Neuroscience Impact Brain and Business

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Neuroscience Impact Brain and Business Innovation Trend Report Neuroscience Impact Brain and Business NEUROSCIENCE IMPACT – BRAIN AND BUSINESS INTRODUCTION This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- Acknowledgements NoDerivatives 4.0 International. We would like to extend a special thanks to all of the companies and To view a copy of this license, visit: individuals who participated in our Report with any kind of contribution. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ The following companies agreed to be publicly named and gave us by-nc-nd/4.0/ or send a letter to: Creative precious content to be published: Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. Dreem Neural Sense Emotiv Neuralya Halo Neuroscience Paradromics Mindmaze Pymetrics Neuron Guard Synetiq We would also like to thank the following individuals for helping us with precious suggestions and information: Russel Poldrack, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, CA, USA; John Dylan-Haynes, Professor at the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Germany; Carlo Miniussi, Director of Center for Mind/Brain Sciences – CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto TN Italy; Zaira Cattaneo, Associate Professor in Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy; Nadia Bolognini, University of Milano Bicocca, Department of Psychology, & IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Laboratory of Neuropsychology; Dario Nardi, Author, speaker and expert in the fields of neuroscience and personality; Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioral Science at Warwick Business School; assumes no responsibility on the Enrico Maria Cervellati, Associate Professor of Corporate Finance external linked content, both in terms of at the Department of Management Ca’ Foscari University of Venice; availability that of immutability in time. Frida Polli, CEO and Co-Founder of the startup Pymetrics. Innovation Trend Report Neuroscience Impact Brain and Business Foreword Innovation is the engine of change and neuroscience is the subject where innovation runs exponentially. For our country and for our bank, a good and forward-looking economic system is a priority. We deeply believe in innovation as a key lever for the competitive development of the Italian productive system and so the mission of Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center is exploring business models of the future to discover new assets and skills that support the long-term competitiveness of the Group and its customers as we become the driving force of the New Italian Economy, to seize new opportunities and face the challenges of tomorrow, looking at cutting-edge technologies. A commitment to the growth of our Group and the development and training of future generations is crucial for Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center. In this scenario, Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center has taken up the challenge of exploring the field of scientific research by the creation of laboratories and competence centers dedicated, in cooperation with international excellence researchers in their own field to generate the know-how and develop new assets and new businesses. “Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center Lab” wants to create a new cooperative working model between industry and research to guarantee the competitiveness of the group and for its customers not yet covered by big players or startups due to new market trend evolution and cutting-edge, exponential technologies. V NEUROSCIENCE IMPACT – BRAIN AND BUSINESS FOREWORD Foreword With deep passion, we study the neuroscience in Lucca, in our “Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center Lab Neuroscience” in cooperation with IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca to generate the know-how in cooperation with national and international talents and develop new assets and new businesses, saving intellectual property of our studies and enhance research and Academy. Our goal is to create an ecosystem in which scientists can work on real data and use cases to produce knowledge and intellectual property for the business. For us, innovation means progressing towards more prosperity, resiliency, better health, and social wellbeing. Innovation for good is our vision. This book, that considers the complex mechanism of the human brain, wants to reaffirm the role of Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center as a strategic actor in the innovation ecosystem to support the progress and the evolution of future generations, towards responsible development models that reconnect business and society. Maurizio Montagnese VI NEUROSCIENCE IMPACT – BRAIN AND BUSINESS FOREWORD Introduction In the ancient days, knowledge was seen as a whole. There were no compartments, no disciplinary boundaries. Philosophers would think and talk spanning the whole range of natural phenomena. The development of more and more sophisticated techniques has led to an ever deeper specialization. However, as scientists, we do know that what must be avoided is the fragmentation of scientific speculation, the acritical devotion to a technique or a methodology. In fact, science grows from cross-contamination, from the interaction of individuals who come from very diverse fields and backgrounds. This is the model that we adopt at the IMT School. Since its institution in 2005, the School has distinguished itself thanks to its interdisciplinary nature, characterized by the complementarity and discourse between methodologies drawn from economics, engineering, computer science, applied mathematics, physics, archeology, art history and the analysis and management of cultural heritage. IMT researchers carry out cutting- edge research with the aim of generating and applying knowledge to solve problems of an economic, industrial, societal and cultural nature. To this aim research at IMT is also carried out in close collaboration with the local territory through several initiatives and projects in a variety of areas, including tissue industry, healthcare industry, marine industry, Information and Communications Technology for smart cities and many others. In this context of successful integration among distinct disciplines, the research field of cognitive and social neuroscience represents a very recent, but inevitable addition. Indeed, scientific advancements of the last decades made clear that any human behavior, from simple daily activities VII NEUROSCIENCE IMPACT – BRAIN AND BUSINESS INTRODUCTION Introduction to the creation of a piece of art, to a decision made to achieve a particular economic advantage, could be truly understood only by cracking the complex code hidden in the structure and function of the human brain. This change of perspective is particularly evident in the social and economic fields. Indeed, it became clear, for instance, that companies and individuals that analyze the behavior of consumers and their needs, exploring the best solutions to make their customers happy, will never be able to fully reach their objectives without taking into account the complexity and multifaceted nature of the human mind. However, it is only in the most recent years that we have finally come to obtain the ‘tools’ needed to understand the roots of human behavior and the basis of differences that naturally exist among individuals. Indeed, the introduction and the advancements of so-called neuroimaging methodologies have allowed an unprecedented definition of the marvelous morphological and functional architecture of the human brain. Today researchers are able to visualize the finer details of the encephalic structure, measure the thickness and the neuronal density in the different areas of the cerebral cortex, and identify the bundles of fibers that, like many thin electric cables, connect the various areas of the human brain. In addition, by using functional neuroimaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) or high-density electroencephalography (hd-EEG), they can even observe ‘the brain in action’, that is, what happens in our brain when we do any of our daily activities: to perceive a picture or a painting, to make a decision, or to inhibit an automatic impulse. Thanks to these novel tools, we are finally becoming able to understand the processes that guide our decisions, as well as those that determine our moral VIII NEUROSCIENCE IMPACT – BRAIN AND BUSINESS INTRODUCTION Introduction judgment, our respect for ethical norms or our ability to control (or not to control) automatic impulses. We have realized, for instance, that the behavior of economic agents is the result of instinct and emotion on the one hand and of reason on the other. The former, which have remained almost unchanged in millions of years of evolution, makes us similar to other animals on Earth. The second, which represent the result of the unique development of the cerebral cortex, and especially of its anterior portion (the so-called ‘prefrontal cortex’), is unmatched in the animal world. Both of these factors and their interactions are reflected in any human voluntary or involuntary behavior. Thus, individuals who make decisions in social and/or economic contexts do not behave as ‘simple’ rational beings, and unconscious processes partially (or totally) hidden to our conscious self clearly have a much greater relevance than previously thought. Scientific advancements in the fields of neuroscience and psychology are progressively uncovering the mechanisms that drive the choices of individuals and communities, leading us toward a new science of behavior that integrates and
Recommended publications
  • A Multimodal Attention Mechanism for Autonomous Mobile Robotics
    IX WORKSHOP DE AGENTES FÍSICOS, SEPTIEMBRE 2008, VIGO A Multimodal Attention Mechanism for Autonomous Mobile Robotics Raúl Arrabales, Agapito Ledezma and Araceli Sanchis extensively applied in robotics, e.g. [2]. However, much less Abstract— Whatever the mission of an autonomous mobile effort has been put in pure multimodal attention mechanisms robot is, attention is a helpful cognitive capability when dealing [7]. Usually attention mechanisms for robots focus in great with real world environments. In this paper we present a novel degree in visual sensory information; nevertheless, some control architecture which enables an integrated and efficient salient examples incorporate data from other sensors in the filtering of multiple modality sensory information. The concept of context is introduced as the set of criteria that determines attention mechanism. For instance, laser range finders [9]. what sensory information is relevant to the current mission. In this work we present a purely multimodal attention The proposed attention mechanism uses these contexts as a mechanism, in which vision could be eventually mean to adaptively select the constrained cognitive focus of the incorporated, but has not been used for preliminary testing. robot within the vast multimodal sensory space available. This Instead, bumpers and sonar range finders have been applied. approach for artificial attention is tested in the domain of autonomous mapping. In the next sections we discuss the implementation of an Index Terms— Physical agents, Attention, cognitive attention mechanism able to fulfill the requirement of modeling, mobile robotics. selecting relevant sensorimotor information. Section II covers the definition of the attentional contexts that are used I. INTRODUCTION to form sets of sensory and motor data.
    [Show full text]
  • Defining the Relation Between Linguistics and Neuroscience
    Defining the relation between linguistics and 6 neuroscience David Poeppel and David Embick University of Maryland College Park and University of Pennsylvania The popularity of the study of language and the brain is evident from the large number of studies published in the last 15 or so years that have used PET, fMRI, EEG, MEG, TMS, or NIRS to investigate aspects of brain and language, in linguistic domains ranging from phonetics to discourse processing. The amount of resources devoted to such studies suggests that they are motivated by a viable and successful research program, and implies that substantive progress is being made. At the very least, the amount and vigor of such research implies that something significant is being learned. In this article, we present a critique of the dominant research program, and provide a cautionary perspective that challenges the belief that explanatorily significant progress is already being made. Our critique focuses on the question of whether current brain/language research provides an example of interdisciplinary cross-fertilization, or an example of cross-sterilization. In developing our critique, which is in part motivated by the necessity to examine the presuppositions of our own work (e.g. Embick, Marantz, Miyashita, O'Neil, Sakai, 2000; Embick, Hackl, Schaeffer, Kelepir, Marantz, 2001; Poeppel, 1996; Poeppel et al. 2004), we identify fundamental problems that must be addressed if progress is to be made in this area of inquiry. We conclude with the outline of a research program that constitutes an attempt to overcome these problems, at the core of which lies the notion of computation.
    [Show full text]
  • Neural Representational Similarity Between Symbolic and Non-Symbolic Quantities Predicts Arithmetic Skills in Childhood but Not Adolescence
    Received: 29 July 2020 Revised: 1 April 2021 Accepted: 3 May 2021 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13123 SHORT REPORT Neural representational similarity between symbolic and non-symbolic quantities predicts arithmetic skills in childhood but not adolescence Flora Schwartz1 Yuan Zhang1 Hyesang Chang1 Shelby Karraker1 Julia Boram Kang1 Vinod Menon1,2,3,4 1 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Abstract Medicine, Stanford, California, USA Mathematical knowledge is constructed hierarchically from basic understanding of 2 Department of Neurology and Neurological quantities and the symbols that denote them. Discrimination of numerical quantity in Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA both symbolic and non-symbolic formats has been linked to mathematical problem- 3 Stanford Neuroscience InstituteStanford solving abilities. However, little is known of the extent to which overlap in quantity University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA representations between symbolic and non-symbolic formats is related to individual 4 Symbolic Systems Program, Stanford differences in numerical problem solving and whether this relation changes with dif- University School of Medicine, Stanford, ferent stages of development and skill acquisition. Here we investigate the association California, USA between neural representational similarity (NRS) across symbolic and non-symbolic Correspondence quantity discrimination and arithmetic problem-solving skills in early and late devel- Vinod Menon, Stanford University School of opmental stages: elementary school children (ages 7–10 years) and adolescents and Medicine, 401 Quarry Rd, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. young adults (AYA, ages 14–21 years). In children, cross-format NRS in distributed Email: [email protected] brain regions, including parietal and frontal cortices and the hippocampus, was posi- Flora Schwartz, Yuan Zhang, and Hyesang tively correlated with arithmetic skills.
    [Show full text]
  • Jyoti Mishra, Ph.D
    Contact CURRICULUM VITAE UCSF - Mission Bay Sandler Neurosciences Center Rm 502 Jyoti Mishra, Ph.D 675 Nelson Rising Lane San Francisco, CA 94158-0444 Web: http://profiles.ucsf.edu/jyoti.mishra http://gazzaleylab.ucsf.edu/people-profiles/jyoti-mishra/ Email: [email protected] [email protected] Phone: 415-502-7322 Personal Statement I am a translational neuroscientist with expertise in attention, learning and brain plasticity. My research mission is “advancing neurotechnology from the lab to the community”. I develop and evaluate novel neurotechnologies that can serve as neurocognitive diagnostics and therapeutics; in this context, I recently developed novel attention training tools for aging adults and children with attention deficits. My current lab projects focus on advancing real-time neurofeedback technologies and developing neuroscience-based training that optimizes decision-making in children. My community projects evaluate our innovative neurocognitive therapeutics in children with ADHD and neglected children in institutional foster-care, here in the United States as well as in India via global mental health research collaborations. Positions and Employment 2013 - present Assistant Professor Step 2 Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry and Global Health Sciences University of California, San Francisco 2009 - 2014 Senior Scientist, Brain Plasticity Institute PositScience Corporation, San Francisco 2009 - 2012 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Neurology University of California, San Francisco 2008 - 2009 Postdoctoral Research
    [Show full text]
  • EMOTIONAL REASONING and DECISION MAKING Understanding and Regulating Emotions That Serve People’S Goals
    EMOTIONAL REASONING AND DECISION MAKING Understanding and regulating emotions that serve people’s goals Paula C. Peter Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In Marketing Dr. David Brinberg, Chair Dr. Eloise Coupey Dr. Kent Nakamoto Dr. Jim Jaccard April 11, 2007 Blacksburg, Virginia Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Decision Making, Consumer Health Copyright 2007, Paula C. Peter EMOTIONAL REASONING AND DECISION MAKING Understanding and regulating emotions that serve people’s goals Paula C. Peter (ABSTRACT) Increasing physical activity and adopting a healthy diet have the goal to enhance consumer welfare. The goal of this set of studies is to contribute to a research agenda that tries to support and enhance the life of consumers, through the exploration of emotional intelligence as a new possible avenue of research related to consumer behavior and health. Four studies are proposed that look at the possibility to introduce emotional intelligence in decision making and performance related to health (i.e. adoption and maintenance of a healthy diet/weight). The findings suggest the salient role of emotional reasoning (i.e. understanding and regulation of emotions) on decision making and performance related to health. Training on emotional intelligence and health seems to activate mechanisms that help people to use their knowledge in the right direction in order to make better decisions and improve performance related to health (i.e. adoption/maintenance of healthy diet/weight) DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to: my mom , my role model my dad , my biggest fan Alessio , my anchor iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To David Brinberg.
    [Show full text]
  • Facts About EMOTIONAL REASONING
    Volume 7 Issue 1 (2016) Facts about EMOTIONAL REASONING A thought is not a fact. Yet we often allow our thoughts to affect how we feel and what we do. These then affect our well-being and our relationships as in the case of Mr Tan and Jane. *Mr Tan thinks, ‘My children are beginning to talk back at me the way their mother argues with me. My wife must have taught the children to dishonour me.’ Does he have evidence to support his suspicion? No. Yet Mr Tan is angry with his wife at this thought and resents his children for learning the wrong things from their mother. Where does this thought come from if it is not based on evidence? may have birthed the thought that his wife has make better sense of our experiences influenced his children. In Jane’s case, her by better engaging our reasoning. *Jane thinks, ‘I am going to do badly in anxiety and fear of failure resulted in her From time to time, we continue to fall this examination.’ The fact is, she has thinking that she will do badly. back on emotional reasoning out of completed her revisions and could habit. We are most vulnerable to doing complete the past years’ questions. Yet More examples of such thoughts are:- so during times when we are stressed. that thought causes her sleepless nights. ‘I feel unworthy, therefore I am worthless.’ ‘I Where does that thought come from if it feel unloved therefore I am unlovable.’ ‘I feel A group of people, however, may find it is not based on fact? unappreciated therefore I am useless.’ a challenge to get out of this mode of operating psychologically.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 the Madness That Is the World: Young Activist's Emotional
    The Madness that Is The World: Young activist’s emotional reasoning and their participation in a local Occupy movement Abstract: The focus of this paper is young people’s participation in the Occupy protest movement that emerged in the early autumn of 2011. Its concern is with the emotional dimensions of this and in particular the significance of emotions to the reasoning of young people who came to commit significant time and energy to the movement. Its starting point is the critique of emotions as narrowly subjective, whereby the passions that events like Occupy arouse are treated as beyond the scope of human reason. The rightful rejection of this reductionist argument has given rise to an interest in understandings of the emotional content of social and political protest as normatively constituted, but this paper seeks a different perspective by arguing that the emotions of Occupy activists can be regarded as a reasonable force. It does so by discussing findings from long-term qualitative research with a Local Occupy movement somewhere in England and Wales. Using the arguments of social realists, the paper explores this data to examine why things matter sufficiently for young people to care about them and how the emotional force that this involves constitutes an indispensable source of reason in young activists’ decisions to become involved in Local Occupy. Keywords: young people, emotion, social movements, Occupy, reason, reasoning In his rapid response to the international emergence of the Occupy movement, Manuel Castells (2012) begins with a lament for the categorical exclusion of individuals from studies of social movements.
    [Show full text]
  • How Multidimensional Is Emotional Intelligence? Bifactor Modeling of Global and Broad Emotional Abilities of the Geneva Emotional Competence Test
    Journal of Intelligence Article How Multidimensional Is Emotional Intelligence? Bifactor Modeling of Global and Broad Emotional Abilities of the Geneva Emotional Competence Test Daniel V. Simonet 1,*, Katherine E. Miller 2 , Kevin L. Askew 1, Kenneth E. Sumner 1, Marcello Mortillaro 3 and Katja Schlegel 4 1 Department of Psychology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA; [email protected] (K.L.A.); [email protected] (K.E.S.) 2 Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; [email protected] 3 Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland; [email protected] 4 Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Drawing upon multidimensional theories of intelligence, the current paper evaluates if the Geneva Emotional Competence Test (GECo) fits within a higher-order intelligence space and if emotional intelligence (EI) branches predict distinct criteria related to adjustment and motivation. Using a combination of classical and S-1 bifactor models, we find that (a) a first-order oblique and bifactor model provide excellent and comparably fitting representation of an EI structure with self-regulatory skills operating independent of general ability, (b) residualized EI abilities uniquely Citation: Simonet, Daniel V., predict criteria over general cognitive ability as referenced by fluid intelligence, and (c) emotion Katherine E. Miller, Kevin L. Askew, recognition and regulation incrementally predict grade point average (GPA) and affective engagement Kenneth E. Sumner, Marcello Mortillaro, and Katja Schlegel. 2021. in opposing directions, after controlling for fluid general ability and the Big Five personality traits.
    [Show full text]
  • Neuroleadership in 2011 and 2012
    NeuroLeadership in 2011 and 2012 Dr. Al H. Ringleb, Dr. David Rock and Mr. Chris Ancona This article was published in the NeuroLeadershipjouRnAl issue FOuR The attached copy is furnished to the author for non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the author’s institution, sharing with colleagues and providing to institutional administration. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third- party websites are prohibited. in most cases authors are permitted to post a version of the article to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding the NeuroLeadership Journal’s archiving and management policies are encouraged to send inquiries to: [email protected] www.NeuroLeadership.org InTRoDuCTIon The NeuroLeadership Journal is for non-commercial research and education use only. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third-party websites are prohibited. in most cases authors are permitted to post a version of the article to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding the NeuroLeadership Journal’s archiving and management policies are encouraged to send inquiries to: [email protected] The views, opinions, conjectures, and conclusions provided by the authors of the articles in the NeuroLeadership Journal may not express the positions taken by the NeuroLeadership Journal, the NeuroLeadership institute, the institute’s Board of Advisors, or the various constituencies with which the institute works or otherwise affiliates or cooperates.i t is a basic tenant of both the NeuroLeadership institute and the NeuroLeadership Journal to encourage and stimulate creative thought and discourse in the emerging field of NeuroLeadership.
    [Show full text]
  • Emotional Intelligence and Conflict Resolution
    Emotional Intelligence and Conflict Resolution By: Fred McGrath Fred McGrath & Associates Presented at: ACLEA 49th Mid‐Year Meeting February 2‐5, 2013 Clearwater, FL Fred McGrath Fred McGrath & Associates Saint Paul, MN Fred McGrath has been designing and delivering experiential, interactive keynotes, seminars, and webinars for legal professionals and business leaders for over 20 years. His strong advocacy of inclusive, improv‐based training stems from a successful acting/screenwriting career in Hollywood. Before focusing solely on leaderships training, Fred was a busy working actor and veteran of over 100 national commercials as well as numerous co‐starring roles in network dramas and sitcoms. Always exceeding expectation with no shortage of fun and laughs, Fred engages participants on a wide variety of topics with his unique approach. Year after year, Fred continues to be one of the highest‐rated professional development trainer/coaches anywhere. “In the corporation of the future, new leaders will not be masters, but maestros. The leadership task will be to anticipate the signs of coming change, to inspire creativity, and to get the best ideas from everybody. ‐‐Ned Herrmann, author of The Creative Brain “Cognitive learning promotes improved knowledge. Experiential learning promotes improved behavior. ‐‐Fred McGrath The Advantages of Emotional Intelligence and Experiential Training Emotional Intelligence (EI), the key to improving client building, existing relationships, negotiation techniques and leadership skills, can best be taught, accessed, coached, developed and enhanced by using improvisation techniques to support emotive learning. Cognitive learning is less effective because it is knowledge‐based. As such, comprehending the concepts of EI is not enough.
    [Show full text]
  • Neurolinguistic and Machine-Learning Perspectives on Direct Speech Bcis for Restoration of Naturalistic Communication
    Brain-Computer Interfaces ISSN: 2326-263X (Print) 2326-2621 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tbci20 Neurolinguistic and machine-learning perspectives on direct speech BCIs for restoration of naturalistic communication Olga Iljina, Johanna Derix, Robin Tibor Schirrmeister, Andreas Schulze- Bonhage, Peter Auer, Ad Aertsen & Tonio Ball To cite this article: Olga Iljina, Johanna Derix, Robin Tibor Schirrmeister, Andreas Schulze- Bonhage, Peter Auer, Ad Aertsen & Tonio Ball (2017): Neurolinguistic and machine-learning perspectives on direct speech BCIs for restoration of naturalistic communication, Brain-Computer Interfaces, DOI: 10.1080/2326263X.2017.1330611 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/2326263X.2017.1330611 © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group Published online: 21 Jun 2017. Submit your article to this journal View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=tbci20 Download by: [93.230.60.226] Date: 22 June 2017, At: 15:41 BRAINCOMPUTER INTERFACES, 2017 https://doi.org/10.1080/2326263X.2017.1330611 OPEN ACCESS Neurolinguistic and machine-learning perspectives on direct speech BCIs for restoration of naturalistic communication Olga Iljinaa,b,c,e,g,h, Johanna Derixe,h, Robin Tibor Schirrmeistere,h, Andreas Schulze-Bonhaged,e, Peter Auera,b,c,f, Ad Aertseng,i and Tonio Balle,h aGRK 1624 ‘Frequency effects in language’, University of
    [Show full text]
  • Language, Culture and the Neurobiology of Pain: a Theoretical Exploration
    Behavioural Neurology, 1989, 2, 235-259 Language, Culture and the Neurobiology of Pain: a Theoretical Exploration HORACIO FABREGA, JR. Universiry oj Pittsburgh, School oj Medicine, Department oj Psychiatry, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA Language and culture, as conceptualized in traditional anthropology, may have an important influence on pain and brain-behavior relations. The paradigm case for the influence of language and culture on perception and cognition is stipulated in the Sapir-Whorfhypothesis which has been applied to phenomena "external" to the individual. In this paper, the paradigm is applied to information the person retrieves from "inside" his body; namely, "noxious" stimuli which get registered in consciousness as pain. Introduction Every person seems to "know" what pain is and by means of language is able to describe it. Given the ubiquity and importance of pain in the adaptation of higher animal forms, one may infer that it has played an important role in evolution. It is thus very likely that pre-hominids and earlier members of the human species also "knew" a great deal about pain. A neurophysiologist would claim that pain is based on brain structures which all members of the human species share. At present these structures and their mode offunctioning are incompletely understood. An anthropolo­ gist who endorses a position of cultural relativism is aware of the variety of beliefs and understandings about pain and behaviors associated with it and would claim that there appear to exist not one but many varieties of pain (Fabrega, 1974; Zborowski, 1958; Fabrega and Tyma, 1976a,b). Language and culture play some role in the phenomenon of pain.
    [Show full text]