The relationship between semantic access and introspective awareness.
Xu Xu, Chunyan Kang, David Pascucci, Taomei Guo
Brain and Cognition June 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2018.02.005 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 35 |
| Population | Right-handed university students with normal or corrected-to-normal vision and no known neurological or psychological health issues |
| Measures | N400, lexical decision task, introspective awareness self-report measure |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Introspective awareness N400 Self-assessment Semantic access Semantic system |
| Key findings | Self-ratings of introspective awareness correlated moderately to strongly (Pearson's r = 0.49-0.62) with the ease of semantic access indexed by the N400 during a lexical decision task. The authors argue that subjective assessments of awareness may deserve more credibility and may interact with the neurophysiological processes that contribute to and are subject to such awareness. |
Abstract
There have long been speculations about the relationship between consciousness and language. This study aimed to determine whether an individual's level of introspective awareness, based on self-report, relates to accessibility of their semantic system as evaluated by the N400. Thirty-five university students completed the study. All were right-handed, with normal or corrected-to-normal vision, without known neurological or psychological health issues. They first performed on a lexical decision task while their brain electrophysiological responses were recorded. Then, they provided assessment ratings about their levels of introspective awareness. Analysis revealed moderate to strong correlations (Pearson's rs = 0.49-0.62) between awareness self-ratings and ease of semantic access as indexed by the N400. Correlation between the self-report measure and the objective neurophysiological measure suggests that subjective assessment of awareness may deserve more credibility, which in addition to reflecting subjective perception and evaluation about one's own higher order mental functioning, may also interact with the neurophysiological processes contributive and subject to such awareness. Implications for future research on the role of semantic network in the mechanism of introspective awareness are discussed.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A default mode of brain function Normal adult human brain | 2001 | Observational study | |
| Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational cohort | |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| The precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex plays a pivotal role in the default mode network: Evidence from a partial correlation network analysis Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study |
Citations in the library
Cites 11
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Experience sampling during fMRI reveals default network and executive system contributions to mind wandering. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences May 26, 2009
- Metacognition The MIT Press eBooks April 7, 1994
- Patterns of Brain Activity Supporting Autobiographical Memory, Prospection, and Theory of Mind, and Their Relationship to the Default Mode Network Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience July 6, 2009
- The ‘correlates’ in neural correlates of consciousness Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews June 5, 2011
and 6 more in the library