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We are pleased to announce the second DCP
colloquium for the year, in collaboration with the Cognitive Science
colloquium series!
Dr. Kalina Christoff is a scientist in
the Cognitive
Neuroscience of Thought Laboratory at Brain Research Centre at UBC.
Her research focuses on the cognitive and neural bases of human
thought, reasoning, and problem solving. More recently, she has
examined spontaneous thought patterns, such as memories occurring
during mind wandering using fMRI.
Title
Purposeful and spontaneous forms of human thought
Abstract
Human thought has often been equated with deliberate, purposeful mental
processes that help us achieve our immediate goals. This form of
thought, known as goal-directed, has been strongly linked to the
executive brain network, including the lateral prefrontal cortex, whose
functional organization is hotly debated. This talk will
present
evidence that one of the possible ways in which the lateral prefrontal
cortex may be organized is according to different levels of abstraction
in working memory representations – an organization that is
directly relevant to developmental and computational models of
executive functions. In addition to goal-directed thought,
however, humans often engage in a form of thought that can be viewed as
spontaneous, including processes such as mind wandering and
daydreaming. Such spontaneous forms of thought may at first
appear to have no particular goal or purpose, but their prevalence in
everyday life strongly suggests that they must serve some, if yet
unknown, function. This talk will present evidence that
spontaneous thought is related to the functions of the
brain’s
default network, but that it also draws upon resources of the executive
network. Spontaneous forms of thought may produce a unique
mental
state that allows otherwise competing neural system to work
cooperatively in the service of goals that may extend beyond the
current task.
The presentation will take place on Wednesday December 3rd at 3:30pm in
S427 Ross (Wisdom Room). Refreshments will be served.
Hope to see you all there!
DCP Colloquium Committee
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Upcoming
Colloquium: December 11th at 4:30 in BSB 163
Dr. Peter Mundy
Title: Neural Connectivity, Joint Attention and the Social-Cognitive
Deficits of Autism.
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Previous
Colloquium: October 30th 2008
Dr. Serge Wich.is a visiting scientist
at Great
Ape Trust of Iowa, where he is
involved with research on bonobos and orangutans. He also conducts
fieldwork
that focuses on Sumatran orangutans. Dr. Wich’s research
interests range from
basic ecological questions, to questions on culture in orangutans. His
main
areas of expertise include ecology, vocal communication, and innovative
behaviour in primates.
Title of presentation:
Orangutans Compared
Abstract:
In recent years it has become apparent that there is no such being as a
general orangutan. Based on genetic and morphological evidence, it has
been suggested that orangutans do not constitute one species, but
actually two species with at least three subspecies: Pongo abelii on
Sumatra, and Pongo pygmaeus on Borneo comprising three subspecies - P.
p. pygmaeus, P. p. wurmbii, and P. p. morio. The genetic data indicates
that the two species have diverged over more than a
million years ago and that even the three subspecies on Borneo diverged
more than 860,000 years ago. In addition to genetic and morphological
variation there are several discernible differences in behavioural
ecology between the two species and perhaps also between the
subspecies. I provide an overview of such differences and will attempt
to build a coherent framework in which to explain these. Differences
that will be highlighted are diet, development and life history, and
how these relate to ecology. Special emphasis will be given to
development and its potential influence on orangutan culture. |
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