Author: ramirezg

One view of the acquisition of absolute pitch (AP) has assumed that early learning plays a critical role. This theory does not support the idea that non-AP adults can learn musical note names and become “true” AP possessors.  In the current studies, we measure how pitch acuity correlates to explicit learning of musical notes.  Adult (post-sensitive period) participants first engaged in a pitch reproduction task, similar to that used by Ross, Olson, and Gore (2003) to measure auditory sensitivity.  Following this task, participants engaged in a musical note learning task, in which they were given a training task on a single octave of piano tones and subsequently tested on these tones as well as on notes from different timbres and octaves (generalization). We found a significant correlation between performance on the pitch reproduction task and generalized learning, suggesting that individual differences in auditory memory might influence the degree to which one can attain AP. Importantly, previous musical experience, nor age of music onset, was not a significant predictor of generalized note learning.  Future research will use electrophysiological measures (such as auditory brainstem responses) to track the neural changes that result from both short and long-term training of musical pitches.

2012-2013 COGNITIVE WORKSHOP:

Please join us TODAY (January 22nd) at 4:00pm in Rosenwald 011.

Ayelet Landau (Ernst Stungman Institute for Neuroscience) will present talk entitled: “Spatial Attention: From Taxonomy to brain Rhythms”

Spatial attention is the capacity that allows us to select relevant parts of the environment and ignore others. This capacity is crucial for normal functioning given the complexity of our sensory environment. My talk will describe investigatiosn of spatial attention that focus on cognitive aspects as well as the physiological underpinnings of this foundational capacity. In the first part of the talk, I will describe studies investigating different types of spatial attention as they map onto EEG markers, personality and pharmacology. In the second part of the talk, I will describe the mechanistic framework of brain rhythms (i.e,. neural oscillations) as it applies to the study of spatial attention. I will present data demonstrating that rhythmic temporal structure is not only limited to neural activity but also governs behavioral performance, and I will relate these behavioral findings to physiological measures (MEG). Finally, brain rhythms, as a perceptual processing mechanism, can be extended beyond the study of spatial attention. I will provide one such example wherein I utilize this framework to study time perception. Taken together, these studies illustrate an approach to understanding complex human cognitive phenomena that seeks to bridge the study of cognitive functions and their underlying neural mechanisms.

Check out our blog :http://cas.uchicago.edu/workshops/cognition/

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best,

Gerardo Ramirez

Stephen Gray

Please join us next week on Thursday January 17th for our first meeting of the Winter quarter, from 12-1:30pm in Beecher 101. Lunch will be provided.

Dr. Colleen Gangley (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) will present her talk entitled: “Cognitive, Affective and Social Factors Underlying Gender Differences in Mathematics Performance”

Ganley & Vasilyeva 2011 JAD

Abstract: Whether or not gender differences exist in mathematics performance is a hotly debated topic — though most research suggests that gender differences do exist in groups of high-performing students on difficult math assessments. In my talk I will discuss my research addressing factors related to gender differences in math performance. The first two studies I will discuss address both cognitive and affective factors, examining spatial skills and math attitudes as predictors of math performance for boys and girls, and testing the mediating roles of math anxiety and visual working memory in gender differences. The third and fourth studies examine how gender stereotypes might impact girls’ math performance, looking at the potential roles of stereotype threat and teachers’ gender stereotypical perceptions about boys’ and girls’ math abilities. I will also discuss some of the educational implications of this work.

Check out our blog :http://cas.uchicago.edu/workshops/cognition/Manage your listserv subscription here: https://lists.uchicago.edu/web/info/psych-cbb

Best,

Gerardo Ramirez

Stephen Gray

Please join us next week on Thursday October 11th for our first meeting of the Fall quarter, from 12-1:30pm in Beecher 101. Lunch will be provided.

Dr. Jason Moser (Michigan State University) will present his talk entitled: “Sex, Worry, and Working Memory Load: Reinterpreting the relationship between anxiety and error processing”

Anxiety is associated with a host of cognitive deficits.  Deficits in attention and cognitive control are perhaps most common.  Indeed, those suffering from test anxiety to patients diagnosed with disabling anxiety show difficulties with distracting worrisome thoughts and remaining focused.  Anxiety therefore makes completing many sorts of tasks more difficult.  Mistake making provides one unique window into these cognitive deficits associated with anxiety, as mistakes often result from distraction and lapses in attention and call for increased cognitive control so as to optimize performance.  To illustrate this point, I will discuss findings from neurophysiological studies on anxiety and error processing. Specifically, I will show results from studies of anxiety and the error-related negativity (ERN), a neurophysiological index generated within 100 ms of making a mistake.  Anxiety is generally associated with an enhanced ERN, but extant explanations for this association have been circular and thus unsatisfying.  Through three studies I will show that: 1) the cognitive component of anxiety (i.e., worry) is most closely tied to enhanced ERN, 2) this association is strongest in women, and 3) the burden of worry on working memory load may provide a viable mechanism for enhanced ERN in anxiety.  Together, these findings fit with the broader literature on anxiety and cognitive deficits by further demonstrating the deleterious role of worry on cognitive control via its impact on working memory.

Please see the attached papers for more information. Manage your listserv subscription here: https://lists.uchicago.edu/web/info/psych-cbb

We are pleased to announce the continuation of our “Workshop on Cognition” for the 2012-2013 academic year, led by Sian Beilock and Dave Gallo. This workshop replaces the cognitive brown bag (CBB) talk series, We will bring together faculty and graduate students from the University of Chicago and beyond to create scholarly dialogue, to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration, and to foster exchange of ideas. Our goal is to use this workshop to more formally recognize our regular cognitive sessions within the university community as a whole, providing a destination for individuals interested in learning about or presenting their cognition-related work. One main emphasis of these workshops is the presentation of graduate student work in progress. The Workshop will involve a mix of outside faculty speakers, U of C faculty speakers, and Cognitive graduate students.

Please mark your calendars with the dates below – we will be meeting on Thursdays from 12-1:30pm in Beecher 101, and lunch will be provided.

Autumn Quarter
October 11th, 2012 – Jason Moser (Michigan State University)

November 8th, 2012 – Gerardo Ramirez (UChicago)

December 13th, 2012 – David Rapp (Northwestern)

 Winter Quarter

January 17th, 2013 – Colleene Gangley (UIUC)

January 22nd, 2013- Ayelet Landau (Ernst Stungman Institute for Neuroscience)

January 24th, 2013 – Catherine Harris (Boston University) – CANCELLED

February 7th, 2013 – Rebecca Spencer (UMass)

February 14th, 2013 –

February 21st, 2013 – Lisa Sprite (UChicago)

March 14th, 2013 – Jason Chan (Iowa State University)

Spring Quarter

April 11th, 2013 – Stephen Hedger (UChicago)

April 18th, 2013 – Elizabeth Allen

May 16th, 2013 – Peter Hu (UChicago)

May 23rd, 2013 – Neon Brooks (UChicago)

June 13th, 2013 – Lisa Fazio (Postdoc at Carnagie Mellon U)

Our speakers will include, among others:

•   Jason Moser (Michigan State University)
•   David Rapp (Northwestern)
•   Catherine Harris (Boston University)
•    Jason Chan (Iowa State Univeristy)

I’ve sent this first announcement to a broad group. If you would like to continue to receive emails about the Workshop on Cognition series, please respond to this email and I will gladly add you to the listserv.

Check this blog for schedule updates, announcements, and articles by upcoming speakers (our blog is still in progress, but will be up and running soon!)

Thank you,
Gerardo Ramirez

The spring quarter is over and we are officially on summer break!

Watch this space next fall when we resume.

Please join us for our last brown bag of the quarter with  Loran Nordgren on Thursday May 24th, from 12 – 1:30pm in Beecher 101. Lunch will be provided.

The Hot-Cold Empathy Gap: implications for self-control, social judgment and public policy

Affect has the power to transform us profoundly. Yet despite its far-reaching physical and psychological consequences, people have remarkably little insight into the influence affect has on their preferences and behavior.  When people are in an affectively neutral or “cold” state, they fail to appreciate how “hot” affective states will (or have) influenced their (and others’) preferences and behavior.  When in a hot state, people underestimate the extent to which affect is guiding their behavior and, therefore, overestimate the stability of their current preferences.  This talk examines recent evidence documenting the existence, exploring the causes, and tracing the consequences, of hot-cold empathy gaps.

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See below for a list of our remaining meetings this year:

April 19th – no CBB – but Steve Cole will present Social Regulation of Human Gene Expression as part of the CCSN series at 4pm in Rosenwald 11

May 17th – Liz Allen
May 24th – Loran Nordgren

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