DOCSLIB.ORG

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Psychology of Religion and Spirituality Psychology of Religion and Spirituality Awe Activates Religious and Spiritual Feelings and Behavioral Intentions Patty Van Cappellen and Vassilis Saroglou Online First Publication, October 24, 2011. doi: 10.1037/a0025986 CITATION Van Cappellen, P., & Saroglou, V. (2011, October 24). Awe Activates Religious and Spiritual Feelings and Behavioral Intentions. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1037/a0025986 Psychology of Religion and Spirituality © 2011 American Psychological Association 2011, Vol. ●●, No. ●, 000–000 1941-1022/11/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/a0025986 Awe Activates Religious and Spiritual Feelings and Behavioral Intentions Patty Van Cappellen Vassilis Saroglou Universite´ Catholique de Louvain and Belgian Universite´ Catholique de Louvain National Fund for Scientific Research In two experiments, we investigated the role of awe in activating the association between religiosity/spirituality and related feelings and behavioral intentions. In Experiment 1, the induction of awe (through the recall of a relevant event), but not the induction of pride or a neutral condition, led religious and spiritual participants to endorse a spiritual (Tibet) but not a hedonistic (Haiti) travel destination. In Experiment 2, the induction (through relevant video clips) of (a) awe of nature and (b) awe at childbirth, but not the induction of humor led religious/spiritual people to express, respectively, feelings of oneness with (a) others in general and (b) friends. Implications of these findings, for instance in understanding the role of self-transcendent positive emotions in religious rituals, are discussed. Keywords: positive emotions, awe, religion and spirituality related behavior and feelings In the psychological research of religion, teraction (Saroglou, in press), the proscribed there is often an implicit tendency to think as character of prejudice (or lack thereof), or the if the effects, or at least the associations of cost of a moral action (Batson, Schoenrade, & religion/spirituality (R/S) with relevant con- Ventis, 1993). Other studies have shown that structs, are relatively stable in time and across religious expressions become (more) manifest situations. For instance, researchers often in- when religious norms, expectations, or beliefs vestigate whether R/S is positively related to are made salient. For instance, religious people prosocial attitudes and behaviors, value hier- were found to be charitable on Sunday but not archies, moral reasoning, prejudice, or per- on weekdays (Malhotra, 2010); and, extension sonality traits (Hood, Hill, & Spilka, 2009). of prosociality to people in need occurred after Researchers also implicitly presume that once activation of a religious but not a secular con- people define themselves as religious or spir- text (Pichon & Saroglou, 2009). Similarly, re- itual (R/S), they would, rather invariantly ligious people subscribe less than nonreligious across situations, express R/S feelings, people to porn sites only on Sunday (Edelman, thoughts, and behaviors. 2009). However, studies using social experimental The aim of the present work is to focus on designs with varying experimental conditions another important contextual factor, that is, suggest that many of the correlates or effects of R/S depend on the specific context, such as the the role of positive emotions, in particular characteristics of the target in the prosocial in- awe, in facilitating the expression of relevant feelings and behaviors as a function of R/S. More specifically, we hypothesized that awe facilitates (increases or activates) religious and spiritual people’s propensity for spiritual Patty Van Cappellen, Department of Psychology, Univer- behaviors (Experiment 1) and feelings of site´ Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, closeness with others (Experiment 2). We and Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research, Lou- vain-la-Neuve, Belgium; Vassilis Saroglou, Division of So- also hypothesized that these effects are lim- cial Psychology, Universite´ Catholique de Louvain. ited to awe and do not extend to two other Correspondence concerning this article should be ad- (non self-transcendent) positive emotions, dressed to Patty Van Cappellen, Universite´ Catholique de that is, pride (Experiment 1) and amusement Louvain, Department of Psychology, Place du Cardinal Mercier 10, B 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. E-mail: (Experiment 2). We will detail below the ra- [email protected] tionale for these hypotheses. 1 2 VAN CAPPELLEN AND SAROGLOU Positive Emotions and Religion/Spirituality (such as a spiritual journey) or experience feel- ings of oneness with others, either proximal or Contrary to substantial research that has fo- distal. cused on the ways negative experiences and emotions (e.g., guilt, anxiety, insecurity of at- Awe as a Specific Self-Transcendent tachment, loss of loved ones, illness, depriva- Positive Emotion tion, terror) lead to R/S, shape R/S experiences, or are regulated by R/S (Hood et al., 2009; The above expectations need though to be Watts, 2007), little is known about the way specified. A recent series of studies suggests positive emotions influence R/S. A variety of that positive emotions should not be treated as a positive emotions, such as joy, gratitude, awe, single construct or as similar in valence. Like wonder, or hope, may result from R/S experi- negative emotions, positive emotions are dis- ences (Emmons, 2005), and this may explain crete and differ from (and eventually conflict the connection between R/S and well-being with) one another with regard to respective elic- (Fredrickson, 2002; Fredrickson, Cohn, Cofeey, itors, appraisals, and bodily expressions; they Pek, & Finkel, 2008). Moreover, reversing the seem to have distinct adaptive functions and causal direction, Saroglou, Buxant, and Tilquin lead to different cognitive, emotional, and be- (2008) found in two experiments that the induc- havioral outcomes (Fredrickson & Branigan, tion of positive emotions (awe in particular) 2005; Griskevicius, Shiota, & Neufeld, 2010a; increased participants’ level of reported religi- Griskevicius, Shiota, & Nowlis, 2010b; Keltner osity and spirituality. & Lerner, 2010; Shiota, Keltner, & John, 2006). In the present paper, we argue that positive For instance, positive emotions of enthusiasm emotions may also facilitate the way R/S relates and amusement tend to facilitate greater accep- and leads to relevant feelings and behavioral tance of weak persuasive messages, whereas intentions: more specifically, feelings of one- awe and nurturant love reduce persuasion by ness with others and willingness to undertake a weak messages (Griskevicius et al., 2010a). trip to a spiritual destination such as Tibet. From a personality perspective, dispositional Indeed, positive emotions have been found to in- awe mainly reflects cognitive flexibility and crease a manner of thinking that is integrative, openness, whereas dispositional joy or pride flexible, and open to information (Isen, Daubman, primarily reflects emotional stability (Shiota et & Nowicki, 1987), to enhance people’s feeling al., 2006; Shiota, Keltner, & Mossman, 2007). that life is meaningful (King, Hicks, Krull, & Del A possible key distinction between positive Gaiso, 2006), to increase the feeling of oneness emotions lies between self-transcendent emo- with others (Waugh & Fredrickson, 2006), tions (e.g., awe, love, admiration) and those that and to see both ingroup and outgroup mem- are self-oriented (e.g., pride, amusement, joy). bers as belonging to one superordinate group A key ingredient of the former, among which (Dovidio, Gaertner, Isen, & Lowrance, 1995). awe may be considered a prototype, is the pos- Religion too, and especially spirituality, im- itive evaluation of realities other than the self. plies an alternative perception of reality The latter emotions, rather, put the emphasis (Berger, 1997), the belief that life is mean- primarily on self-enhancement. We therefore ingful (Park, 2005), and empathetic emotions advance here a more specific hypothesis than and the feeling that we all belong to large the expectation presented in the previous sec- human communities (Fehr et al., 2009; Saro- tion: it is not positive emotions in general, but glou, in press). Biographical sources on con- only those that include self-transcendence as a version and religious vocation also suggest major component that should be relevant for that positive emotions play a role in facilitat- R/S’ connection with, and effects on, spiritual ing, if not activating, R/S motives, aspira- behavioral intentions and feelings of oneness tions, and decisions (Keltner & Haidt, 2003; with others. We tested this hypothesis by focus- Sundarajan, 2002). ing on the emotion of awe and comparing the Positive emotions may thus reasonably be effects of awe with the effects of the emotions suspected to enhance and facilitate, if not acti- pride and amusement. The specific rationale for vate the propensity of R/S people to undertake focusing on each of these three emotions is behaviors that express their spiritual aspirations provided below. AWE AND RELIGIOUS/SPIRITUAL OUTCOMES 3 Awe is a feeling of wonder experienced by through connection with the sacred (travel to the self when facing something vaster, Tibet) or humanity (oneness with people). greater, beyond current understanding (Kelt- Finally, amusement is the positive emotion ner & Haidt, 2003). Prototypical elicitors of experienced during social and cognitive play, awe include panoramic
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Cognitive Flexibility Mediates the Association Between Early Life Stress And
    Cognitive flexibility mediates the association between early life stress and habitual behavior Xinqi Zhou1, Yayun Meng2, Helena S. Schmitt1,3, Christian Montag1,3, Keith M. Kendrick1, Benjamin Becker1* 1The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroinFormation, University oF Electronic Science and Technology oF China, Chengdu, China 2Faculty of Teacher Education, Hechi University, Hechi, China 3Department of Molecular Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany *correspondence to Benjamin Becker, PhD Center For Information in Medicine University oF Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu 611731, China Tel.: +86 2861 830 811 Mail: [email protected] Abstract Accumulating evidence suggests that exposure to high levels oF early liFe stress (ELS) may lead to a lasting shift between goal-directed and habitual behavioral tendencies. Cognitive flexibility has been shown to be impaired following early life stress and represents a protective Factor For the Formation of rigid maladaptive behavior, however, whether cognitive flexibility mediates their association is not clear. Against this background we employed a mediation approach in a sample oF n = 560 young healthy Chinese to determine whether cognitive Flexibility mediates the association between ELS and habitual behavioral tendencies as assessed by the Creature of Habits Scale (COHS). We present and validate a Chinese version of the COHS (COHS-C) and replicate the two Factor solution of the original version. Higher ELS exposure was associated with higher habitual behavioral tendencies and lower cognitive flexibility. Importantly, the association between ELS and habitual behavior was Fully mediated by cognitive Flexibility, suggesting that ELS-associated deFicient cognitive flexibility promotes habitual behavioral tendencies in everyday liFe.
    [Show full text]
  • The Effectiveness of Cognitive Flexibility Training Program on Cognitive Functions and Activities of Daily Living in Patients with Ischemic Stroke
    Original Article SMJ The Effectiveness of Cognitive Flexibility Training Program on Cognitive Functions and Activities of Daily Living in Patients with Ischemic Stroke Pornkhaun Mungklang, M.N.S.*, Wimolrat Puwarawuttipanit, Ph.D.*, Kanaungnit Pongthavornkamol, Ph.D.*, Yongchai Nilanont, M.D.** *Medical Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, **Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand. ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a cognitive flexibility training program on cognitive functions and activities of daily living (ADLs) in patients with ischemic stroke. Methods: A single blind randomized controlled trial study was conducted in a stroke unit of a tertiary hospital in a Bangkok setting. The sample size was 80 participants of both genders, aged 18 – 80 years. The sample size was stratified by age. Randomization was generated by a computer program dividing 40 participants into the experiment and 40 into the control group. Eleven participants dropped out during data collection. Therefore, 34 participants in the experimental group received cognitive flexibility training four days a week for 30-40 minutes per day over a period of 4 weeks in addition to usual care. There were 35 participants in the control group who received diary recording and usual care. The study used various instruments for data collection, including a Thai version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Barthel’s Index of Activities of Daily Living. Data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). Results: The experimental group had higher cognitive functions and abilities in performing activities of daily living than the control group with statistical significance (p < .05).
    [Show full text]
  • Cognitive Psychology
    COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY PSYCH 126 Acknowledgements College of the Canyons would like to extend appreciation to the following people and organizations for allowing this textbook to be created: California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Chancellor Diane Van Hook Santa Clarita Community College District College of the Canyons Distance Learning Office In providing content for this textbook, the following professionals were invaluable: Mehgan Andrade, who was the major contributor and compiler of this work and Neil Walker, without whose help the book could not have been completed. Special Thank You to Trudi Radtke for editing, formatting, readability, and aesthetics. The contents of this textbook were developed under the Title V grant from the Department of Education (Award #P031S140092). However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Unless otherwise noted, the content in this textbook is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Table of Contents Psychology .................................................................................................................................................... 1 126 ................................................................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1 - History of Cognitive Psychology ............................................................................................. 7 Definition of Cognitive Psychology
    [Show full text]
  • Development and Plasticity of Cognitive Flexibility in Early and Middle Childhood
    fpsyg-08-01040 June 17, 2017 Time: 15:30 # 1 MINI REVIEW published: 20 June 2017 doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01040 Development and Plasticity of Cognitive Flexibility in Early and Middle Childhood Frances Buttelmann1,2,3* and Julia Karbach1,2,4 1 Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany, 2 Center for Research on Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA), Frankfurt, Germany, 3 Department of Developmental Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany, 4 Department of Psychology, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany Cognitive flexibility, the ability to flexibly switch between tasks, is a core dimension of executive functions (EFs) allowing to control actions and to adapt flexibly to changing environments. It supports the management of multiple tasks, the development of novel, adaptive behavior and is associated with various life outcomes. Cognitive flexibility develops rapidly in preschool and continuously increases well into adolescence, mirroring the growth of neural networks involving the prefrontal cortex. Over the past decade, there has been increasing interest in interventions designed to improve cognitive flexibility in children in order to support the many developmental outcomes associated with cognitive flexibility. This article provides a brief review of the development Edited by: and plasticity of cognitive flexibility across early and middle childhood (i.e., from Mike Wendt, Medical School Hamburg, Germany preschool to elementary school age). Focusing on interventions designed to improve Reviewed by: cognitive flexibility in typically developing children, we report evidence for significant Claudia C. von Bastian, training and transfer effects while acknowledging that current findings on transfer Bournemouth University, United Kingdom are heterogeneous.
    [Show full text]
  • 2017 Zhong Grafman Biological and Cognitive Underpinnings of Religious
    HHS Public Access Author manuscript Author ManuscriptAuthor Manuscript Author Neuropsychologia Manuscript Author . Author Manuscript Author manuscript; available in PMC 2018 June 01. Published in final edited form as: Neuropsychologia. 2017 June ; 100: 18–25. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.04.009. Biological and cognitive underpinnings of religious fundamentalism Wanting Zhonga,b,1, Irene Cristoforia,b,1, Joseph Bulbuliac, Frank Kruegerd,e, and Jordan Grafmana,b,f aCognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Brain Injury Research, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago,IL 60611, USA bDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA cSchool of Art History, Classics and Religious Studies, Victoria University of New Zealand, Wellington 6140, New Zealand dMolecular Neuroscience Department, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA eDepartment of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA fDepartments of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Cognitive Neurology & Alzheimer's Disease, Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL60611, USA Abstract Beliefs profoundly affect people's lives, but their cognitive and neural pathways are poorly understood. Although previous research has identified the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) as critical to representing religious beliefs, the means by which vmPFC enables religious belief is uncertain. We hypothesized that the vmPFC represents diverse religious beliefs and
    [Show full text]
  • Download Preprint
    Running head: CULTURAL VARIATION IN EARLY COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY 1 The Development and Diversity of Cognitive Flexibility: Greater Cultural Variation in Early Rule Switching than Word Learning Cristine H. Legarea, Michael T. Dalea, Sarah Y. Kima, & Gedeon O. Deákb a Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin b Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego CULTURAL VARIATION IN EARLY COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY 2 Abstract Cognitive flexibility, the adaptation of representations and responses to new task demands, improves dramatically in early childhood. It is unclear, however, whether flexibility is a coherent, unitary cognitive trait that develops similarly across populations, or is an emergent dimension of task-specific performance that varies across populations with culturally variable experiences. Children from two populations that differ in pre-formal education experiences completed two distinct tests of cognitive flexibility, matched for complexity. Three- to 5-year-old English- speaking U.S. children and Tswana-speaking South African children completed two language- processing cognitive flexibility tests: the FIM-Animates, a word-learning test, and the 3DCCS, a rule-switching test. U.S. and South African children did not differ in word-learning flexibility, showing similar age-related increases. In contrast, only U.S. preschoolers showed an age-related increase in rule-switching flexibility; South African children did not. Working memory explained additional variance in both tests, but did not modulate the interaction between population-sample and task. The data suggest that rule-switching flexibility may be more dependent upon culturally- variable educational experience, whereas word-learning flexibility may be less dependent upon culturally-specific input.
    [Show full text]
  • The Effects of Portal 2 and Lumosity on Cognitive and Noncognitive Skills
    Computers & Education 80 (2015) 58e67 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Computers & Education journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/compedu The power of play: The effects of Portal 2 and Lumosity on cognitive and noncognitive skills * Valerie J. Shute , Matthew Ventura, Fengfeng Ke Florida State University, College of Education, 1114 West Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4453, USA article info abstract Article history: In this study, we tested 77 undergraduates who were randomly assigned to play either a popular video Received 11 May 2014 game (Portal 2) or a popular brain training game (Lumosity) for 8 h. Before and after gameplay, par- Received in revised form ticipants completed a set of online tests related to problem solving, spatial skill, and persistence. Results 19 July 2014 revealed that participants who were assigned to play Portal 2 showed a statistically significant advantage Accepted 23 August 2014 over Lumosity on each of the three composite measuresdproblem solving, spatial skill, and persistence. Available online 30 August 2014 Portal 2 players also showed significant increases from pretest to posttest on specific small- and large- scale spatial tests while those in the Lumosity condition did not show any pretest to posttest differ- Keywords: Assessment ences on any measure. Results are discussed in terms of the positive impact video games can have on Persistence cognitive and noncognitive skills. Problem solving © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Spatial skills Videogames 1. Introduction Most children and young adults gravitate toward digital games. The Pew Internet and American Life Project surveyed 1102 youth be- tween the ages of 12 and 17 and found that 97%dboth males (99%) and females (94%)dplay some type of digital game (Lenhart et al., 2008).
    [Show full text]
  • Brain Dynamics Underlying the Development of Cognitive Flexibility
    Please do not remove this page Brain Dynamics Underlying the Development of Cognitive Flexibility Kupis, Lauren https://scholarship.miami.edu/discovery/delivery/01UOML_INST:ResearchRepository/12381228840002976?l#13381228830002976 Kupis, L. (2021). Brain Dynamics Underlying the Development of Cognitive Flexibility [University of Miami]. https://scholarship.miami.edu/discovery/fulldisplay/alma991031583588402976/01UOML_INST:ResearchR epository Open Downloaded On 2021/09/24 08:01:55 -0400 Please do not remove this page UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI BRAIN DYNAMICS UNDERLYING THE DEVELOPMENT OF COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY By Lauren Kupis A THESIS Submitted to the Faculty of the University of Miami in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Coral Gables, Florida August 2021 ©2021 Lauren Kupis All Rights Reserved UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science BRAIN DYNAMICS UNDERLYING THE DEVELOPMENT OF COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY Lauren Kupis Approved: Lucina Uddin, Ph.D. Aaron Heller, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Professor of Psychology Manish Saggar, Ph.D. Guillermo Prado, Ph.D. Stanford University Dean of the Graduate School LAUREN KUPIS (M.S., Psychology) Brain Dynamics Underlying the Development (August 2021) of Cognitive Flexibility Abstract of a thesis at the University of Miami. Thesis supervised by Professor Lucina Uddin. No. of pages in text. (68) Cognitive flexibility, or the ability to mentally switch according to changing environmental demands, supports optimal outcomes across development. Despite the importance of cognitive flexibility for development, little is known regarding the neural mechanisms underlying it. The goal of the current study was to uncover developmental differences in the neural systems supporting cognitive flexibility using a functional MRI task designed to elicit switching mechanisms in both children and adults and by using a novel method called co-activation pattern (CAP) analysis.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Spatial Memory and Cognitive Flexibility Trade-Offs: to Be Or Not to Be Flexible, That Is The
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by St Andrews Research Repository 1 Spatial memory and cognitive flexibility trade-offs: to be or not to be flexible, that is the 2 question 3 4 Maria Cristina Tello-Ramos1, Carrie L Branch2, Dovid Y Kozlovsky2, Angela M Pitera2, 5 and Vladimir V Pravosudov1 6 7 8 Department of Biology and Graduate Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation 9 Biology 10 University of Nevada, Reno 11 Reno, NV 89557 12 13 14 15 1Corresponding authors 16 Email: [email protected]; [email protected] 17 2Equal contribution 18 19 Word count: 5,833 20 1 21 Abstract 22 Cognitive flexibility allows animals to readily acquire new information even when learning 23 contingencies may rapidly change, as is the case in highly variable, but predictable 24 environments. While cognitive flexibility is broadly thought to be beneficial, animals 25 exhibit inter- and intra-specific variation, with higher levels of flexibility associated with 26 reduced memory retention and vice versa. In this review, we discuss when and why such 27 variation may exist and focus specifically on memory and memory flexibility. We argue 28 that retained memories may negatively affect the acquisition of new information, most 29 likely via proactive interference, and available data suggest that there may be a trade-off 30 between memory retention and acquiring new memories. We discuss neurogenesis- 31 mediated forgetting as the mechanism reducing memory interference, as new neurons 32 enhance learning new information, but also cause forgetting of older memories.
    [Show full text]
  • Altered Cognitive and Psychophysiological Components of Psychological Flexibility in Individuals with Overweight/Obesity
    ALTERED COGNITIVE AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL COMPONENTS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY IN INDIVIDUALS WITH OVERWEIGHT/OBESITY Tanya S. Watford A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY August 2020 Committee: Abby Braden, Advisor Amilcar Challu Graduate Faculty Representative Dara Musher-Eizenman William O'Brien ii ABSTRACT Abby Braden, Advisor The prevalence of overweight and obesity has continued to rise among adults. While biological factors contribute to overweight (Frayling et al., 2007), body weight regulation is influenced by behavior (Fuglestad, Jeffery, & Sherwood, 2012). Behavioral weight loss interventions often demonstrate only modest reductions in weight, possibly because the psychological factors that modulate obesity-related behaviors are rarely targeted in treatment. Thus, psychological flexibility may be of particular importance, given it describes the ability to perform goal-consistent behavior in the presence of contrary urges or environmental demands. To characterize the dynamic factors involved in psychological flexibility (Kashdan & Rottenberg, 2010), the present study examined between-group (overweight/obese: n=33, normal weight: n=47) differences in executive function, cognitive traits of awareness and acceptance, and heart rate variability (HRV). Individuals with overweight/obesity demonstrated poorer attention-shifting (Wisconsin Card Sorting Task, p = .009) and lower attention and awareness (Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, p = .01 and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation subscale emotional clarity, p = .006). Participants with overweight/obesity also demonstrated greater vagally-mediated HRV compared to normal weight with marginal significance (p = .07) and a 2 medium effect size (ηp = .042) across all HRV conditions (rest, stress, and recovery).
    [Show full text]
  • Toward a Computational Neuropsychology of Cognitive Flexibility
    brain sciences Review Toward a Computational Neuropsychology of Cognitive Flexibility Alexander Steinke * and Bruno Kopp Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 25 November 2020; Accepted: 15 December 2020; Published: 17 December 2020 Abstract: Cognitive inflexibility is a well-documented, yet non-specific corollary of many neurological diseases. Computational modeling of covert cognitive processes supporting cognitive flexibility may provide progress toward nosologically specific aspects of cognitive inflexibility. We review computational models of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), which represents a gold standard for the clinical assessment of cognitive flexibility. A parallel reinforcement-learning (RL) model provides the best conceptualization of individual trial-by-trial WCST responses among all models considered. Clinical applications of the parallel RL model suggest that patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) share a non-specific covert cognitive symptom: bradyphrenia. Impaired stimulus-response learning appears to occur specifically in patients with PD, whereas haphazard responding seems to occur specifically in patients with ALS. Computational modeling hence possesses the potential to reveal nosologically specific profiles of covert cognitive symptoms, which remain undetectable by traditionally applied behavioral methods. The present review exemplifies how computational neuropsychology may advance the assessment of cognitive flexibility. We discuss implications for neuropsychological assessment and directions for future research. Keywords: cognitive flexibility; Wisconsin Card Sorting Test; computational modeling; Parkinson’s disease; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 1. The Neuropsychology of Cognitive Flexibility Maintaining goal-directed behavior in the face of novel situations is a fundamental requirement for everyday life.
    [Show full text]
  • Changes in Cognitive Flexibility and Hypothesis Search Across Human Life History from Childhood to Adolescence to Adulthood
    Changes in cognitive flexibility and hypothesis search across human life history from childhood to adolescence to adulthood Alison Gopnika,1, Shaun O’Gradya, Christopher G. Lucasb, Thomas L. Griffithsa, Adrienne Wentea, Sophie Bridgersc, Rosie Aboodyd, Hoki Funga, and Ronald E. Dahle aDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720; bSchool of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH1 2QL, United Kingdom; cDepartment of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305; dDepartment of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520; and eSchool of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 Edited by Andrew Whiten, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, United Kingdom, and accepted by Editorial Board Member Andrew G. Clark April 8, 2017 (received for review January 18, 2017) How was the evolution of our unique biological life history related culture would have been coevolutionary and bidirectional: life- to distinctive human developments in cognition and culture? We history changes allowed changes in cultural learning, which in suggest that the extended human childhood and adolescence turn both allowed and rewarded extended life histories. In this allows a balance between exploration and exploitation, between way, culture could have extended biology. wider and narrower hypothesis search, and between innovation A number of researchers have suggested that our life history is and imitation in cultural learning. In particular, different develop- related to our learning abilities (8–10). But what might this re- mental periods may be associated with different learning strate- lation be like in more detail? It is possible that the extended gies. This relation between biology and culture was probably human childhood and adolescence is simply a waiting period in coevolutionary and bidirectional: life-history changes allowed which a large brain can grow or cultural learning can take place changes in learning, which in turn both allowed and rewarded (11).
    [Show full text]