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Neural Evidence for the Influence of Communication on Cognitive Processing as Proposed by Quantum Cognition Theory

Borghetti, Lorraine
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5171-2118
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1563492110175352

Abstract Details

2019, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Communication.
The aim of the present study was to examine neural correlates and mechanisms underlying the psychological mechanisms formalized in a computational model of quantum cognition, the belief-action-entanglement (BAE) model. An analysis of frequency band activity in the brain was carried out to test these mechanisms. The BAE model proposes that communication acts as a measurement that interferes with the evaluative processes prior to a decision (Busemeyer, Wang, & Lambert-Mogiliansky, 2009; Pothos & Busemeyer, 2009; Z. Wang & Busemeyer, 2016). Two key mechanisms were conceptualized and formalized in the BAE model: (1) the superposition state which arises from uncertainty and dissonance when deciding between two or more actions, and (2) the transition from a superposition state to a determinate one during the action evaluation process. These mechanisms correspond with the psychological function and timing of two frequency bands. The frontal-midline (FM) theta (3-8 Hz) indexes conflict processing, a state analogous to cognitive dissonance. Parietal alpha power indexes search and integration processes in memory which captures evolution from the superposition state to a determinate one. To test the extent communication influenced these underlying mechanisms, we employed a category-decision paradigm used in behavioral studies of the BAE model. The study manipulated communication in three ways: receiving information, self-expressing, and no communication. EEG data was collected from 32 participants. The subsequent analysis of FM theta and parietal alpha-beta frequency band activity provided modest support for the effect of communication on the proposed BAE model mechanisms. Specifically, FM theta activity offered initial evidence that communication resolves dissonance or uncertainty in the superposition state. Further, parietal alpha-beta suppression provided support for the proposition that communication modulates the evolution of the cognitive system until a decision is made. Unexpectedly, we found that self-expressing information resolved no more dissonance in comparison to the absence of communication, providing new insights into effects on the sender during communication.
Joyce Wang, PHD (Advisor)
Jason Coronel , PHD (Committee Member)
Richard Huskey, PHD (Committee Member)
71 p.
Cognitive Psychology; Communication; Neurosciences
Communication; quantum cognition; cognitive dissonance; interference effects; neural oscillations; theta band power; alpha band suppression; conflict processing; memory integration processes; superposition state; state transitions; self-expressing

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Borghetti, L. (2019). Neural Evidence for the Influence of Communication on Cognitive Processing as Proposed by Quantum Cognition Theory [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1563492110175352

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Borghetti, Lorraine. Neural Evidence for the Influence of Communication on Cognitive Processing as Proposed by Quantum Cognition Theory. 2019. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1563492110175352.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Borghetti, Lorraine. "Neural Evidence for the Influence of Communication on Cognitive Processing as Proposed by Quantum Cognition Theory." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1563492110175352

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1563492110175352
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.