Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

The Influence of Affect on Cognition

The Influence of Affect on Cognition

Positive affect significantly influences cognitive processes, including evaluation, memory, creativity, and social judgments. Compared to negative affect, positive emotional states promote more favorable interpretations of stimuli, cognitive flexibility, and heuristic processing. These effects highlight emotions' powerful role in shaping how individuals perceive, remember, and interact with the world.Influence on Evaluation and AttributionWhen individuals experience positive affect, they are...

Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive psychology is the field of psychology dedicated to examining how people think. It attempts to explain how and why we think the way we do by studying the interactions among human thinking, emotion, creativity, language, and problem-solving, as well as other cognitive processes. Cognitive psychology studies how information is processed and manipulated in remembering, thinking, and knowing.
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...

Cognitive Learning

Cognitive Learning

Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...

Parallel Processing

Parallel Processing

The brain processes sensory information rapidly due to parallel processing, which involves sending data across multiple neural pathways at the same time. This method allows the brain to manage various sensory qualities, such as shapes, colors, movements, and locations, all concurrently. For instance, when observing a forest landscape, the brain simultaneously processes the movement of leaves, the shapes of trees, the depth between them, and the various shades of green. This enables a quick and...

Cognitivism

Cognitivism

Cognitive psychology emerged as a significant field in the mid-20th century. It focused on understanding humans' internal mental processes. This approach emphasizes how people perceive, remember, think, and solve problems—elements critical to human cognition.
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process...

Cognitive Enhancers: Cholinesterase Inhibitors and NMDA Receptor Antagonists

Cognitive Enhancers: Cholinesterase Inhibitors and NMDA Receptor Antagonists

Cognitive enhancers, also known as "smart drugs," are substances used to enhance memory, mental alertness, and concentration. These can be natural or synthetic and improve cognition in conditions like Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. Some common examples include caffeine, amphetamines, methylphenidate, modafinil, arecoline, donepezil, vortioxetine, and piracetam. These enhancers work on the principle of synaptic plasticity and altered circuit function.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Functional brain organization is stable within individuals across years.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Efficient Deep Learning Models for Predicting Individualized Task Activation From Resting-State Functional Connectivity.

Human brain mapping·2026

Same author

Refining RDoC Using Individual-Level Task fMRI Factor Models Reveals Reproducible and Clinically Relevant Brain-Wide Motifs.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Building an open ecosystem for molecular neuroimaging: standards and tools from the OpenNeuroPET initiative.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Quality assessment and control of unprocessed anatomical, functional and diffusion MRI of the human brain using MRIQC.

Nature protocols·2026

Same author

Investigating the analytical robustness of the social and behavioural sciences.

Nature·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 14, 2026

Utilizing Electroencephalography Measurements for Comparison of Task-Specific Neural Efficiencies: Spatial Intelligence Tasks

Utilizing Electroencephalography Measurements for Comparison of Task-Specific Neural Efficiencies: Spatial Intelligence Tasks

Published on: August 9, 2016

Is "efficiency" a useful concept in cognitive neuroscience?

Russell A Poldrack¹

¹University of Texas, Imaging Research Center, 100 East 24th Street, R9975, Austin, TX 78712, United States.

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

|July 2, 2014

Summary

The concept of neural "efficiency" in cognitive neuroscience is often misused, merely restating activation differences instead of explaining them. Future research should focus on neural coding, energetics, and network structure for better understanding neuroimaging signals.

Keywords:

Metabolism Networks Neural Energetics Neuroimaging Response Time fMRI

More Related Videos

Transferring Cognitive Tasks Between Brain Imaging Modalities: Implications for Task Design and Results Interpretation in fMRI Studies

Transferring Cognitive Tasks Between Brain Imaging Modalities: Implications for Task Design and Results Interpretation in fMRI Studies

Published on: September 22, 2014

A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance

A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance

Published on: May 7, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 14, 2026

Utilizing Electroencephalography Measurements for Comparison of Task-Specific Neural Efficiencies: Spatial Intelligence Tasks

Utilizing Electroencephalography Measurements for Comparison of Task-Specific Neural Efficiencies: Spatial Intelligence Tasks

Published on: August 9, 2016

Transferring Cognitive Tasks Between Brain Imaging Modalities: Implications for Task Design and Results Interpretation in fMRI Studies

Transferring Cognitive Tasks Between Brain Imaging Modalities: Implications for Task Design and Results Interpretation in fMRI Studies

Published on: September 22, 2014

A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance

A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance

Published on: May 7, 2014

Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Neuroimaging

Background:

The term "efficiency" is frequently used in cognitive neuroscience to interpret differential brain activation.
This common usage often lacks explanatory power, merely rephrasing observed activation differences.

Purpose of the Study:

To critique the vacuous application of "efficiency" in explaining neuroimaging findings.
To propose alternative frameworks for understanding differential activation in the brain.

Main Methods:

Conceptual analysis of the term "efficiency" in cognitive neuroscience literature.
Examination of alternative explanatory factors for differential activation, including task performance, neuronal computation, energetics, and network organization.

Main Results:

The current application of "efficiency" in neuroimaging is deemed conceptually empty and lacks explanatory value.
Differential activation is better understood through factors like task demands, computational processes, energy use, and network connectivity.

Conclusions:

Re-evaluating the use of "efficiency" is crucial for advancing cognitive neuroscience.
Investigating neural coding, neuroenergetics, and network structure offers a more fruitful path for understanding developmental and group differences in neuroimaging signals.