Transitive Inference: Distinct Contributions of Rostrolateral Prefrontal Cortex and the Hippocampus

■ The capacity to reason about complex information is a central characteristic of human cognition. An important component of many reasoning tasks is the need to integrate multiple mental relations. Several researchers have argued that rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (RLPFC) plays a key role in relational integration. If this hypothesis is correct, then RLPFC should play a key role in transitive inference, which requires the integration of multiple relations to reach a conclusion. Thus far, however, neuroscientific research on transitive inference has focused primarily on the hippocampus. In this fMRI study, we sought to compare the roles of RLPFC and the hippocampus on a novel transitive inference paradigm. Four relations between colored balls were presented on the screen together with a target relation. Participants were asked to decide whether the target relation was correct, given the other indicated relations between balls. RLPFC, but not the hippocampus, exhibited stronger acti...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2010
• Where: JOCN
• Authors: Carter Wendelken, Silvia A. Bunge
• Keywords: Hippocampus, JOCN 2010, Relational Integration, Transitive Inference