Beyond what was said: Neural computations underlying pragmatic reasoning in referential communication
The ability to infer a speaker's utterance within a particular context for the intended meaning is central to communication. Yet, little is known about the underlying neurocomputational mechanisms of pragmatic inference, let alone relevant differences among individuals. Here, using a reference...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Series: | NeuroImage |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925000229 |
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| author | Shanshan Zhen Mario Martinez-Saito Rongjun Yu |
| author_facet | Shanshan Zhen Mario Martinez-Saito Rongjun Yu |
| author_sort | Shanshan Zhen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The ability to infer a speaker's utterance within a particular context for the intended meaning is central to communication. Yet, little is known about the underlying neurocomputational mechanisms of pragmatic inference, let alone relevant differences among individuals. Here, using a reference game combined with model-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we showed that an individual-level pragmatic inference model was a better predictor of listeners’ performance than a population-level model. Our fMRI results showed that Bayesian posterior probability was positively correlated with activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and ventral striatum and negatively correlated with activity in dorsomedial PFC, anterior insula (AI), and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Importantly, individual differences in higher-order reasoning were correlated with stronger activation in IFG and AI and positively modulated the vmPFC functional connectivity with AI. Our findings provide a preliminary neurocomputational account of how the brain represents Bayesian belief inferences and the neural basis of heterogeneity in such reasoning. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0bd633e39f2049f9b809068f14671d10 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1095-9572 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | NeuroImage |
| spelling | doaj-art-0bd633e39f2049f9b809068f14671d102025-01-23T05:26:25ZengElsevierNeuroImage1095-95722025-02-01306121022Beyond what was said: Neural computations underlying pragmatic reasoning in referential communicationShanshan Zhen0Mario Martinez-Saito1Rongjun Yu2Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Corresponding author: Shanshan Zhen, Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong KongInstitute of Cognitive Neuroscience, HSE University, Moscow, RussiaAcademy of Wellness and Human Development, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, ChinaThe ability to infer a speaker's utterance within a particular context for the intended meaning is central to communication. Yet, little is known about the underlying neurocomputational mechanisms of pragmatic inference, let alone relevant differences among individuals. Here, using a reference game combined with model-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we showed that an individual-level pragmatic inference model was a better predictor of listeners’ performance than a population-level model. Our fMRI results showed that Bayesian posterior probability was positively correlated with activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and ventral striatum and negatively correlated with activity in dorsomedial PFC, anterior insula (AI), and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Importantly, individual differences in higher-order reasoning were correlated with stronger activation in IFG and AI and positively modulated the vmPFC functional connectivity with AI. Our findings provide a preliminary neurocomputational account of how the brain represents Bayesian belief inferences and the neural basis of heterogeneity in such reasoning.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925000229Referential communicationPragmatic reasoningTheory of mindBayesian inferencefMRI |
| spellingShingle | Shanshan Zhen Mario Martinez-Saito Rongjun Yu Beyond what was said: Neural computations underlying pragmatic reasoning in referential communication NeuroImage Referential communication Pragmatic reasoning Theory of mind Bayesian inference fMRI |
| title | Beyond what was said: Neural computations underlying pragmatic reasoning in referential communication |
| title_full | Beyond what was said: Neural computations underlying pragmatic reasoning in referential communication |
| title_fullStr | Beyond what was said: Neural computations underlying pragmatic reasoning in referential communication |
| title_full_unstemmed | Beyond what was said: Neural computations underlying pragmatic reasoning in referential communication |
| title_short | Beyond what was said: Neural computations underlying pragmatic reasoning in referential communication |
| title_sort | beyond what was said neural computations underlying pragmatic reasoning in referential communication |
| topic | Referential communication Pragmatic reasoning Theory of mind Bayesian inference fMRI |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925000229 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT shanshanzhen beyondwhatwassaidneuralcomputationsunderlyingpragmaticreasoninginreferentialcommunication AT mariomartinezsaito beyondwhatwassaidneuralcomputationsunderlyingpragmaticreasoninginreferentialcommunication AT rongjunyu beyondwhatwassaidneuralcomputationsunderlyingpragmaticreasoninginreferentialcommunication |