What and when the brain simulates

大脑模拟什么以及何时模拟

• 批准号: RGPIN-2018-06139
• 负责人: Matheson, Heath
• 金额: $ 2.11万
• 依托单位: Memorial University of Newfoundland
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=764080
• 关键词: What; when; brain; simulates

We need knowledge of what things are and how they are used. In our day to day lives, we find tools, use them, and sometimes create new ones to solve problems. To do so, the brain represents information about what objects look like (visual information), the sounds they make (auditory information), and what we can do with them (action information). Understanding how the brain represents knowledge will change the way we learn and work.Within cognitive neuroscience, a new theory is helping us better understand how the brain represents knowledge. The theory of grounded cognition seeks to explain how knowledge is grounded' in our bodily experiences of the world. Specifically, the theory suggests that, to know that the object lying on a table is a hammer, we simulate our experiences with a hammervisual, auditory, and motor. My previous research has investigated this theory. Though there is some support for the theory, it is not yet known what information is simulated in the brain or when these simulations are used. Further, to date, it is not clear how simulations are reflected in the activity of the brain. For instance, must we simulate all of our experiences with a hammer (e.g. simulate the motor experiences but not the auditory)? What are the timing differences when we are trying to think about its name vs. when we are trying to come up with a creative use for it? Studying what type of information is simulated and when simulations are activated is critical to understanding knowledge. The goals of my proposed research program are three-fold. First, I will characterize the environmental contexts in which simulations are used (e.g. identifying a hammer on a workbench vs. a kitchen counter). Second, I will characterize how the goals of the observer determine what is simulated (e.g. identifying a hammer for the purpose of hammering a nail into the wall vs. for a creative purpose). Finally, I will characterize the timing of simulations by investigating the neural activity that occurs during simulations. To do so, people will identify pictures of objects in different contexts while their brain waves are recorded. Findings from this research will be significant for three reasons. First, they will help us better understand the relationship between the brain and knowledge. Second, they will provide insight into methods for representing knowledge in computers, a major challenge facing artificial intelligence. Finally, they will provide a strong theory for understanding how we use knowledge in our day to day lives.

我们需要了解事物是什么以及如何使用它们。在我们的日常生活中，我们发现工具，使用它们，有时创造新的工具来解决问题。为了做到这一点，大脑代表了关于物体的外观（视觉信息），它们发出的声音（听觉信息）以及我们可以用它们做什么（动作信息）的信息。了解大脑如何表征知识将改变我们学习和工作的方式。在认知神经科学中，一种新的理论正在帮助我们更好地理解大脑如何表征知识。扎根认知理论试图解释知识是如何扎根于我们对世界的身体体验中的。具体来说，该理论认为，为了知道桌子上的物体是锤子，我们用锤子模拟我们的视觉、听觉和运动体验。我之前的研究已经调查了这个理论。虽然这一理论得到了一些支持，但目前还不知道大脑中模拟的是什么信息，以及何时使用这些模拟。此外，到目前为止，还不清楚模拟如何反映在大脑活动中。例如，我们必须用锤子来模拟我们所有的体验吗（例如，模拟运动体验，但不模拟听觉体验）？当我们试图思考它的名字时与当我们试图想出它的创造性用途时，时间上有什么差异？研究什么类型的信息是模拟的，什么时候激活模拟是理解知识的关键。我提出的研究计划的目标有三个方面。首先，我将描述使用模拟的环境背景（例如，识别工作台上的锤子与厨房柜台）。其次，我将描述观察者的目标如何决定模拟的内容（例如，识别锤子是为了将钉子钉进墙上还是为了创造性目的）。最后，我将通过研究模拟过程中发生的神经活动来描述模拟的时间。为了做到这一点，人们将在记录脑电波的同时识别不同背景下的物体图片。这项研究的结果将具有重要意义，原因有三。首先，它们将帮助我们更好地理解大脑和知识之间的关系。其次，它们将提供对计算机中表示知识的方法的深入了解，这是人工智能面临的一个主要挑战。最后，它们将为理解我们如何在日常生活中使用知识提供强有力的理论。