fMRI Evidence for a Three-Stage Model of Deductive Reasoning

In an event-related fMRI study, we investigated the neurocognitive processes underlying deductive reasoning. We specifically focused on three temporally separable phases: (1) the premise processing phase, (2) the integration phase, and (3) the validation phase. We found distinct patterns of cortical activity during these phases, with initial temporo-occipital activation shifting to prefrontal and then parietal cortex during the reasoning process. Our findings demonstrate that human reasoning proceeds in separable phases, which are associated with distinct neuro-cognitive processes.

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2006
• Where: JOCN
• Authors: Thomas Fangmeier, Markus Knauff, Christian C. Ruff, Vladimir Sloutsky
• Keywords: Event-related FMRI Study, JOCN 2006, Reasoning, Separable Phases