Papers by Aneta Brzezicka
The impact of video game playing on cognitive abilities has been the focus of numerous studies ov... more The impact of video game playing on cognitive abilities has been the focus of numerous studies over the last 10 years. Some cross-sectional comparisons indicate the cognitive advantages of video game players (VGPs) over non-players (NVGPs) and the benefits of video game trainings, while others fail to replicate these findings. Though there is an ongoing discussion over methodological practices and their impact on observable effects, some elementary issues, such as the representativeness of recruited VGP groups and lack of genre differentiation have not yet been widely addressed. In this article we present objective and declarative gameplay time data gathered from large samples in order to illustrate how playtime is distributed over VGP populations. The implications of this data are then discussed in the context of previous studies in the field. We also argue in favor of differentiating video games based on their genre when recruiting study samples, as this form of classification reflects the core mechanics that they utilize and therefore provides a measure of insight into what cognitive functions are likely to be engaged most. Additionally, we present the Covert Video Game Experience Questionnaire as an example of how this sort of classification can be applied during the recruitment process.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between working memory capacity (WMC) a... more The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between working memory capacity (WMC) and frontal theta response to memory load in Sternberg task. We show that oscillatory activity in the theta band (4-6 Hz) related to Sternberg task performance may differentiate people characterized by high and low WMC. Specifically, there is a linear increase of frontal midline (FM) theta power with load, however, only in the high WMC group. Furthermore, a positive linear relationship was found between WMC (operation span task score) and average FM theta power increase from lower to higher loads which was not present at other scalp locations. The distinct patterns of high and low WMC individual's FM theta response to memory load seem to support the assumption that theta activity during maintenance reflects not only the amount of information stored, but also the effort it takes to remember them and the efficiency of involved neural processes. This contributes to perceiving FM theta as...
Frontiers in human neuroscience, 2014
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between working memory capacity (WMC) a... more The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between working memory capacity (WMC) and frontal theta response to memory load in Sternberg task. We show that oscillatory activity in the theta band (4-6 Hz) related to Sternberg task performance may differentiate people characterized by high and low WMC. Specifically, there is a linear increase of frontal midline (FM) theta power with load, however, only in the high WMC group. Furthermore, a positive linear relationship was found between WMC (operation span task score) and average FM theta power increase from lower to higher loads which was not present at other scalp locations. The distinct patterns of high and low WMC individual's FM theta response to memory load seem to support the assumption that theta activity during maintenance reflects not only the amount of information stored, but also the effort it takes to remember them and the efficiency of involved neural processes. This contributes to perceiving FM theta as...
Advances in Cognitive Neurodynamics, 2014
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 2013
One contribution of 13 to a Theme Issue 'Assessing causality in brain dynamics and cardiovascular... more One contribution of 13 to a Theme Issue 'Assessing causality in brain dynamics and cardiovascular control' .
European Psychologist, 2013
In this article, we examine the hypothesis that cognitive deficits in subclinical depression beco... more In this article, we examine the hypothesis that cognitive deficits in subclinical depression become especially evident in tasks that require the integration of piecemeal information into more coherent mental representations, such as mental models. It is argued that in states of subclinical depression, attempts at integrative thinking or problem solving are limited by cognitive exhaustion which prevents the use of effective cognitive strategies. This basic argument is illustrated by paradigms addressing the construction of mental models based on sentiment or linear order information. It is shown that subclinical depression is associated with a distinct deficit in integrative reasoning, but no deficits in non-integrative processing such as initial information sampling or memory retrieval. Recent evidence of a neurophysiological correlate of this specific deficit in subclinical depression is discussed in terms of the moderating role of frontal alpha asymmetry, and in terms of a specific pattern of parietal brain activation during processing of mental models. Also, a distinctive, not deficit-related, facet of depressed cognitive symptoms is proposed, indicating a possible adaptive value of defocused attention in subclinically depressed mood. This defocused attention approach is supported by experimental and eyetracking research, and by recent theoretical models and empirical evidence showing performance benefits in depression for some cognitive and creative tasks.
Behavioural Brain Research, 2013
h i g h l i g h t s • We studied cross-correlations among the elements of the thalamocortical loop.
Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2013
As a comment on Kurzban et al.&am... more As a comment on Kurzban et al.'s opportunity cost model, we propose an alternative view of mental effort and the action selection mechanism in the brain. Our hypothesis utilizes local resource depletion within neuronal networks, which justifies from a neurophysiological perspective why mental fatigue diminishes after switching to a novel task and explains action selection by means of neural competition theory.
International Journal of …, Jan 1, 2011
The defocused attention hypothesis assumes that negative mood broadens attention, whereas the ana... more The defocused attention hypothesis assumes that negative mood broadens attention, whereas the analytical rumination hypothesis (Andrews and Thompson, 2009) suggests a narrowing of the attentional focus with depression. We tested these conflicting hypotheses by directly measuring the perceptual span in groups of dysphoric and control subjects, using eye tracking. In the moving window paradigm, information outside of a variable-width gaze-contingent window was masked during reading of sentences. In measures of sentence reading time and mean fixation duration, dysphoric subjects were more pronouncedly affected than controls by a reduced window size. This difference supports the defocused attention hypothesis and seems hard to reconcile with a narrowing of attentional focus.
Acta Neurobiol Exp, Jan 1, 2011
Valid deductive reasoning, by definition, yields a conclusion that must be true assuming that its... more Valid deductive reasoning, by definition, yields a conclusion that must be true assuming that its premises are true . The deductive linear order reasoning examined in this research is based on the logic of transitivity (for reviews, see Phillips 1998, Leth-Steensen and. That is, for any A, B, and C, if A > B and B > C then it logi-cally follows than A > C. The transitive relation denoted here by ">" might be physical (taller than), or spatial (left of), or psychological (smarter than), or formally abstract (greater than -as applied in our study). Linear order reasoning is a basic and crucial component of reasoning ability. In the simplest concrete forms this reasoning ability is possessed not only by humans since early childhood but also by monkeys, apes, and even pigeons because such ability facilities adaptive predictions (which tree is the tallest? who is the most dominant?).
International Journal of …, Jan 1, 2011
We previously showed that neuronal activity in beta frequency might serve as a carrier for attent... more We previously showed that neuronal activity in beta frequency might serve as a carrier for attentional arousal within the visual system of cat. In the present study, we adopted the animal paradigm for anticipatory attention to study alertness-related changes of beta activity in human subjects. The results indicated that increased alertness, manifested by faster responses to target visual stimuli, is accompanied by higher EEG activation in beta band.
International Journal of …, Jan 1, 2011
Older adults (N 60 years) show attentional deficits in comparison to younger people (18-30 years)... more Older adults (N 60 years) show attentional deficits in comparison to younger people (18-30 years). As beta-band EEG activity has been previously postulated to indicate attentional modulation in the visual system, we searched for possible deficits in beta power in elderly subjects performing an attentional task with spatial differentiation between visual stimuli. We found that in older adults a lower level of beta activity correlated with decreased behavioral performance. As compared to young subjects, older adults expressed decreased activation in beta band during an attentional task, which displayed two different dynamics during the anticipatory period. Those dynamics were accompanied by one of two different behavioral pattern deficits. We hypothesize that one group of elderly participants suffered from difficulty in the activation of attentional processes (alertness deficits), while the otherfrom difficulty in sustaining those processes (vigilance deficits).
… Limitations In Aging …, Jan 1, 2005
BACKGROUND Origins of Uncontrollability Research Since Seligman and colleagues (Seligman & Ma... more BACKGROUND Origins of Uncontrollability Research Since Seligman and colleagues (Seligman & Maier, 1967; Overmier & Seligman, 1967) described learning deficits in dogs exposed to uncontrollable shocks, psychologists have sought to understand the effects of ...
… in Medicine and …, Jan 1, 2010
We studied the dynamical pattern of transmission involved in the information processing during co... more We studied the dynamical pattern of transmission involved in the information processing during cognitive experiments engaging working memory. The ensemble averaging approach was used to fit a multichannel autoregressive model to the EEG signals recorded during the transitive reasoning task. The short-time directed transfer function was estimated for finding dynamical patterns of functional connectivity during the memory and reasoning task. The results indicated that there exist particular areas where information is processed as envisaged by transmissions between closely located electrodes. In case of reasoning task these local circuits were located in frontal and parietal regions. These areas (these local circuits) from time to time exchange information between each other‥
Handbook of Individual …, Jan 1, 2010
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Papers by Aneta Brzezicka