Trends in cognitive sciences
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Precise timing is crucial to decision-making and behavioral control, yet subjective time can be easily distorted by various temporal contexts. Application of a Bayesian framework to various forms of contextual calibration reveals that, contrary to popular belief, contextual biases in timing help to optimize overall performance under noisy conditions. Here, we review recent progress in understanding these forms of temporal calibration, and integrate a Bayesian framework with information-processing models of timing. We show that the essential components of a Bayesian framework are closely related to the clock, memory, and decision stages used by these models, and that such an integrated framework offers a new perspective on distortions in timing and time perception that are otherwise difficult to explain.
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Wager and colleagues developed a functional MRI-based spatial and magnitude pattern for perception of acute pain, which seems to generalize across many task conditions and subjects. This is a strong demonstration of the existence of a pain signature and raises important questions regarding what pain and perception are.
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Music is used to regulate mood and arousal in everyday life and to promote physical and psychological health and well-being in clinical settings. However, scientific inquiry into the neurochemical effects of music is still in its infancy. In this review, we evaluate the evidence that music improves health and well-being through the engagement of neurochemical systems for (i) reward, motivation, and pleasure; (ii) stress and arousal; (iii) immunity; and (iv) social affiliation. We discuss the limitations of these studies and outline novel approaches for integration of conceptual and technological advances from the fields of music cognition and social neuroscience into studies of the neurochemistry of music.
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Cognitive scientists are increasingly using online social media, such as blogging and Twitter, to gather information and disseminate opinion, while linking to primary articles and data. Because of this, internet tools are driving a change in the scientific process, where communication is characterised by rapid scientific discussion, wider access to specialist debates, and increased cross-disciplinary interaction. This article serves as an introduction to and overview of this transformation.
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Trends Cogn. Sci. (Regul. Ed.) · Sep 2012
ReviewEmotion and decision-making: affect-driven belief systems in anxiety and depression.
Emotion processing and decision-making are integral aspects of daily life. However, our understanding of the interaction between these constructs is limited. ⋯ We discuss how studies of individuals with emotional dysfunctions provide evidence that alterations of decision-making can be viewed in terms of altered probability and value computation. We argue that the probabilistic representation of belief states in the context of partially observable Markov decision processes provides a useful approach to examine alterations in probability and value representation in individuals with anxiety and depression, and outline the broader implications of this approach.