Theories of anterior cingulate cortex function : opportunity cost

The target article highlights the role of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in conflict monitoring, but ACC function may be better understood in terms of the hierarchical organization of behavior. This proposal suggests that the ACC selects extended goal-directed actions according to their learned costs and benefits and executes those behaviors subject to depleting resources

Responsibility for implicit bias

Research programs in empirical psychology from the past two decades have revealed implicit biases. Although implicit processes are pervasive, unavoidable, and often useful aspects of our cognitions, they may also lead us into error. The most problematic forms of implicit cognition are those which target social groups, encoding stereotypes or reflecting prejudicial evaluative hierarchies. Despite intentions to the contrary, implicit biases can influence our behaviours and judgements, contributing to patterns of discriminatory behaviour. These patterns of discrimination are obviously wrong and unjust. But in remedying such wrongs, one question to be addressed concerns responsibility for implicit bias. Unlike some paradigmatic forms of wrongdoing, such discrimination is often unintentional, unendorsed, and perpetrated without awareness; and the harms are particularly damaging because they are cumulative and collectively perpetrated. So, what are we to make of questions of responsibility? In this article, we outline some of the main lines of recent philosophical thought, which address questions of responsibility for implicit bias. We focus on (a) the kind of responsibility at issue; (b) revisionist versus nonrevisionist conceptions of responsibility as applied to implicit bias; and (c) individual, institutional, and collective responsibility for implicit bias

Responsibility for implicit bias

Research programs in empirical psychology from the past two decades have revealed implicit biases. Although implicit processes are pervasive, unavoidable, and often useful aspects of our cognitions, they may also lead us into error. The most problematic forms of implicit cognition are those which target social groups, encoding stereotypes or reflecting prejudicial evaluative hierarchies. Despite intentions to the contrary, implicit biases can influence our behaviours and judgements, contributing to patterns of discriminatory behaviour. These patterns of discrimination are obviously wrong and unjust. But in remedying such wrongs, one question to be addressed concerns responsibility for implicit bias. Unlike some paradigmatic forms of wrongdoing, such discrimination is often unintentional, unendorsed, and perpetrated without awareness; and the harms are particularly damaging because they are cumulative and collectively perpetrated. So, what are we to make of questions of responsibility? In this article, we outline some of the main lines of recent philosophical thought, which address questions of responsibility for implicit bias. We focus on (a) the kind of responsibility at issue; (b) revisionist versus nonrevisionist conceptions of responsibility as applied to implicit bias; and (c) individual, institutional, and collective responsibility for implicit bias

Craig: the forgotten modernist

This was the keyword speech at the event, 'Edward Gordon Craig: His Legacy' A biographical and historical perspective, this talk suggests some early influences on Craig’s visionary ideas from his extraordinary theatrical pedigree. Sir Michael will also chart Craig’s development as a European Modernist during a long, wayward life in exile that led to his achievements being largely forgotten by the end of his career

The feedback correct-related positivity : sensitivity of the event-related brain potential to unexpected positive feedback

The N200 and the feedback error-related negativity (fERN) are two components of the event-related brain potential (ERP) that share similar scalp distributions, time courses, morphologies, and functional dependencies, which raises the question as to whether they are actually the same phenomenon. To investigate this issue, we recorded the ERP from participants engaged in two tasks that independently elicited the N200 and fERN. Our results indicate that they are, in fact, the same ERP component and further suggest that positive feedback elicits a positive-going deflection in the time range of the fERN. Taken together, these results indicate that negative feedback elicits a common N200 and that modulation of fERN amplitude results from the superposition on correct trials of a positive-going deflection that we term the feedback correct-related positivity

Partition Identities and the Coin Exchange Problem

The number of partitions of n into parts divisible by a or b equals the number of partitions of n in which each part and each difference of two parts is expressible as a non-negative integer combination of a or b. This generalizes identities of MacMahon and Andrews. The analogous identities for three or more integers (in place of a,b) hold in certain cases.Comment: 6 page

Frontal midline theta and N200 amplitude reflect complementary information about expectancy and outcome evaluation

Feedback ERN (fERN) and frontal midline theta have both been proposed to index a dopamine-like reinforcement learning signal in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). We investigated these proposals by comparing fERN amplitude and theta power with respect to their sensitivities to outcome valence and probability in a previously collected EEG dataset. Bayesian model comparison revealed a dissociation between the two measures, with fERN amplitude mainly sensitive to valence and theta power mainly sensitive to probability. Further, fERN amplitude was highly correlated with the portion of theta power that is consistent in phase across trials (i.e., evoked theta power). These results suggest that although both measures provide valuable information about cognitive function of frontal midline cortex, fERN amplitude is specifically sensitive to dopamine reinforcement learning signals whereas theta power reflects the ACC response to unexpected events