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Why your "head is in the clouds" during thinking: the relationship between cognition and upper space
Fred H Previc1, Carolyn Declerck, Bert de Brabander
1Northrop Grumman Information Technology, 4241 Woodcock Dr. Ste B100, San Antonio, TX 78228, USA. fred.previc@ngc.com
Acta Psychologica
|January 4, 2005
Summary
Abstract thinking and upward eye movements are linked. Complex mental tasks activate brain systems for exploring distant space, suggesting abstract thought co-opts primate visual exploration mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive neuroscience
- Neurobiology
- Human cognition
Background:
- Higher-order cognition was not previously thought to be closely linked with basic perceptual-motor brain mechanisms.
- Recent research indicates perceptual and oculomotor mechanisms biased toward the upper visual field are activated during complex mental operations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the connection between higher-order cognitive processes and brain mechanisms involved in spatial perception and eye movements.
- To explore if abstract thinking utilizes brain systems for exploring distant environments.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of recent findings on perceptual and oculomotor mechanisms during complex mental tasks.
- Confirmation study involving 24 schoolchildren responding to mental questions and demands, focusing on eye deviations.
Main Results:
- Perceptual and oculomotor mechanisms, particularly those favoring the upper visual field, are activated during semantic processing, mental arithmetic, and memory search.
- A strong correlation was observed between abstract thinking and upward conjugate eye deviations in schoolchildren.
Conclusions:
- Active, abstract thinking in humans appears to have repurposed the brain systems used for saccadic exploration of distant space in primates.
- This suggests a deeper integration of cognitive and perceptual-motor functions than previously understood.