Higher Mental Function:
Information Processing
Scott S. Rubin, Ph.D.
Neuroscience
Basic Model of Information Processing
• Critical components:
– Sensory System
– Permanent Memory (long term)
• Active memory
– Working Memory (short term)
– Central Processor
• Associated with incoming stimulus is a
part of active memory
• Working memory is where you are
doing mental computations, brain
figuring out what’s going on, pulling
information between permanent and
working memory. Working memory
pulls out of the active memory.
• Central processor- controlling
everything that is going on
Model Operation
• From environmental stimuli
– activation of sensory system
– activation of LTM
– activation of Active Memory
– activation of Working Memory
– evaluation by Central Processor &
appropriate action
• TOTE- test operate test exit
• This is what your central processor is
doing. CP checks what is going on
neurologically, thoughts, attention,
memory, processing, and it’s going to
test and make sure you are doing what it
is supposed to be doing. It’s working
towards a goal. Test again to see if you
are “done” on whatever it is and if it is
done it will exit that operation. Often
though it will do that second test and
often repeat test operate. Best analogy
is studying for an exam.
Expansion of Model
• Very good language but little
conceptual language (meaning), these
concepts we call semantic memory (not
talking about language/ words, but
talking about the knowledge of things)
dementia is in this area, speak very
well, but do not have the concept of
things. In dementia, the brain fixes
their syntactic error. The brain does not
fix the semantic errors. Aphasia is the
opposite, have the concepts, but don’t
have the language.
Structural Elements of Semantic Memory
• These are the elements that make up
our thought; In the “Language of the
Mind”.
• Concepts – Basic units of memory
– cake-, garter
• Propositions – Relational expressions
-put cake on the nose, slide the garter
• Schemata – Larger picture (made up of
concepts and propositions)
– Wedding
These all activate the levels of thought and
each other
Neural Activation
• Top-down
Neural Activation
• Bottom-up
Neural Activation
• Horizontal
• Examples:
– Blink 182 rocks
– Motorcycle
– Bachelor party
Blink 182 broke up.
Cage
Divorce
Processes Involved in Linguistic
Comprehension
• Is the product of:
– Context – setting, appearance, surrounding info.
– Expectations – Garden-Path
– Inference – Based on what you know – if this – then
that
I could argue that these 3 elements cross over to
more cognitive (or non-linguistic) analyses of
interactions
Garden-path: things lead you to some conclusion. If
you are listening to a sentence you expect a
certain conclusion. You know what the last word
is, you park the car in the ______. N400 is
disruptions in the garden-path. We can measure
these things. Humor is dependent on this stuff
because it break a lot of these rules. These are
involved in linguistic and cognitive processes,
semantic knowledge.
Processes Involved in Linguistic Production
• Ideation: Language of the Mind,
neurologic semantic; cues, goals,
ideational apraxia.
• Translation: Changing to linguistic code
• Implementation – Producing the
message
• Apraxia of speech struggles in the
implementation. Implementation could
be verbal, or written.
Processing
Module
Transit field (does not
leave the system)
goes to the next level
of the system
We can only have
one exit field, gnostic
means to know
Primary auditory
cortex is an “exit
field” because it’s
going to another
system.
Modules have certain
systems to why they
work
Processing Modules
Modules
Fodor’s Principle of Modularity
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Domain Specificity
Mandatory Operation
Limited Acces by the Central Processor
Input Systems are Fast
Informationally Encapsulated
Shallow Outputs
Fixed Neural Networks
Ontogeny
• Domain specificity- the info is specific to
that domain, it’s important because we
want our processing systems to be fast
because it’s not worried about other
information coming in from other
domains,
• Mandatory operation- it could be tiny
signal, but as long as the brain picks it up,
it’s going to work
• Limited access by the CPU- (cpu is in the
frontal lobe, where all the highest level of
functioning is)
• Shallow outputs-One system goes to
another system
• The network for processing is going to
be the same for everyone, but everyone
is different, so the structure might be a
little different.
• Ontogeny- set development meaning
the systems emerge at birth in the
same way across people.
Summary
• Keep in mind – behaviors within
modules
• Isolated function
• Exploit strong modules or processes
• Compensate for weak modules – or use
strong to deblock the weak.
Tonal Languages and Insula
•What is a “tonal” language? Ex. Mandarin
•One syllable "da“, tonal differences =
–"to hang over something" ( da1 )
–"to answer" ( da2)
–"to hit" ( da3)
–"big" ( da4).
• The syllable “ma” has
four meanings.
– mother
– horse
– hemp
– scold - curse
Update on Insula
• Perceiving Pitch Patterns: Role of Insula.
• Mandarin – Tonal Language
– Pitch patterns contain lexical information.
• Study compared Mandarin listeners &
English listeners.
• Madarin – listening to Mandarin – activity
Left anterior Insula. Listening to English –
Right Ant Insula activation.
• English listeners – Both produce Right ant
Insula activation