Brain electrical traits of logical validity

Abstract

Neuroscience has studied deductive reasoning over the last 20 years under the assumption that deductive inferences are not only de jure but also de facto distinct from other forms of inference. The objective of this research is to verify if logically valid deductions leave any cerebral electrical trait that is distinct from the trait left by non-valid deductions. 23 subjects with an average age of 20.35 years were registered with MEG and placed into a two conditions paradigm (100 trials for each condition) which each presented the exact same relational complexity (same variables and content) but had distinct logical complexity. Both conditions show the same electromagnetic components (P3, N4) in the early temporal window (250–525 ms) and P6 in the late temporal window (500–775 ms). The significant activity in both valid and invalid conditions is found in sensors from medial prefrontal regions, probably corresponding to the ACC or to the medial prefrontal cortex. The amplitude and intensity of valid deductions is significantly lower in both temporal windows (p = 0.0003). The reaction time was 54.37% slower in the valid condition. Validity leaves a minimal but measurable hypoactive electrical trait in brain processing. The minor electrical demand is attributable to the recursive and automatable character of valid deductions, suggesting a physical indicator of computational deductive properties. It is hypothesized that all valid deductions are recursive and hypoactive.

Electrical Analysis of Logical Proof: an Exploratory Eeg Study of Logically Valid/invalid Inference

“…Visual inferences in both experimental conditions are processed fundamentally in the left hemisphere, as some other cerebral studies on deduction have shown (J. Prado, 2018;Reverberi et al, 2012;Salto et al, 2021). In this study, there is no electrical evidence of deductive core areas in the valid condition, but beta-2 oscillations coincide with opercular and triangular activity described by deductive meta-studies (Li Wang et al, 2020).…”

“…Signi cantly, left frontal and parietal regions do not show statistically signi cant differences between the two conditions (See Figure S4 in Supplementary Material). Previous studies have associated increased beta-2 activity and connectivity with logically valid inferences (Salto et al, 2021) also in opercular and triangular areas. There are no differences in theta band activity between conditions, suggesting their similar visuo-semantical processing.…”

Electrical analysis of logical complexity: an exploratory eeg study of logically valid/invalid deducive inference

“…Beta oscillations accompanying positive (negation free) logical operators (conjunction, disjunction, material conditional) have been reported in the literature in semantical [ 84 ] and visuo-semantical contexts (Álvarez-Merino, 2019). Two other experiments with the same SET paradigm applied in MEG studies on amplitude [ 83 ] and connectivity (to appear) found similar beta-2 activations at the early stages of the deductive inferential process. The second time region of differences in beta-2 (see Figs.…”

“…The spatial limitations of EEG measures notwithstanding, there are important facts about the spatial distribution of beta-2 in the left central and left temporal regions since its presence throws some light on the cortical relationships between language and valid deductive inference. Visual inferences in both experimental conditions are processed fundamentally in the left hemisphere, as some other cerebral studies on deduction have shown [ 24 , 33 , 83 ]. In this study, there is no electrical evidence of deductive core areas in the valid condition, but beta-2 oscillations coincide with opercular and triangular activity described by deductive meta-studies [ 19 ].…”

“…Even if a comprehensive theoretical explanation of the role of beta-2 in deductive reasoning is still lacking [ 78 , 79 ], neurocomputational research has shown its role in the maintenance of repeatable or abstract properties in the same information (Bernhard [ 80 , 81 ]. Limanowski and Friston found sensory/cognitive differential interaction effects in beta also related to rule-following instructions [ 82 ] and recent MEG [ 83 ] and EEG (Álvarez-Merino, 2019) research associate beta-2 band activity with logical reasoning in the early premise integration phase (300–350 ms) and again later in the re-processing phase (600–650 ms). Two salient features in the temporal and spatial distribution of beta waves are the following: The first beta-2 differences are temporally located just after the premise integration phase (see Figs.…”