Processing speed enhances model-based over model-free reinforcement learning in the presence of high working memory functioning.Daniel J. Schad,Elisabeth Jünger,Miriam Sebold,Maria Garbusow,Nadine Bernhardt,Amir-Homayoun Javadi,Ulrich S. Zimmermann,Michael N. Smolka,Andreas Heinz,Michael A. Rapp &Quentin J. M. Huys -2014 -Frontiers in Psychology 5:117016.detailsTheories of decision-making and its neural substrates have long assumed the existence of two distinct and competing valuation systems, variously described as goal-directed vs. habitual, or, more recently and based on statistical arguments, as model-free vs. model-based reinforcement-learning. Though both have been shown to control choices, the cognitive abilities associated with these systems are under ongoing investigation. Here we examine the link to cognitive abilities, and find that individual differences in processing speed covary with a shift from model-free to model-based (...) choice control in the presence of above-average working memory function. This suggests shared cognitive and neural processes; provides a bridge between literatures on intelligence and valuation; and may guide the development of process models of different valuation components. Furthermore, it provides a rationale for individual differences in the tendency to deploy valuation systems, which may be important for understanding the manifold neuropsychiatric diseases associated with malfunctions of valuation. (shrink)
Involving cognitive science in model transformation for description logics.Willi Hieke,Sarah Schwöbel &Michael N. Smolka -forthcoming -Logic Journal of the IGPL.detailsKnowledge representation and reasoning (KRR) is a fundamental area in artificial intelligence (AI) research, focusing on encoding world knowledge as logical formulae in ontologies. This formalism enables logic-based AI systems to deduce new insights from existing knowledge. Within KRR, description logics (DLs) are a prominent family of languages to represent knowledge formally. They are decidable fragments of first-order logic, and their models can be visualized as edge- and vertex-labeled directed binary graphs. DLs facilitate various reasoning tasks, including checking the satisfiability (...) of statements and deciding entailment. However, a significant challenge arises in the computation of models of DL ontologies in the context of explaining reasoning results. Although existing algorithms efficiently compute models for reasoning tasks, they usually do not consider aspects of human cognition, leading to models that may be less effective for explanatory purposes. This paper tackles this challenge by proposing an approach to enhance the intelligibility of models of DL ontologies for users. By integrating insights from cognitive science and philosophy, we aim to identify key graph properties that make models more accessible and useful for explanation. (shrink)
The Role of Empathy in Alcohol Use of Bullying Perpetrators and Victims: Lower Personal Empathic Distress Makes Male Perpetrators of Bullying More Vulnerable to Alcohol Use.Maren Prignitz,Tobias Banaschewski,Arun L. W. Bokde,Sylvane Desrivières,Antoine Grigis,Hugh Garavan,Penny Gowland,Andreas Heinz,Jean-Luc Martinot,Marie-Laure Paillère Martinot,Eric Artiges,Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos,Luise Poustka,Sarah Hohmann,Juliane H. Fröhner,Lauren Robinson,Michael N. Smolka,Henrik Walter,Jeanne M. Winterer,Robert Whelan,Gunter Schumann,Frauke Nees,Herta Flor &on Behalf of the Imagen Consortium -2023 -International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20 (13):6286.detailsBullying often results in negative coping in victims, including an increased consumption of alcohol. Recently, however, an increase in alcohol use has also been reported among perpetrators of bullying. The factors triggering this pattern are still unclear. We investigated the role of empathy in the interaction between bullying and alcohol use in an adolescent sample (IMAGEN) at age 13.97 (±0.53) years (baseline (BL), N = 2165, 50.9% female) and age 16.51 (±0.61) years (follow-up 1 (FU1), N = 1185, 54.9% female). (...) General empathic distress served as a significant moderator of alcohol use in perpetrators (F9, 493 = 17.978, p< 0.01), which was specific for males and FU1. Male perpetrators, who are generally less sensitive to distress, might thus be more vulnerable to alcohol abuse. (shrink)
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Stronger Prejudices Are Associated With Decreased Model-Based Control.Miriam Sebold,Hao Chen,Aleyna Önal,Sören Kuitunen-Paul,Negin Mojtahedzadeh,Maria Garbusow,Stephan Nebe,Hans-Ulrich Wittchen,Quentin J. M. Huys,Florian Schlagenhauf,Michael A. Rapp,Michael N. Smolka &Andreas Heinz -2022 -Frontiers in Psychology 12.detailsBackground: Prejudices against minorities can be understood as habitually negative evaluations that are kept in spite of evidence to the contrary. Therefore, individuals with strong prejudices might be dominated by habitual or “automatic” reactions at the expense of more controlled reactions. Computational theories suggest individual differences in the balance between habitual/model-free and deliberative/model-based decision-making.Methods: 127 subjects performed the two Step task and completed the blatant and subtle prejudice scale.Results: By using analyses of choices and reaction times in combination with computational (...) modeling, subjects with stronger blatant prejudices showed a shift away from model-based control. There was no association between these decision-making processes and subtle prejudices.Conclusion: These results support the idea that blatant prejudices toward minorities are related to a relative dominance of habitual decision-making. This finding has important implications for developing interventions that target to change prejudices across societies. (shrink)
The interaction of child abuse and rs1360780 of the FKBP5 gene is associated with amygdala resting-state functional connectivity in young adults.Christiane Wesarg,Ilya M. Veer,Nicole Y. L. Oei,Laura S. Daedelow,Tristram A. Lett,Tobias Banaschewski,Gareth J. Barker,Arun L. W. Bokde,Erin Burke Quinlan,Sylvane Desrivières,Herta Flor,Antoine Grigis,Hugh Garavan,Rüdiger Brühl,Jean-Luc Martinot,Eric Artiges,Frauke Nees,Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos,Luise Poustka,Sarah Hohmann,Juliane H. Fröhner,Michael N. Smolka,Robert Whelan,Gunter Schumann,Andreas Heinz &Henrik Walter -2021 -Human Brain Mapping 42 (10):3269-3281.detailsExtensive research has demonstrated that rs1360780, a common single nucleotide polymorphism within the FKBP5 gene, interacts with early-life stress in predicting psychopathology. Previous results suggest that carriers of the TT genotype of rs1360780 who were exposed to child abuse show differences in structure and functional activation of emotion-processing brain areas belonging to the salience network. Extending these findings on intermediate phenotypes of psychopathology, we examined if the interaction between rs1360780 and child abuse predicts resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) between the amygdala (...) and other areas of the salience network. We analyzed data of young European adults from the general population (N = 774; mean age = 18.76 years) who took part in the IMAGEN study. In the absence of main effects of genotype and abuse, a significant interaction effect was observed for rsFC between the right centromedial amygdala and right posterior insula (p<.025, FWE-corrected), which was driven by stronger rsFC in TT allele carriers with a history of abuse. Our results suggest that the TT genotype of rs1360780 may render individuals with a history of abuse more vulnerable to functional changes in communication between brain areas processing emotions and bodily sensations, which could underlie or increase the risk for psychopathology. (shrink)