fMRI Evidence for a Three-Stage Model of Deductive Reasoning

Deductive reasoning is fundamental to science, human culture, and the solution of problems in daily life. It starts with premises and yields a logically necessary conclusion that is not explicit in the premises. Here we investigated the neurocognitive processes underlying logical thinking with event...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of cognitive neuroscience 2006-03, Vol.18 (3), p.320-334
Main Authors: Fangmeier, Thomas, Knauff, Markus, Ruff, Christian C., Sloutsky, Vladimir
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Brain Mapping
Cognition & reasoning
Cognition - physiology
Cognition. Intelligence
Functional Laterality
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Intellectual and cognitive abilities
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods
Male
Models, Psychological
Neurosciences
NMR
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Reasoning. Problem solving
Reference Values
Thinking - physiology
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Summary:Deductive reasoning is fundamental to science, human culture, and the solution of problems in daily life. It starts with premises and yields a logically necessary conclusion that is not explicit in the premises. Here we investigated the neurocognitive processes underlying logical thinking with event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging. We specifically focused on three temporally separable phases: (1) the premise processing phase, (2) the premise integration phase, and (3) the validation phase in which reasoners decide whether a conclusion logically follows from the premises. We found distinct patterns of cortical activity during these phases, with initial temporo-occipital activation shifting to the prefrontal cortex and then to the parietal cortex during the reasoning process. Activity in these latter regions was specific to reasoning, as it was significantly decreased during matched working memory problems with identical premises and equal working memory load.
ISSN:0898-929X
1530-8898
DOI:10.1162/jocn.2006.18.3.320