Neural mechanisms of analogical reasoning

• Applicant: Stephanie Theves, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 540870961

Analogical reasoning, the ability to understand abstract relational similarities between two situations, is a hallmark of human intelligence unparalleled by other species or current artificial intelligence. How the human brain enables analogical thinking is thus a key question in cognitive neuroscience. Previous neuroimaging studies localized the brain regions involved in analogical reasoning tasks, but the neural coding mechanism underlying this ability remain largely unknown. In this project I will examine the neural geometry of a semantic analogical reasoning task using multivariate pattern analyses of fMRI data, to probe predictions derived from cognitive theories about the underlying mechanisms on a neural level. This project could contribute to a novel mechanistic neuro-cognitive understanding of human reasoning ability.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants