The 7th annual Cognitive Science Community Colloquium was held in person on Monday, April 10, 2023 for the first time since 2019.
This years theme was “Community in Action”, and as always this is an academic conference geared toward showing off undergraduate research, connecting cognitive scientists to undergraduates, and encouraging an interdisciplinary exchange of knowledge.
2023 Speakers:
Dr. Rick Lewis | Keynote Speaker
Anusha Santhapur | Honors in Cognitive Science '23
Number Absolutism in Everyday and Medical Decision-Making
Previous research suggests that individuals vary in their ability to tolerate uncertainty, but there is a lack of information on how people with a lower tolerance for uncertainty make decisions in uncertain situations. We hypothesized that people with a lower tolerance cope by using heuristics, such as the use of arbitrary numerical cutoffs (“Number Absolutism”) to guide decision-making. We found that there were individual differences in how people dealt with uncertainty (i.e. how number absolutist they were), and that people with better statistical reasoning abilities were less likely to rely on arbitrary numerical cut offs when making hypothetical decisions.
Hattie Benedetti | Honors in Cognitive Science ‘23
Evaluating the Benefits of Verbal Working Memory training in Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment
Working memory (WM) is a fundamental cognitive capacity that declines with age, and this decline is further exacerbated in older adults (OA) with mild cognitive impairments (MCI). Recent evidence suggests that training improves WM performance in healthy OA. However, it is unclear whether similar effects are observed in individuals with MCI. The present study measured transfer effects as correlations between WM training gains and the difference in post - vs. pre-training NP scores. Our results suggest that the adaptive cognitive training program was beneficial in improving WM performance for individuals with a MCI, but there were limited findings of transfer effects in this population. Investigating the real-world benefits of cognitive training in OA diagnosed with cognitive impairment is important to assess the ecological impacts resulting from training programs.
Karl Mohy El Din, Myles Williamson, Adria Shines | CSC Focus Group | Cognitive Science ‘24
Food Insecurity, Nutrition, and Cognition
We examine the effects of food insecurity on various cognitive measures including performance on cognitive tasks, mood, and diseases associated with cognitive decline such as Alzheimers and dementia. We also touch on the role of specific nutrients on cognitive performance and brain health. We conclude by discussing initiatives trying to combat the detrimental effects of food insecurity and inadequate nutrition on well-being and offer our audience steps to help both others and themselves with these challenges.
Cole Nogawa, Michelle Wu, Lejla Pargan, Henry Barron | CSC Focus Group | LSA First-Year
Mental Health Made Easier
The University of Michigan offers Psychological services to all students, free of charge, through Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). The mission of CAPS, however, is limited to short-term treatment. Many students express frustration and confusion about seeking further help after exhausting the standard five sessions offered. Therefore we set out to bridge the gap between CAPS and long-term mental health care by creating and promoting an online informational resource to help University students navigate the insurance industry and find practicing professionals in the immediate Ann Arbor area.
