The units of thought.
That associative processing provides the vehicle of thought is a long-standing idea. We describe here observations from cognitive neuroimaging that elucidate the neural processing that mediates this element. This account further allows a more specific ascription of a cognitive function to the brain's "default" activity in mindwandering. We extend this account to argue that one primary outcome of associative processing is the generation of predictions, which approximate the immediately relevant future and thus facilitate perception, action, and the progression of thought.
Bar
Moshe
M
Martinos Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts 02129, USA. bar@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
Aminoff
Elissa
E
Mason
Malia
M
Fenske
Mark
M
D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D013850:Thinking / Q000502:physiology*