: the ‘Prueba de Amplitud Lectora’ by Elosúa, Gutiérrez, García Madruga, Luque and Gárate (1996; Spanish version of the Reading Span Test by Daneman and Carpenter, 1980), the ‘Test de Estrategias de Comprensión’ by Vidal-Abarca, Gilabert, Martínez, Sellés, Abad and Ferrer (2007), and a propositional reasoning test including two conditionals and one inclusive disjunction. Moreover, we studied the predictive capacity of these three variables on educational achievement, measured by students’ final scores in diverse subject matters. The results showed an increase with age and school level in working memory and reading comprehension measures but not in propositional reasoning. Likewise, there were a clear pattern of significant correlations between the three experimental variables, as well as between any of them and students’ academic scores. In the Discussion the role of these three cognitive variables in explaining of academic achievement is analysed and some ideas for its improvement are proposed

Memoria operativa y comprensión lectora: algunas cuestiones básicas

In this paper, some of the main theoretical issues of the “working memory” construct and its role in cognition are reviewed. We focus on the research on reading comprehension abilities, in which working memory (WM) has been studied as a possible source of individual differences. Particularly, we will refer to three points of special interest: the existence of developmental differences in the WM and its influence on reading comprehension differences; the importance of the double-sided working memory function of processing and storage and its role in comprehension abilities; and finally, the issue of the specificity versus generality of WM involved in comprehension. As far as these matters are concerned, we have analyzed the empirical evidence available, making a special remark on the results obtained in our developmental studies, in which we use several comprehension and working memory measures.ResumenEn este trabajo revisamos algunas de las principales cuestiones teóricas que se han planteado en torno al constructo de «memoria operativa » (MO) y a su reconocido papel en la cognición. En este sentido, nos centramos particularmente en la investigación sobre las habilidades de comprensión lectora, donde la MO se viene estudiado como posible fuente de diferencias individuales. Concretamente, nos referimos a tres puntos de especial interés: la existencia de diferencias evolutivas en la MO y su influencia en las diferencias en comprensión lectora; la importancia de la doble función de procesamiento y almacenamiento que usualmente se le atribuye y su papel en las habilidades de comprensión; y, finalmente, la especificidad o generalidad de la MO implicada en la comprensión. En relación con estas cuestiones, repasamos la evidencia empírica disponible, haciendo especial referencia a los resultados obtenidos en nuestros estudios evolutivos, en los que utilizamos diversas medidas de comprensión y memoria operativa.AbstractIn this paper, some of the main theoretical issues of the “working memory” construct and its role in cognition are reviewed. We focus on the research on reading comprehension abilities, in which working memory (WM) has been studied as a possible source of individual differences. Particularly, we will refer to three points of special interest: the existence of developmental differences in the WM and its influence on reading comprehension differences; the importance of the double-sided working memory function of processing and storage and its role in comprehension abilities; and finally, the issue of the specificity versus generality of WM involved in comprehension. As far as these matters are concerned, we have analyzed the empirical evidence available, making a special remark on the results obtained in our developmental studies, in which we use several comprehension and working memory measures.

¿El Retén Episódico de Baddeley es independiente del Ejecutivo Central? Una nueva medida del Retén Episódico

The Episodic Buffer (EB) is taking on an increasingly central role in explanations regarding the functioning of working memory. In fact, in the most recent studies by Baddeley and his collaborators, the EB has situated itself at the core of this memory system. Recently under discussion is that this component of working memory seems to demonstrate an independent nature with respect to central executive resourcing. Some studies show that in automatic tasks the creation and maintenance of elements stored in the episodic buffer do not require resources from the central executive. The current work attempts to evaluate this assumption for what different variables are taken and a new test has been developed to measure the EB. In this double task test, the secondary task consists of reading short simple texts that contain missing words. The results show that further processing due to increasing the length of the texts does not correspond to higher load demands made on the central executive, nor in the creation (organization) of chucks or their maintenance. Thus, we believe the EB is under certain circumstances independent of the central executive.         El Retén Episódico (RE) está tomando un creciente papel central en las explicaciones sobre el funcionamiento de la memoria operativa. De hecho, los últimos estudios de Baddeley y sus colaboradores sitúan al RE en el corazón del sistema de memoria. Recientemente la discusión también atañe a si este componente de la memoria operativa presenta una naturaleza independiente respecto a los recursos del ejecutivo central. Algunos estudios muestran como en tareas automatizadas, la construcción y mantenimiento de elementos almacenados en el RE no requieren de recursos desde el ejecutivo central. El presente trabajo pretende analizar esta cuestión para lo que se toman diferentes variables y se ha diseñado un nuevo test para medir el EB. En este test de doble tarea, la tarea secundaria consiste en la lectura de textos sencillos que contienen palabras ocultas. Los resultados muestran como a pesar del aumento del procesamiento debido al incremento de la longitud de los textos, no se produce un aumento en la carga demandada por el ejecutivo central, ni en la creación de los agrupamientos de información ni en su mantenimiento. Es por ello, que pensamos que el RE bajo ciertas circunstancias es independiente del ejecutivo central

Razonamiento con condicionales múltiples. La perspectiva de los modelos mentales

Multi-conditional problems can be used to corripare the mental model theory and mental rule theories of deductive reasoriing. The two theories make coiitrasting predictions about performance. The mental model theory relates the difficulty of a problem with the number of models the reasoner has to construct, whereas inentul rule theories explain this difficultyin terms of the number and complexity of the rues of inference to be applied. Experiment 1 tested the fivo theories using multiconditional problems and measured both accuracy and latency. The results supported the mental model theory, but there was a ceiling effect for accuracy and some unexpected time measurements. In experiment 2 the ceiling effect disappeared, and the mental rnodel theory was again corroborated. The paper discusses when reasoners are likely to construct mental models, the limitations of the human cognitive system and its strategic nature.Los problemas multi-condicionales permiten contrastar las principales teorías sobre el razonamiento deductivo, la de los "modelos mentales" y la de la "lógica mental", dado que sus predicciones sobre la ejecucidn son prácticamente opuestas. La primera relaciona la dificultad de un probleina con el número de modelos que es necesario construir, mientras que la segunda explica esta dificultad en función del número y complejidad de las reglas de inferencia que deben aplicarse. En un primer experimento comparamos ambas teorías utilizando medidas de precisión y temporales. Los resultados apoyaron la teoría de los modelos mentales, si bien encontramos un efecto techo en las medidas de precisión y algún resultadoimprevisto en las medidas ternporales. En un segundo experimento se replicaron los resultados desapareció el efecto techo, confirinándose así la teoría de los modelos mentales. Se discute cuándo es probable que los sujetos construyan los modelos en relación con las limitaciones de procesamiento del sistema cognitivo y su naturaleza estratégica

Intermediate Molecular Phenotypes to Identify Genetic Markers of Anthracycline-Induced Cardiotoxicity Risk.

Cardiotoxicity due to anthracyclines (CDA) affects cancer patients, but we cannot predict who may suffer from this complication. CDA is a complex trait with a polygenic component that is mainly unidentified. We propose that levels of intermediate molecular phenotypes (IMPs) in the myocardium associated with histopathological damage could explain CDA susceptibility, so variants of genes encoding these IMPs could identify patients susceptible to this complication. Thus, a genetically heterogeneous cohort of mice (n = 165) generated by backcrossing were treated with doxorubicin and docetaxel. We quantified heart fibrosis using an Ariol slide scanner and intramyocardial levels of IMPs using multiplex bead arrays and QPCR. We identified quantitative trait loci linked to IMPs (ipQTLs) and cdaQTLs via linkage analysis. In three cancer patient cohorts, CDA was quantified using echocardiography or Cardiac Magnetic Resonance. CDA behaves as a complex trait in the mouse cohort. IMP levels in the myocardium were associated with CDA. ipQTLs integrated into genetic models with cdaQTLs account for more CDA phenotypic variation than that explained by cda-QTLs alone. Allelic forms of genes encoding IMPs associated with CDA in mice, including AKT1, MAPK14, MAPK8, STAT3, CAS3, and TP53, are genetic determinants of CDA in patients. Two genetic risk scores for pediatric patients (n = 71) and women with breast cancer (n = 420) were generated using machine-learning Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression. Thus, IMPs associated with heart damage identify genetic markers of CDA risk, thereby allowing more personalized patient management.J.P.L.’s lab is sponsored by Grant PID2020-118527RB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/ 501100011039; Grant PDC2021-121735-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011039 and by the “European Union Next Generation EU/PRTR”, the Regional Government of Castile and León (CSI144P20). J.P.L. and P.L.S. are supported by the Carlos III Health Institute (PIE14/00066). AGN laboratory and human patients’ studies are supported by an ISCIII project grant (PI18/01242). The Human Genotyping unit is a member of CeGen, PRB3, and is supported by grant PT17/0019 of the PE I + D + i 2013–2016, funded by ISCIII and ERDF. SCLl is supported by MINECO/FEDER research grants (RTI2018-094130-B-100). CH was supported by the Department of Defense (DoD) BCRP, No. BC190820; and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), No. R01CA184476. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is a multi-program national laboratory operated by the University of California for the DOE under contract DE AC02-05CH11231. The Proteomics Unit belongs to ProteoRed, PRB3-ISCIII, supported by grant PT17/0019/0023 of the PE I + D +i, 2017–2020, funded by ISCIII and FEDER. RCC is funded by fellowships from the Spanish Regional Government of Castile and León. NGS is a recipient of an FPU fellowship (MINECO/FEDER). hiPSC-CM studies were funded in part by the “la Caixa” Banking Foundation under the project code HR18-00304 and a Severo Ochoa CNIC Intramural Project (Exp. 12-2016 IGP) to J.J.S