Cognitive Science

The latest breakthroughs, innovations, and cool happenings at the cutting edge of the world of cognitive science. Updated daily.

From task structures to world models: what do LLMs know?

In what sense does a large language model (LLM) have knowledge? We answer by granting LLMs ‘instrumental knowledge’: knowledge gained by using next-word generation as an instrument. We then ask how instrumental knowledge is related to the ordinary, ‘worldly knowledge’ exhibited by humans, and explore this question in terms of the degree to which instrumental […]

Published on March 5, 2024

Coupled sleep rhythms for memory consolidation

How do passing moments turn into lasting memories? Sheltered from external tasks and distractions, sleep constitutes an optimal state for the brain to reprocess and consolidate previous experiences. Recent work suggests that consolidation is governed by the intricate interaction of slow oscillations (SOs), spindles, and ripples – electrophysiological sleep rhythms that orchestrate neuronal processing and […]

Published on March 5, 2024

Short term effects of contralateral tendon vibration on motor unit discharge rate variability and force steadiness in people with Parkinson’s disease

BackgroundVibration of one limb affects motor performance of the contralateral limb, and this may have clinical implications for people with lateralized motor impairments through vibration-induced increase in cortical activation, descending neural drive, or spinal excitability.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of acute biceps brachii tendon vibration on force steadiness and motor […]

Published on March 4, 2024