Psychology Colloqium Talk: Interplay Between Predictive Processes and Prefrontal Cortex Functions: From Developmental Studies to Local Sleep - Professor Dezső Németh of University of Lyon
Team Leader at the Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), INSERM, France and Gran Canaria Cognitive Research Center, Las Palmas, Spain
Abstract
Human learning and predictive processing rely on multiple cognitive systems associated with distinct brain structures. These systems do not always cooperate; they sometimes compete to optimize performance. Research suggests that reducing the engagement of prefrontal cortex-mediated explicit and attentional processes can enhance non-declarative learning.
In this talk, I will present findings from four studies—on non-invasive brain stimulation, functional brain connectivity, lifespan development, local sleep, and mind-wandering—exploring the competitive interaction between perceptual statistical learning and prefrontal executive functions.
Our results highlight the competitive nature of cognitive systems and their implications for improving learning and predictive processing.
Comments from Students
“An easily digestible talk, covering multiple levels of psychological research. I was fascinated by the role of a more developed prefrontal cortex actually impairing implicit learning from its reliance on previous experiences. It helped explain why children can learn from scratch indiscriminately when young, despite appearing contradictory. This has many implications for the differences in teaching between children and adults. The possible enhanced ability to learn implicitly in autistic populations also provides an additional way this area research could be used to help aid successful learning. Another detail that intrigued me was the advent of technology such as anticipatory eye tracking that assist the research to be more accurate. It feels like it captures the unconscious nature of implicit learning more effectively. Overall, a very interesting look into this area, I will definitely be reading further!”
- Esme
“Professor Nemeth’s talk was fantastic—clear, engaging, and highly accessible. He presented implicit learning in a way that was easy to follow, even for those with limited prior knowledge of the subject area. I particularly appreciated how he structured his presentation across distinct levels of analysis, incorporating both developmental and functional perspectives. He explained how predictive processes interact with prefrontal cortex functions, for example mentioning how we can surpass our natural prefrontal function through hypnosis, in attempts to improve our implicit memory ability. The talk’s organisation and the clarity made the content approachable while still retaining strong academic depth.”
- Emily
