Author: julianne

MAPSS students will present on their research, with presentations from:

Bobicheng Zhang

Christina Yu

Sarah Jensen

Kelsey Pagorek

Presenting No Hurst for the weary: Suppressed scale-invariance in brain activity signifies effortful processes

Despite being intuitive, cognitive effort has proven difficult to quantify. In Studies 1 and 2, we validated the correspondence between scale-invariance (H) of cortical activity recorded by EEG and task load during two working memory (WM) experiments with varying set sizes. We used this neural signature to disentangle cognitive effort from the number of items in WM. Our results showed monotonic decreases in H with increased set size, even after set size exceeded WM capacity. This behavior of H contrasted with behavioral performance and an oscillatory indicator of WM load (i.e., alpha-band desynchronization), both of which showed a plateau at difficulty levels surpassing WM capacity. In Study 3, we used H measured with fMRI to predict learning in a dual n-back working memory task. We hypothesized that low H during learning delineates effortful processing which can be used to predict improvement, or lack thereof, in task performance. Our results show that lower H during learning and during a resting interval prior to final task performance distinguished people who did not improve on the task (non-improvers) from those who improved, despite similar baseline performance. As a comparison, fMRI functional connectivity strength did not reliably classify improvers vs. non-improvers. Together these results provide the first evidence for the suppression of scale-invariance in EEG due to task difficulty, and suggest that H suppression may be used to quantify levels of cognitive effort absent of apparent behavioral performance differences which can be utilized to predict learning.

Presenting: A Calculated Choice: Math Anxiety Leads to Math Avoidance in Effort-Based Decision-Making

Math anxiety can be described as a fear of math that impairs math performance. Previous research suggests that math anxiety affects math performance by causing individuals to avoid math-related activities, a behavioral consequence that could reduce one’s likelihood of enrolling in math courses and pursuing STEM careers. In this talk, I will discuss a study that investigated these behavioral effects through an effort-reward decision-making task. In the task, participants chose between solving easy, low-reward math problems and hard, high-reward math problems over multiple trials. Results from our study showed that higher levels of math anxiety were associated with a tendency to select the easier, low-reward math problems over the harder, high-reward math problems, ultimately demonstrating math effort avoidance, even after controlling for related factors. The implications of this research for STEM education will be discussed.

Presenting:Neural correlates of autobiographical memory retrieval

Autobiographical memory (AM) depends on a distributed network of brain regions including medial temporal lobes, medial prefrontal cortex, and posterior parietal regions. During retrieval, these regions interact dynamically to produce multi-modal representations accompanied by a sense of reliving or re-experiencing. In this talk Dr. Hebscherwill discuss how such distributed regions contribute to the subjective experience of remembering, with a focus on exploring how representations of spatial context support AM. She will first describe a study demonstrating that spatial context plays an early role in the behavioural dynamics of memory retrieval. She will then present a study in which she used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to determine the causal role of the precuneus in AM retrieval. By combining TMS with magnetoencephalography she was able to observe the effects of precuneus stimulation on neural oscillations, which reflect communication between widespread regions. The results of this study demonstrate that the precuneus is causally involved in AM, and in network-wide communication mediated by theta and gamma oscillations. Finally, she will discuss my current research using fMRI to examine how large-scale patterns of brain activity support complex memory retrieval.

Title: The development of environmental preferences: Is our love for nature innate?

Abstract: Adults show incredibly strong preferences for natural over urban environments. Two major theories of why nature is beneficial for our physical health, emotional health, and cognitive functioning assume that our affinity for nature plays an important role. Though many of the positive outcomes of nature exposure are found in both adults and in children, children’s environmental preferences have not explicitly been examined. In the present study, I will examine 1) the developmental of environmental preferences in children from 4 to 11 years old, 2) what other factors may influence children’s preferences (such as parental preference and exposure to nature), and 3) whether children need to like nature to reap its benefits.

Title: The relation between math anxiety, number line estimation, and math achievement in children

Abstract: The cognitive underpinnings of math development have been extensively examined. One well-known line of research has shown that the accuracy and linearity of children’s number line estimation predicts their future math achievement. More recently, research has shown that having positive math attitudes is also important. However, less is known about how cognitive and emotional factors interact to influence children’s future math achievement. In the present study, we examined how a) math anxiety and number line estimation in 1st grade uniquely predict math achievement over time through 3rd grade, b) how math anxiety and number line estimation in 1st grade interact to predict math achievement over time, and c) how math anxiety in 1st grade relates to number line estimation over time.

Title: Attention and memory lapse together

Abstract: Attention and working memory are clearly intertwined, and both processes fluctuate over time. But do attention and memory fluctuate in synchrony? I will present a novel hybrid task that interleaves a sustained attention task and a working memory task. First, I will demonstrate that this hybrid task reveals correlations between attention and memory fluctuations. Next, I will describe a procedure to monitor attention fluctuations in real time and trigger memory probes during optimal (high attention) or suboptimal (low attention) moments. I will provide evidence that participants in a low attention state store fewer items in working memory. This provides new evidence for the tight integration of attention and working memory fluctuations.