Visual similarity information peaks in primary visual cortex for both groups with a gradient opposite to mechanical category information, showing mechanical categories are not explained by visual features¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2020 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Significant peak visual similarity informational networks for both groups occurred in primary visual cortex, with the ventral-stream visual gradient running opposite to the mechanical category gradient. → Joshua S. Cetron 2020 q3 i? The control analysis affirms that mechanical category representations cannot be accounted for by a model of item-level visual similarity alone. → Joshua S. Cetron 2020 (2)

Evidence¶

Joshua S. Cetron 2020¶

Joshua S. Cetron, Andrew C. Connolly, Solomon G. Diamond, Vicki V. May, James V. Haxby and David J. M. Kraemer. (2020). Using the force: STEM knowledge and experience construct shared neural representations of engineering concepts. npj Science of Learning. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-020-0065-x

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Control analysis using an HMAX forward-encoding model of primary visual cortex, run over the same informational networks as the mechanical analysis at fMRI run 1. Peaks in V1 were significant for engineering students, t(15) = 8.92, p < 0.001, and novices, t(14) = 6.48, p < 0.001.

"Significant peak informational networks from the visual similarity analysis in both engineering students ( t(15) = 8.92, p < 0.001) and novices ( t(14) = 6.48, p < 0.001) occurred in primary visual cortex (V1), and were localized to regions where both groups exhibited"

Joshua S. Cetron 2020 (2)¶

Joshua S. Cetron, Andrew C. Connolly, Solomon G. Diamond, Vicki V. May, James V. Haxby and David J. M. Kraemer. (2020). Using the force: STEM knowledge and experience construct shared neural representations of engineering concepts. npj Science of Learning. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-020-0065-x

q3 · i? · associational · r2

In the same control analysis, the article concludes that "the mechanical category representations cannot be accounted for by a model of item-level visual similarity alone," given the opposite anterior-to-posterior versus posterior-to-anterior ventral-stream gradients.

"Thus, the visual similarity analysis af firms that the mechanical category representations cannot be accounted for by a model of item-level visual similarity alone."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Engineering students and novices show distinct, group-specific patterns of convergent neural representations when evaluating real-world structures — related
• Mechanical category knowledge learned in school is implicitly represented in engineering students' bilateral anterior ventral occipitotemporal cortex, but not significantly in novices — related
• By the final fMRI run, group differences in convergent neural representations shrink and are no longer strongly reflective of mechanical category information, consistent with task-specific rather than conceptual learning — related