Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


20995.pdf (19.25 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Examining Coordination and Emergence During Individual and Distributed Cognitive Tasks

Amon, Mary Jean
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1468336815

Abstract Details

2016, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Arts and Sciences: Psychology.
Distributed cognition refers to situations in which task requirements are distributed among multiple agents or, potentially, off-loaded onto the environment. The idea assumes that the cognitive system is flexibly composed of various CNS components as well as non-neural bodily and environmental components, including other agents. Important to understanding distributed cognition is a consideration of how cognitive components become coordinated, and whether multi-agent cognitive coordination yields as a single cognitive system—an emergent, interpersonal cognitive synergy. Synergies are organizations of anatomical (and, potentially, environmental) components into a single, functional unit, such that the components work together and regulate one another to promote task performance. Synergies exhibit reciprocal compensation, or the interaction of components to accomplish the desired goal even in the face of obstacles. Synergies have a number of additional features found in complex systems, or systems with numerous, nonlinearly interacting elements across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Complex systems offer tools for identifying some of the features of cognitive synergies. For example, 1/f scaling has been demonstrated in a range of cognitive tasks, supporting the notion that features common to both complex systems and synergies play a key role in cognitive functioning. 1/f scaling, or “pink noise,” can be used as an indicator of coordination or task interdependence, with “white noise” as an indicator of independence. Three experiments compared isolated and distributed cognition to determine which are appropriately characterized as cognitive systems composed of individual agents or as distributed among (and irreducible to the behaviors of) multiple agents. Each experiment tested for interdependent and emergent properties of cognitive performance during distributed temporal estimation (TE) tasks. 1/f scaling was present during solo and dyadic tasks, providing evidence for task interdependence and emergence. 1/f scaling persisted with task modulations (Experiment 2) and perturbations (Experiment 3) to performance. Similarly, reciprocal compensation within dyads was observed across studies, which is a key feature of synergies. When one dyad member produced a shorter response-time, their partner was likely to have a longer response-time, and vice versa. The trial-by-trial compensation in the dyadic condition was associated with a mean response-time statistically equivalent to solo participants, indicating dyads were relatively successful in their goal of estimating 700 ms. The fact that both solo participants and dyads did not demonstrate longer timescale coordination beyond that observed in virtual pairs suggests that long timescale information may not be necessary to perform the task successfully. Interdependence and reciprocal compensation between participants demonstrated that properties common to complex systems and synergies emerged during a distributed cognitive task. The present studies provide preliminary support for the conjecture that a singular, non-decomposable cognitive system can be distributed. While more research is needed to understand the properties of distributed cognition, the findings support the hypothesis that the cognitive system is flexible in incorporating different parts of the CNS, non-neural parts of the body, and environment to behave adaptively.
John Holden, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Michael Riley, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Anthony Chemero, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
75 p.
Cognitive Therapy
distributed cognition; synergy; 1 f noise; complexity science; temporal estimation; interpersonal coordination

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Amon, M. J. (2016). Examining Coordination and Emergence During Individual and Distributed Cognitive Tasks [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1468336815

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Amon, Mary. Examining Coordination and Emergence During Individual and Distributed Cognitive Tasks. 2016. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1468336815.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Amon, Mary. "Examining Coordination and Emergence During Individual and Distributed Cognitive Tasks." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1468336815

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1468336815
237
© 2016, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.