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From fMRI Data To Cognitive Models: Testing the ACT-R Brain Mapping Hypothesis with an Ex-Post Model

Authors:
Jan Charles Lenk
Claus Möbus
Jale Özyurt
Christiane Margarete
Arno Claassen

Keywords: Cognitive modeling, ACT-R, BOLD prediction, Brain Mapping Hypothesis

Abstract:
Recently, John R. Anderson proposed a correspondence between the modules of his cognitive architecture ACT-R and specific brain regions. This Brain Mapping Hypothesis allows the prediction of Blood-Oxygen-Level Dependent curves for these regions using cognitive models. These predictions may be compared to actual data from functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging experiments. While the Brain Mapping Hypothesis has been tested with very simple tasks mostly from algebraic problem solving, we conducted experiments with a more complex task to study the robustness of the Brain Mapping Hypothesis against different domains, multi-dimensional strategy spaces, and modeling errors. The ACT-R model in this paper is a synthesis of our prior models, providing a better fit imaging data. Our results show that the Brain Mapping Hypothesis is not to be dismissed, yet there still remain assumptions in the model that do cause inexact predictions for some modules. We discuss how models of complex problem solvers can achieve a better fit to data by adaptations to their symbolic structure.

Pages: 13 to 18

Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2011

Publication date: September 25, 2011

Published in: conference

ISSN: 2308-4197

ISBN: 978-1-61208-155-7

Location: Rome, Italy

Dates: from September 25, 2011 to September 30, 2011