Cognitive shuffle

Last updated

The cognitive shuffle is a cognitive strategy meant to facilitate initial sleep onset, or subsequent sleep onset after early awakening from sleep. The cognitive shuffle was developed by Luc P. Beaudoin, an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University. [1] [2] [3] [4] It is based on Beaudoin's theory of the human sleep onset control system called the somnolent information processing theory (SIP), according to which mental perturbance is insomnolent, meaning that it can delay sleep onset. [1] [5] [6]

Contents

Research

Serial Diverse Imagining

The cognitive shuffle is a cognitive strategy in which one thinks about a neutral or pleasant target for a short period of time (normally every 5–15 seconds) and then switches to thinking about an unrelated target. [7]  Serial diverse imagining (SDI) is a type of cognitive shuffling in which people switch between imagining various concrete images, such as persons, places, actions, and/or scenes. [7] [8] However, practitioners are instructed not to relate mental images with each other. [7] A variation of SDI involves imagining oneself drawing a target person, place, things, action, and/or scene (analogous to Pictionary ). [1]

Beaudoin views cognitive shuffling as a new form of meditation in that it involves deliberate control of mentation, involving meta-cognition in general and meta-cognitive control in particular. [9]

Beaudoin has also distinguished two forms of SDI, technology-assisted SDI and self-directed SDI. [9] In technology-assisted SDI, participants use software to generate a random sequence of words that they will imagine a configurable number of seconds (usually 5–10 seconds) apart. [9] Sequences of words may be delivered through text-to-speech technology. [9]  In self-directed SDI, participants think of a word between 5-12 letters. Each letter in the word functions as a cue letter. [9] [10] [11] For each letter, participants visualize a target that starts with the letter and an instance involving the target for 5–10 seconds. [9] [10] After exhausting all letters, participants can produce new words and continue the practice until they have fallen asleep. [9] [10]

Pilot data on SDI and the cognitive shuffle was collected using the mobile sleep app SomnoTest. [12]

Somnolent Information Processing Theory

The cognitive shuffle is based on Beaudoin’s somnolent information processing theory. [5] [13] The somnolent information processing theory postulates the existence of a sleep onset control system that evolved to ensure that falling asleep tends to happen when it is evolutionarily opportune (safe, timely) to fall asleep. [14] The theory claims that control of human somnolence posed a significant evolutionary challenge particularly due to the hyper-abundant cerebral cortex of humans. [5] Beaudoin’s theory stipulates that somnolence (propensity for sleep) is deemed to be a function of the sleep onset control system. [5] [14] External cues (such as physical threats) and internal mechanisms (such as alarms or mental perturbance) are deemed to be insomnolent, meaning they tend to delay sleep onset; or pro-somnolent, meaning they tend to promote sleep onset; or asomnolent, meaning they have no particular effect on sleep onset. [5] [7] [14] [15]

Mental perturbance

As noted above, mental perturbance is deemed in somnolent information processing theory to be insomnolent. The concept of mental perturbance (invoked in somnolent information processing theory) was originally expounded by Aaron Sloman, who referred to it as “emotion” in his earlier works. [16] [17] To distinguish this from other concepts of emotion, Beaudoin and Sloman introduced the technical term “perturbance”. Beaudoin refers to Sloman’s concept of emotion as “perturbance.” [18] [5] [1] Mental perturbance is an emergent state of mind in which an insistent motivator tends to control executive functions. [5] [19] Beaudoin claims that mental perturbance is insomnolent and that the cognitive shuffle can interfere with mental perturbance, making it "counter-insomnolent." [5] Counter-insomnolent processes are information processes that interfere with insomnolent processes. [5]

Usage

Mobile apps such as mySleepButton and SomnoTest have been developed for technology-assisted SDI i.e., cognitive shuffling. [20] [21] [22] [23] The apps aid users in practicing SDI by supplying words and images for them to imagine. [24] [25] [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sleep disorder</span> Medical disorder of a persons sleep patterns

A sleep disorder, or somnipathy, is a medical disorder of an individual's sleep patterns. Some sleep disorders are severe enough to interfere with normal physical, mental, social and emotional functioning. Sleep disorders are frequent and can have serious consequences on patients' health and quality of life. Polysomnography and actigraphy are tests commonly ordered for diagnosing sleep disorders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insomnia</span> Disorder causing trouble with sleeping

Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep for as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, irritability, and a depressed mood. It may result in an increased risk of accidents of all kinds as well as problems focusing and learning. Insomnia can be short term, lasting for days or weeks, or long term, lasting more than a month. The concept of the word insomnia has two distinct possibilities: insomnia disorder (ID) or insomnia symptoms, and many abstracts of randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews often underreport on which of these two possibilities the word refers to.

Psychology is an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of human mental functions and behavior. Occasionally, in addition or opposition to employing the scientific method, it also relies on symbolic interpretation and critical analysis, although these traditions have tended to be less pronounced than in other social sciences, such as sociology. Psychologists study phenomena such as perception, cognition, emotion, personality, behavior, and interpersonal relationships. Some, especially depth psychologists, also study the unconscious mind.

In psychology, theory of mind refers to the capacity to understand other people by ascribing mental states to them. A theory of mind includes the understanding that others' beliefs, desires, intentions, emotions, and thoughts may be different from one's own. Possessing a functional theory of mind is crucial for success in everyday human social interactions. People utilize a theory of mind when analyzing, judging, and inferring others' behaviors. The discovery and development of theory of mind primarily came from studies done with animals and infants. Factors including drug and alcohol consumption, language development, cognitive delays, age, and culture can affect a person's capacity to display theory of mind. Having a theory of mind is similar to but not identical with having the capacity for empathy or sympathy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arousal</span> State of being awoken

Arousal is the physiological and psychological state of being awoken or of sense organs stimulated to a point of perception. It involves activation of the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS) in the brain, which mediates wakefulness, the autonomic nervous system, and the endocrine system, leading to increased heart rate and blood pressure and a condition of sensory alertness, desire, mobility, and reactivity.

In the philosophy of mind, neuroscience, and cognitive science, a mental image is an experience that, on most occasions, significantly resembles the experience of "perceiving" some object, event, or scene but occurs when the relevant object, event, or scene is not actually present to the senses. There are sometimes episodes, particularly on falling asleep and waking up, when the mental imagery may be dynamic, phantasmagoric, and involuntary in character, repeatedly presenting identifiable objects or actions, spilling over from waking events, or defying perception, presenting a kaleidoscopic field, in which no distinct object can be discerned. Mental imagery can sometimes produce the same effects as would be produced by the behavior or experience imagined.

Hypnagogia is the transitional state from wakefulness to sleep, also defined as the waning state of consciousness during the onset of sleep. Its opposite state is described as hypnopompia – the transitional state from sleep into wakefulness. Mental phenomena that may occur during this "threshold consciousness" phase include hypnagogic hallucinations, lucid dreaming, and sleep paralysis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Affect (psychology)</span> Experience of feeling or emotion

Affect, in psychology, is the underlying experience of feeling, emotion, attachment, or mood. It encompasses a wide range of emotional states and can be positive or negative. Affect is a fundamental aspect of human experience and plays a central role in many psychological theories and studies. It can be understood as a combination of three components: emotion, mood, and affectivity. In psychology, the term affect is often used interchangeably with several related terms and concepts, though each term may have slightly different nuances. These terms encompass: emotion, feeling, mood, emotional state, sentiment, affective state, emotional response, affective reactivity, disposition. Researchers and psychologists may employ specific terms based on their focus and the context of their work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worry</span> Thoughts, images, emotions, and actions of a pessimistic nature

Worrying is the mental distress or agitation resulting from anxiety, usually coming from a place of anticipatory fear (terror) or fear coming from a present threat (horror). With more understanding of the situation, worry becomes concern, the recognition of a future outcome that could be troubling, without necessarily having fear in that outcome.

Linda Stone, a tech writer and consultant, coined the term continuous partial attention in 1998 to describe a modern adaptive behavior of continuously dividing one's attention. Stone has clarified that continuous partial attention is not the same as multitasking. Where multitasking is driven by a conscious desire to be productive and efficient, CPA is an automatic process motivated only by "a desire to be a live node on the network" or by the willingness to connect and stay connected, scanning and optimizing opportunities, activities and contacts in an effort to not miss anything that is going on.

Thought suppression is a psychoanalytical defense mechanism. It is a type of motivated forgetting in which an individual consciously attempts to stop thinking about a particular thought. It is often associated with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is when a person will repeatedly attempt to prevent or "neutralize" intrusive distressing thoughts centered on one or more obsessions. It is also thought to be a cause of memory inhibition, as shown by research using the think/no think paradigm. Thought suppression is relevant to both mental and behavioral levels, possibly leading to ironic effects that are contrary to intention. Ironic process theory is one cognitive model that can explain the paradoxical effect.

Cognitive impairment is an inclusive term to describe any characteristic that acts as a barrier to the cognition process or different areas of cognition. Cognition, also known as cognitive function, refers to the mental processes of how a person gains knowledge, uses existing knowledge, and understands things that are happening around them using their thoughts and senses. Cognitive impairment can be in different domains or aspects of a person's cognitive function including memory, attention span, planning, reasoning, decision-making, language, executive functioning, and visuospatial functioning. The term cognitive impairment covers many different diseases and conditions and may also be symptom or manifestation of a different underlying condition. Examples include impairments in overall intelligence, specific and restricted impairments in cognitive abilities, neuropsychological impairments, or it may describe drug-induced impairment in cognition and memory. Cognitive impairments may be short-term, progressive, or permanent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Divergent thinking</span> A process of generating creative ideas

Divergent thinking is a thought process used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions. It typically occurs in a spontaneous, free-flowing, "non-linear" manner, such that many ideas are generated in an emergent cognitive fashion. Many possible solutions are explored in a short amount of time, and unexpected connections are drawn. Divergent thinking is often contrasted with convergent thinking. Convergent thinking is the opposite of divergent thinking as it organizes and structures ideas and information, which follows a particular set of logical steps to arrive at one solution, which in some cases is a "correct" solution.

Ironic process theory (IPT), also known as the Pink elephant paradox suggests that when an individual intentionally tries to avoid thinking a certain thought or feeling a certain emotion, a paradoxical effect is produced: the attempted avoidance not only fails in its object but in fact causes the thought or emotion to occur more frequently and more intensely. IPT is also known as "ironic rebound," or "the white bear problem."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sleep and creativity</span>

The majority of studies on sleep creativity have shown that sleep can facilitate insightful behavior and flexible reasoning, and there are several hypotheses about the creative function of dreams. On the other hand, a few recent studies have supported a theory of creative insomnia, in which creativity is significantly correlated with sleep disturbance.

The self-regulation of emotion or emotion regulation is the ability to respond to the ongoing demands of experience with the range of emotions in a manner that is socially tolerable and sufficiently flexible to permit spontaneous reactions as well as the ability to delay spontaneous reactions as needed. It can also be defined as extrinsic and intrinsic processes responsible for monitoring, evaluating, and modifying emotional reactions. The self-regulation of emotion belongs to the broader set of emotion regulation processes, which includes both the regulation of one's own feelings and the regulation of other people's feelings.

Scholarly interest in the process and functions of dreaming has been present since Sigmund Freud's interpretations in the 1900s. The neurology of dreaming has remained misunderstood until recent distinctions, however. The information available via modern techniques of brain imaging has provided new bases for the study of the dreaming brain. The bounds that such technology has afforded has created an understanding of dreaming that seems ever-changing; even now questions still remain as to the function and content of dreams.

The activation-synthesis hypothesis, proposed by Harvard University psychiatrists John Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley, is a neurobiological theory of dreams first published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in December 1977. The differences in neuronal activity of the brainstem during waking and REM sleep were observed, and the hypothesis proposes that dreams result from brain activation during REM sleep. Since then, the hypothesis has undergone an evolution as technology and experimental equipment has become more precise. Currently, a three-dimensional model called AIM Model, described below, is used to determine the different states of the brain over the course of the day and night. The AIM Model introduces a new hypothesis that primary consciousness is an important building block on which secondary consciousness is constructed.

PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a psychiatric disorder characterised by intrusive thoughts and memories, dreams or flashbacks of the event; avoidance of people, places and activities that remind the individual of the event; ongoing negative beliefs about oneself or the world, mood changes and persistent feelings of anger, guilt or fear; alterations in arousal such as increased irritability, angry outbursts, being hypervigilant, or having difficulty with concentration and sleep.

Social cognitive neuroscience is the scientific study of the biological processes underpinning social cognition. Specifically, it uses the tools of neuroscience to study "the mental mechanisms that create, frame, regulate, and respond to our experience of the social world". Social cognitive neuroscience uses the epistemological foundations of cognitive neuroscience, and is closely related to social neuroscience. Social cognitive neuroscience employs human neuroimaging, typically using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Human brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct-current stimulation are also used. In nonhuman animals, direct electrophysiological recordings and electrical stimulation of single cells and neuronal populations are utilized for investigating lower-level social cognitive processes.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Wright, Ian; Sloman, Aaron; Beaudoin, Luc P. (1996). "Towards a Design-Based Analysis of Emotional Episodes". Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology. 3 (2): 101–126. doi:10.1353/ppp.1996.0022. ISSN   1086-3303.
  2. ↑ Burkeman, Oliver (2016-07-15). "Shuffle your thoughts and sleep". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  3. ↑ "The Trick That Helps You Fall Asleep". Oprah.com. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  4. ↑ "Sleep app shuffles your thoughts". British Columbia. 2014-05-10. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Beaudoin, Luc; Pudło, Monika; Hyniewska, Sylwia (2020-08-21). "Mental Perturbance: An Integrative Design-Oriented Concept for Understanding Repetitive Thought, Emotions and Related Phenomena Involving a Loss of Control of Executive Functions". SFU Educational Review. 13 (1): 29–58. doi: 10.21810/sfuer.v13i1.1282 . ISSN   1916-050X.
  6. ↑ Beaudoin, L.; Lemyre, A.; Pudlo, M.; Bastien, C. (2019-12-01). "Towards an integrative design-oriented theory of sleep-onset and insomnolence from which a new cognitive treatment for insomnolence (serial diverse kinesthetic imagining, a form of cognitive shuffling) is proposed for experimentally testing this against alternatives". Sleep Medicine. Abstracts from the 15th World Sleep Congress, September 20–25, 2019 World Sleep 2019 in Vancouver, Canada. 64: S29. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2019.11.081. ISSN   1389-9457.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "A design-based approach to sleep-onset and insomnia: Super-somnolent mentation, the cognitive shuffle and serial diverse imagining" (PDF).
  8. ↑ "Serial Diverse Imagining Task: A New Remedy for Bedtime Complaints of Worrying and Other Sleep-Disruptive Mental Activity".
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The possibility of super-somnolent mentation: A new information-processing approach to sleep-onset acceleration and insomnia exemplified by serial diverse imagining". researchgate.net. March 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 "Cognitive Shuffle: The Simple Sleep Technique To Help You Fall Asleep Faster". British Vogue. 2021-08-03. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  11. ↑ Brown, Kara Jillian (2023-02-06). "'I'm a Sleep Expert, and This Is the #1 Mistake People Make When Trying To Get Better Sleep'". Well+Good. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  12. ↑ Selham, Zineb; Guloy, Sheryl; Bastien, Célyne; Beaudoin, Luc P.; Carrier, Julie (2019-06-12). ""Research process and sleep app design lessons learned from the reflective examination of a sleep study"".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. ↑ "Towards an integrative design-oriented theory of sleep-onset and insomnolence from which a new cognitive treatment for insomnolence (serial diverse kinesthetic imagining, a form of cognitive shuffling) is proposed for experimentally testing this against alternatives".
  14. 1 2 3 Beaudoin, Luc P.; Hyniewska, Sylwia (2010-01-10). "Towards an affective information-processing theory of sleep onset and insomnia".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  15. ↑ Lemyre, Alexandre; Belzile, Florence; Landry, Madeleine; Bastien, Célyne H.; Beaudoin, Luc P. (2020-04-01). "Pre-sleep cognitive activity in adults: A systematic review". Sleep Medicine Reviews. 50: 101253. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2019.101253. ISSN   1087-0792. PMID   31918338.
  16. ↑ "YOU DON'T NEED A SOFT SKIN TO HAVE A WARM HEART Towards a computational analysis of motives and emotions".
  17. ↑ "WHY ROBOTS WILL HAVE EMOTIONS" (PDF).
  18. ↑ "A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science of the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY" (PDF).
  19. ↑ "A Study of Motive Processing and Attention" (PDF).
  20. ↑ "A cognitive scientist has devised a drug-free sleep trick for your restless mind". Quartz. 2017-05-07. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  21. ↑ Eaton, Kit (2016-07-06). "A Snooze-Worthy App Collection to Add to the Smartphone". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  22. ↑ Hammings, Nicholas; Stewart, Jayme (2017-05-15). "Behavioural Interventions for Sleep: Who Prefers what?". Student Research Proceedings. 2 (2).
  23. ↑ Burkeman, Oliver (2016-07-15). "Shuffle your thoughts and sleep". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  24. ↑ "MySleepButton Lulls You to Sleep Using Cognitive Science". Lifehacker. 2016-03-19. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  25. ↑ "SFU researchers launch a new sleep app | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  26. ↑ "B.C. professor's sleep trick gets attention from Oprah, Forbes, Guardian".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.