A system for relational reasoning in human prefrontal cortex
Abstract
The integration of multiple relations between mental representations is critical for higher level cognition. For both deductive- and inductive-reasoning tasks, patients with prefrontal damage exhibited a selective and catastrophic deficit in the integration of relations, whereas patients with anterior temporal lobe damage, matched for overall IQ but with intact prefrontal cortex, exhibited normal relational integration. In contrast, prefrontal patients performed more accurately than temporal patients on tests of both episodic memory and semantic knowledge. These double dissociations suggest that integration of relations is a specific source of cognitive complexity for which intact prefrontal cortex is essential. The integration of relations may be the fundamental common factor linking the diverse abilities that depend on prefrontal function, such as planning, problem solving, and fluid intelligence.
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Complex RFT tasks generate pre-frontal activation.
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From Acceptance and commitment therapy: model, processes and outcomes (2006) · cites this paper as Waltz et al., 1999
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- Authors
- Waltz, J. A., Knowlton, B. J., Holyoak, K. J., Boone, K. B., Mishkin, F. S., de Menezes Santos, M., Thomas, C. R., & Miller, B. L.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- University of California, Los Angeles
- Venue
- Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 1999-03
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 119-125
- ISSN
- 0956-7976 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-9280
- OpenAlex
- W2154446803
- Cited by
- 472
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 25
- FWCI
- 5.17
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Historical and Modern Theater Studies
- Keywords
- relational reasoning, prefrontal cortex, anterior temporal lobe, double dissociation, deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, episodic memory, semantic knowledge, fluid intelligence, planning, problem solving
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