DHB Collaborative: Lifespan Dynamics of Cognition and Action

你能同时走路和说话的能力有多强？生物要有适应能力，就必须协调身心。然而，关于如何实现这一点，仍然存在重要问题。首先，控制的方向是精神还是大脑对身体的控制？例如，行走中运动成分的协调是否会改变说话中认知成分的协调？运动行为通常被认为是认知活动的结果或独立于认知活动(例如，无论一个人坐着还是走路，思考都进行得很快)。但该研究项目的初步数据证实，运动行为的协调对认知动力学有影响。第二，认知动力学的控制和协调在一生中是如何变化的？运动协调的动力学是一个线性级数，动态模式从童年时的较大分维变化到老年时的较小分维。这同样适用于认知任务吗？例如，目前还不清楚认知协调性是否会随着年龄的增长而恶化。在国家科学基金会的支持下，范·奥登博士和他的同事们将在很大程度上弥合这些知识差距，他们将研究认知行为和运动行为在一生中的控制和协调。他们的实证研究将有助于两个截然不同的领域。首先，运动和认知成分相互依赖的发现可能彻底颠覆认知独立于身体运动动作而展开的普遍观点。其次，关于认知活动的控制和协调如何随年龄变化的发现将广泛地为发展理论提供信息，包括将行为变化与儿童或成人大脑中的皮质组织联系起来的理论。该项目还包括使用新的非线性递归量化分析方法作为分形分析的工具，它可以绕过线性工具的问题，提供更详细的分形行为图景，并为所有面临这种现象的领域的分形现象的研究增加方法论上的严谨性。此外，对该项目的支持将有助于为辛辛那提大学完全实现计划中的认知、行动和感知跨学科中心提供催化资金。

How well can you walk and talk at the same time? To behave adaptively, living beings must coordinate body and mind. However important questions remain as to how this may occur. First, is the direction of control exclusively mind or brain to body? For instance does the coordination of motor components in walking change the coordination of cognitive components in talking? Motor acts are commonly treated as consequent on or independent of cognitive activity (e.g., thinking proceeds apace, whether one sits or walks). But preliminary data of this research project corroborate that coordination of motor behavior has an impact on cognitive dynamics. Second, how do control and coordination of cognitive dynamics change across the lifespan? The dynamics of motor coordination has a linear progression, in which dynamic patterns change from a greater fractal dimension in childhood to a lesser fractal dimension in old age. Does the same hold for cognitive tasks? For instance, it is unclear whether cognitive coordination deteriorates with age. With support from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Van Orden and his colleagues will substantially bridge these knowledge gaps as they investigate control and coordina-tion of cognitive and motor behavior across the life span. Their empirical studies will contribute to two distinct areas. First, findings of interdependence of motor and cognitive components may overhaul the common view that cognition unfolds independently of the motor actions of the body. Second, findings on how control and coordination of cognitive activity changes as a function of age will broadly inform developmental theory, including theory that links behavioral changes to cortical organization in a child's or adult's brain. The project also includes the use of new non-linear methods of recurrence quantifica-tion analysis as tools for fractal analysis, which may circumvent problems of linear tools, supply a more detailed picture of fractal behavior, and add methodological rigor to the study of fractal phenomena in all fields that confront such phenomena. Furthermore, support for this project will contribute catalytic funds to fully realize a planned interdisciplinary center for Cognition, Action & Perception at the U. of Cincinnati.