Behavior, human cognition

Since biological systems can reasonably cope with some of these problems, the intuition behind neural nets is that computing systems based on the architecture of the brain can better emulate human cognitive behavior than systems based on symbol manipulation. Unfortunately, the processing characteristics of the brain are as yet incompletely understood. Consequendy, computational systems based on brain architecture are highly simplified models of thek biological analogues. To make this distinction clear, neural nets are often referred to as artificial neural networks. 

Ethyl alcohol is a developmental toxin in humans. Excessive consumption is associated with fetal alcohol syndrome, which is characterized by joint, limb, and cardiac anomalies and behavioral and cognitive impairment. ... 

A number of observers of society have discussed the role of external devices, especially visualizations, in human cognition and behavior. Donald (1991) has speculated on the effects of the creation of mental artifacts on cultural change. Norman (1993) has critiqued modern inventions that, as he says, are supposed to make us smart, but don t always succeed. Kirsh (1995) has analyzed situations, such as preparing meals, playing tetris, and counting money, in which people array artifacts spatially and manipulate those arrays to facilitate memory and inference. 

Wedeen RP The politics of lead, in Toxic Circles Environmental Hazards From the Workplace Into the Community. Edited by Sheehan HS, Wedeen RP. New Brunswick, NJ, Rutgers University Press, 1993, pp 168-200 Yule W, Rutter M Effect of lead on children s behavior and cognitive performance a critical review, in Dietary and Environmental Lead Human Health Effects. Edited by Mahaffey KR. Amsterdam, Elsevier, 1985, pp 211-259... 

What all these technical details mean for us can be briefly stated in plain English We know enough about the detailed development of the human brain to expect it to be highly vulnerable to impacts on the fetal environment. Neuroscientists are not surprised by correlations between impacts on the fetal environment and later behavior and cognitive performance. The purpose of this chapter has been to explain this lack of surprise. 

The human factors literature is rich in behavioral and cognitive models of human performance. Because of space limitations, however, only three generic models of human performance will be presented here. They have found extensive applications. Section 2.1 presents a behavioral model developed by Wickens (1992), the human information-processing model. Sections 2.2 and 2.3 present two cognitive models, the action-cycle model of Norman (1988) and the skill-, rule-, and knowledge-based model of Rasmussen (1986). 

Models of human cognition and behavior can provide practical input to ergonomics interventions when cast in the form of cognitive probes or questions regarding how operators search their environment, assess the situation, make decisions, plan their actions, and monitor their own performance. Table 1 shows a list of cognitive probes to help analysts infer these cognitive processes that underlie observable actions and errors. 

Human performance can be highly complex and involve many types of processes and behavior. Over the years, many models have been developed that predict sensory processes (e.g., Gawron et al. 1983), aspects of human cognition (e.g., Newell 1990), and human motor response (e.g., Fitts s law). 

On November 4 and 5,2010, in San Antonio, ASSE sponsored a symposium titled Rethink Safety A New View of Human Error and Workplace Safety. It was not a surprise at a symposium on human error that speakers commented on such subjects as cognitive theory, the properties of human cognition, variable errors and constant errors, imperfect rationality and mental behavioral aspects of error, and the like. 

J.R. Anderson, Is human cognition adaptive Behavioral and Brain Sciences 14 (1991b)... 

Phenylethylamines and catecholamines are of crucial importance for many physiological processes [2]. l-DOPA (2) serves as precursor for dopamine, which acts as neurotransmitter in the human brain. Dopamine is associated with reward-motivated behavior and cognitive alertness, and the compound is linked to controlling the release of other important hormones. In contrast to dopamine (4), l-DOPA is able to cross the blood-brain barrier, and it is used to increase the concentration of dopamine in the brain in patients suffering from Parkinson s disease [3]. 

Yule, W. and Rutter, M. (1985) Effect of lead on children s behavior and cognitive performance a critical review. In Dietary and Environmental Lead Human Health Effects (Amsterdam Elsevier)... 

Yet, this model suffers from two very major drawbacks. Firstly, the model only sheds light on cold variables with regard to human cognitive processes which does not conform well with real life situations. In reality, emotional variables such as threat do affect people s capability in problem solving and accident prevention. Secondly, internal information processes are absent. Interpretation by actual behavior observations and interviews becomes necessary but this requires expertise. Because of the two aforementioned problems, application of this model is limited to in-depth investigation with experts participation (Li 2006). 

The aroma of fmit, the taste of candy, and the texture of bread are examples of flavor perception. In each case, physical and chemical stmctures ia these foods stimulate receptors ia the nose and mouth. Impulses from these receptors are then processed iato perceptions of flavor by the brain. Attention, emotion, memory, cognition, and other brain functions combine with these perceptions to cause behavior, eg, a sense of pleasure, a memory, an idea, a fantasy, a purchase. These are psychological processes and as such have all the complexities of the human mind. Flavor characterization attempts to define what causes flavor and to determine if human response to flavor can be predicted. The ways ia which simple flavor active substances, flavorants, produce perceptions are described both ia terms of the physiology, ie, transduction, and psychophysics, ie, dose-response relationships, of flavor (1,2). Progress has been made ia understanding how perceptions of simple flavorants are processed iato hedonic behavior, ie, degree of liking, or concept formation, eg, crispy or umami (savory) (3,4). However, it is unclear how complex mixtures of flavorants are perceived or what behavior they cause. Flavor characterization involves the chemical measurement of iadividual flavorants and the use of sensory tests to determine their impact on behavior. 

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