1. Learning by analogy: cerebral bases
Dr Emmanuelle Volle – Dr Sam Gilbert – Pr Paul Burgess
UCL - Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience
Pr Marty Sereno – BUCNI
Pr Bruno Dubois – INSERM U610

2. NEW KNOWN Periods of the task knowing effect Source Target Source
Objective: Neural correlates of different analogy processes by separating source and target periods in new and known trials
Periods of the task
knowing effect
NEW
KNOWN
Source
Target
… General concept
Mapping
Source
General concept…
apply
Target

3. NEW KNOWN Source Target Source Target Instruction Source set alone
Time of a trial
Instruction
3 sec
Source set alone
Random sec
Source & Target sets
Self paced- max 8,5 sec
Example of a trial displayed on a screen
Scale of a trial
Fbck 0.5s
ITI 0.7s
Scale of a whole session: knowing effect
NEW
Source
Target
… General concept
Mapping
Source
General concept…
apply
Target
KNOWN

4. NEW KNOWN Instruction Source set alone Source & Target sets BLOCK1
Time of a trial
Instruction
3 sec
Source set alone
Random sec
Source & Target sets
Self paced- max 8,5 sec
Scale of a trial
Fbck 0.5s
ITI 0.7s
Scale of a whole session: knowing effect
A BLOCK = 42 trials: 14 Cross+14 Intra+14 Match
Random: C-I-C-M-I-C-M-I-C-I-M-M-C-M-I-I-…
NEW
14 IntraA
14 CrossA
14 Match
BLOCK1
Source / Target
BLOCK2
Analogy /
Control
BLOCK3
New /
Known
14 IntraA
14 CrossA
14 Match
BLOCK4
KNOWN
X 16 whole brains of
Healthy Subjects
Mean total duration < 40 min
14 trials X 3 tasks X 4 blocks

6. Pilot study (n = 12) Performances Reaction time Self confidence
Analogy
Match NS

7. Protocol logic? Testing group Control group 2 3
Instruction and training 1
Performance of ANALOGIES
Learning evaluation
28 patterns
logic?
14 intra
14 cross +
14 cont
Control group
Instruction and training 1 7

8. Design Same 7 concepts 14 intra 14 cross + 14 cont BLOCK1 BLOCK2
Abstract concepts
-Symmetry around the middle
-Linear increase/progression
-Mirror image
-Sum/combination
-Proportion/multiplication
-First is different from others
-Subtraction
For each concept per bloc:
-2 analogies “intradomain”
-2 “cross domain” with at least one new dimension
Counterbalanced blocs between subjects

9. Concept learning evaluation
Testing group
23,25/28
N = 12
Learning evaluation
28 patterns
Ttest
P < 0,0003
logic?
Control group
15,17/28
N = 12 9

10. fMRI sequence TR 2500 ms TE 40 ms Voxel 3.5X3.5X3.5
33 interleaved slices