What and when the brain simulates

我们需要了解东西是什么，以及它们是如何使用的。在我们的日常生活中，我们会找到工具，使用它们，有时还会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看起来像什么的信息(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)。了解大脑如何表示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示知识。扎根认知理论试图解释知识是如何植根于我们对世界的身体经验中的。具体地说，该理论认为，要知道躺在桌子上的物体是锤子，我们可以用锤子的视觉、听觉和运动来模拟我们的体验。我之前的研究对这一理论进行了调查。尽管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，也不知道这些模拟是在什么时候使用的。此外，到目前为止，还不清楚模拟是如何反映在大脑活动中的。例如，我们必须用锤子模拟我们所有的体验吗(例如，模拟运动体验，而不是听觉体验)？当我们试图思考它的名字时，与当我们试图为它想出一个创造性的用途时，时间上的差异是什么？研究什么类型的信息被模拟以及模拟何时被激活是理解知识的关键。*我提议的研究计划的目标有三个。首先，我将描述使用模拟的环境环境(例如，识别工作台上的锤子与厨房柜台上的锤子)。其次，我将描述观察者的目标如何决定模拟的内容(例如，识别锤子的目的是为了将钉子钉进墙上，还是为了创造性的目的)。最后，我将通过研究在模拟过程中发生的神经活动来表征模拟的时间。为了做到这一点，人们将在记录他们的脑电波的同时识别不同背景下的物体的图片。*这项研究的发现将具有重要意义，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，他们将深入了解在计算机中表示知识的方法，这是人工智能面临的主要挑战。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。

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.