scholarly journals Individual Differences in Uncertainty Tolerance Are not Associated With Cognitive Control Functions in the Flanker Task

2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 245-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Alexander Schroeder ◽  
David Dignath ◽  
Markus Janczyk
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Bayesian Analyses ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Control Functions ◽  
Need For Cognitive Closure ◽  
Sequence Effects ◽  
Conflicting Stimulus ◽  
Goal Directed Behavior

Abstract. Cognitive control refers to the ability to make correct decisions concurrent to distracting information, and to adapt to conflicting stimulus configurations, eventually promoting goal-directed behavior. Previous research has linked individual differences in cognitive control to psychopathological conditions such as anxiety. However, a link with uncertainty tolerance (UT) has not been tested so far, although both constructs describe cognitive and behavioral performance in ambiguous situations, thus they share some similarities. We probed cognitive control in web-based experimentation (jsPsych) with a simple flanker task (N = 111) and a version without confounds in episodic memory (N = 116). Both experiments revealed two well-established behavioral indices: congruency effects (CEs) and congruency-sequence effects (CSEs). Only small-to-zero correlations emerged between CEs, UT, and need for cognitive closure (NCC), a personality trait inversely related to UT. A subtle correlation (r = .18) was noted in Experiment 2 between NCC and CSE. Throughout, Bayesian analyses provided anecdotal-to-moderate evidence for the null-hypotheses.

scholarly journals Uncertainty Tolerance & Cognitive Control

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp A. Schroeder ◽  
David Dignath ◽  
Markus Janczyk
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Behavioral Performance ◽  
Bayesian Analyses ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Cognitive Closure ◽  
Need For Cognitive Closure ◽  
Sequence Effects ◽  
Conflicting Stimulus ◽  
Goal Directed Behavior

Cognitive control refers to the ability to make correct decisions concurrent to distracting information, and to adapt to conflicting stimulus configurations, eventually promoting goal-directed behavior. Previous research has linked individual differences in cognitive control to psychopathological conditions such as anxiety. However, a link with uncertainty tolerance (UT) has not been tested so far, although both constructs describe cognitive and behavioral performance in ambiguous situations, thus they share some similarities. We probed cognitive control in web-based experimentation (jsPsych) with a simple flanker task (N = 111) and a version without confounds in episodic memory (N = 116). Both experiments revealed two well-established behavioral indices: congruency effects (CEs) and congruency-sequence effects (CSEs). Only small-to-zero correlations emerged between CEs, UT, and need for cognitive closure (NCC), a personality trait inversely related to UT. A subtle correlation (r = .18) was noted in Experiment 2 between NCC and CSE. Throughout, Bayesian analyses provided anecdotal-to-moderate evidence for the null-hypotheses.

scholarly journals Registered Replication Report of Weissman, D. H., Jiang, J., & Egner, T. (2014). Determinants of congruency sequence effects without learning and memory confounds

2020 ◽  
Vol 82 (8) ◽  
pp. 3777-3787
Author(s):  
Mate Gyurkovics ◽  
Marton Kovacs ◽  
Matt Jaquiery ◽  
Bence Palfi ◽  
Filip Dechterenko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Learning And Memory ◽  
Cognitive Conflict ◽  
Online Data ◽  
Bayesian Analyses ◽  
Sequence Effects ◽  
Control Research ◽  
Irrelevant Distractors ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Task Irrelevant

Abstract The congruency sequence effect (CSE) refers to the finding that the effect of cognitive conflict is smaller following conflicting, incongruent trials than after non-conflicting, congruent trials in conflict tasks, such as the Stroop, Simon, and flanker tasks. This is typically interpreted as an upregulation of cognitive control in response to conflict. Weissman, Jiang, & Egner (2014) investigated whether the CSE appears in these three tasks and a further variant where task-irrelevant distractors precede the target (prime-probe task), in the absence of learning and memory confounds in samples collected online. They found significant CSEs only in the prime-probe and Simon tasks, suggesting that the effect is more robust in tasks where the distractor can be translated into a response faster than the target. In this Registered Replication Report we collected data online from samples approx. 2.5 times larger than in the original study for each of the four tasks to investigate whether the task-related differences in the magnitude of the CSE are replicable (Nmin = 115, Nmax = 130). Our findings extend but do not contradict the original results: Bayesian analyses suggested that the CSE was present in all four tasks in RT but only in the Simon task in accuracy. The size of the effect did not differ between tasks, and the size of the congruency effect was not correlated with the size of the CSE across participants. These findings suggest it might be premature to conclude that the difference in the speed of distractor- vs target-related response activation is a determinant of the size of cross-trial modulations of control. The practical implications of our results for online data collection in cognitive control research are also discussed.

scholarly journals Adolescent Cognitive Control, Theta Oscillations, and Social Motivation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
George A. Buzzell ◽  
Tyson V. Barker ◽  
Sonya V. Troller-Renfree ◽  
Edward M. Bernat ◽  
Maureen E. Bowers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Behavioral Control ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Social Motivation ◽  
Theta Oscillations ◽  
Error Monitoring ◽  
Motor Responses ◽  
Human Adults ◽  
Goal Directed Behavior

SummaryTheta oscillations (4-8 Hz) provide an organizing principle of cognitive control, allowing goal-directed behavior that is conserved across species. In human adults, theta power over medial-frontal cortex (MFC) underlies monitoring, whereas theta synchrony between MFC and lateral-frontal regions reflects control recruitment. Prior work has not separated theta before/after motor responses, nor explained how medial-lateral synchrony drives different kinds of control behaviors. Theta’s role during adolescence, a developmental window characterized by a motivation-control mismatch also remains unclear, preventing possible cross-species work. Here, adolescents performed a flanker task alone or under observation to increase social motivation. We separated theta dynamics immediately before/after motor responses, identifying functional dissociations. We also dissociate MFC connectivity with rostral/caudal frontal cortex and distinct forms of behavioral control, which further differed before/after response. Finally, social motivation was found to exclusively upregulate post-response error monitoring and changes in control to prevent future errors, as opposed to pre-response theta dynamics.

scholarly journals Registered Replication Report of Weissman, D. H., Jiang, J., & Egner, T. (2014). Determinants of congruency sequence effects without learning and memory confounds

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mate Gyurkovics ◽  
Marton Kovacs ◽  
Matt Jaquiery ◽  
Bence Palfi ◽  
Filip Dechterenko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Learning And Memory ◽  
Cognitive Conflict ◽  
Online Data ◽  
Bayesian Analyses ◽  
Sequence Effects ◽  
Control Research ◽  
Irrelevant Distractors ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Task Irrelevant

The congruency sequence effect (CSE) refers to the finding that the effect of cognitive conflict is smaller following conflicting, incongruent trials than after non-conflicting, congruent trials in conflict tasks, such as the Stroop, Simon, and flanker tasks. This is typically interpreted as an upregulation of cognitive control in response to conflict. Weissman, Jiang, & Egner (2014) investigated whether the CSE appears in these three tasks and a further variant where task-irrelevant distractors precede the target (prime-probe task), in the absence of learning and memory confounds in samples collected online. They found significant CSEs only in the prime-probe and Simon tasks, suggesting that the effect is more robust in tasks where the distractor can be translated into a response faster than the target. In this Registered Replication Report we collected data online from samples approx. 2.5 times larger than in the original study for each of the four tasks to investigate whether the task-related differences in the magnitude of the CSE are replicable (Nmin = 115, Nmax = 130). Our findings extend but do not contradict the original results: Bayesian analyses suggested that the CSE was present in all four tasks in RT but only in the Simon task in accuracy. The size of the effect did not differ between tasks, and the size of the congruency effect was not correlated with the size of the CSE across participants. These findings suggest it might be premature to conclude that the difference in the speed of distractor- vs target-related response activation is a determinant of the size of cross-trial modulations of control. The practical implications of our results for online data collection in cognitive control research are also discussed.

scholarly journals Rapid Modulation of Sensory Processing Induced by Stimulus Conflict

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (9) ◽  
pp. 2620-2628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence G. Appelbaum ◽  
David V. Smith ◽  
Carsten N. Boehler ◽  
Wen D. Chen ◽  
Marty G. Woldorff
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Sensory Processing ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Stimulus Input ◽  
Activation Patterns ◽  
Rapid Modulation ◽  
Conflicting Stimulus ◽  
Task Goals

Humans are constantly confronted with environmental stimuli that conflict with task goals and can interfere with successful behavior. Prevailing theories propose the existence of cognitive control mechanisms that can suppress the processing of conflicting input and enhance that of the relevant input. However, the temporal cascade of brain processes invoked in response to conflicting stimuli remains poorly understood. By examining evoked electrical brain responses in a novel, hemifield-specific, visual-flanker task, we demonstrate that task-irrelevant conflicting stimulus input is quickly detected in higher level executive regions while simultaneously inducing rapid, recurrent modulation of sensory processing in the visual cortex. Importantly, however, both of these effects are larger for individuals with greater incongruency-related RT slowing. The combination of neural activation patterns and behavioral interference effects suggest that this initial sensory modulation induced by conflicting stimulus inputs reflects performance-degrading attentional distraction because of their incompatibility rather than any rapid task-enhancing cognitive control mechanisms. The present findings thus provide neural evidence for a model in which attentional distraction is the key initial trigger for the temporal cascade of processes by which the human brain responds to conflicting stimulus input in the environment.

Exploring an Emotional Basis of Cognitive Control in the Flanker Task

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Motonori Yamaguchi ◽  
Jack Dylan Moore ◽  
Sarah Hendry ◽  
Felicity Wolohan
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Mood Induction ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Emotional Stimuli ◽  
Emotional Facial Expressions ◽  
Flanker Effect ◽  
Sequential Modulation ◽  
Emotional Basis ◽  
Negative Stimuli

The emotional basis of cognitive control has been investigated in the flanker task with various procedures and materials across different studies. The present study examined the issue with the same flanker task but with different types of emotional stimuli and design. In seven experiments, the flanker effect and its sequential modulation according to the preceding trial type were assessed. Experiments 1 and 2 used affective pictures and emotional facial expressions as emotional stimuli, and positive and negative stimuli were intermixed. There was little evidence that emotional stimuli influenced cognitive control. Experiments 3 and 4 used the same affective pictures and facial expressions, but positive and negative stimuli were separated between different participant groups. Emotional stimuli reduced the flanker effect as well as its sequential modulation regardless of valence. Experiments 5 and 6 used affective pictures but manipulated arousal and valence of stimuli orthogonally The results did not replicate the reduced flanker effect or sequential modulation by valence, nor did they show consistent effects of arousal. Experiment 7 used a mood induction technique and showed that sequential modulation was positively correlated with valence rating (the higher the more positive) but was negatively correlated with arousal rating. These results are inconsistent with several previous findings and are difficult to reconcile within a single theoretical framework, confirming an elusive nature of the emotional basis of cognitive control in the flanker task.

scholarly journals Dispositional individual differences in cognitive effort investment: establishing the core construct

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinna Kührt ◽  
Sebastian Pannasch ◽  
Stefan J. Kiebel ◽  
Alexander Strobel
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Latent Variables ◽  
Effortful Control ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Cognitive Effort ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Effort Discounting ◽  
Cognitive Motivation ◽  
Goal Directed Behavior

Abstract Background Individuals tend to avoid effortful tasks, regardless of whether they are physical or mental in nature. Recent experimental evidence is suggestive of individual differences in the dispositional willingness to invest cognitive effort in goal-directed behavior. The traits need for cognition (NFC) and self-control are related to behavioral measures of cognitive effort discounting and demand avoidance, respectively. Given that these traits are only moderately related, the question arises whether they reflect a common core factor underlying cognitive effort investment. If so, the common core of both traits might be related to behavioral measures of effort discounting in a more systematic fashion. To address this question, we aimed at specifying a core construct of cognitive effort investment that reflects dispositional differences in the willingness and tendency to exert effortful control. Methods We conducted two studies (N = 613 and N = 244) with questionnaires related to cognitive motivation and effort investment including assessment of NFC, intellect, self-control and effortful control. We first calculated Pearson correlations followed by two mediation models regarding intellect and its separate aspects, seek and conquer, as mediators. Next, we performed a confirmatory factor analysis of a hierarchical model of cognitive effort investment as second-order latent variable. First-order latent variables were cognitive motivation reflecting NFC and intellect, and effortful self-control reflecting self-control and effortful control. Finally, we calculated Pearson correlations between factor scores of the latent variables and general self-efficacy as well as traits of the Five Factor Model of Personality for validation purposes. Results Our findings support the hypothesized correlations between the assessed traits, where the relationship of NFC and self-control is specifically mediated via goal-directedness. We established and replicated a hierarchical factor model of cognitive motivation and effortful self-control that explains the shared variance of the first-order factors by a second-order factor of cognitive effort investment. Conclusions Taken together, our results integrate disparate literatures on cognitive motivation and self-control and provide a basis for further experimental research on the role of dispositional individual differences in goal-directed behavior and cost–benefit-models.

Age Moderates the Association of Aerobic Exercise with Initial Learning of an Online Task Requiring Cognitive Control

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 802-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J. O’Connor ◽  
Phillip D. Tomporowski ◽  
Rodney K. Dishman
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Resistance Exercise ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Linear Increase ◽  
Free Play ◽  
Exercise Frequency ◽  
Aerobic Activity ◽  
Initial Learning ◽  
Increase In Accuracy

AbstractThe aim of this study was to examine whether people differed in change in performance across the first five blocks of an online flanker task and whether those trajectories of change were associated with self-reported aerobic or resistance exercise frequency according to age. A total of 8752 men and women aged 13–89 completed a lifestyle survey and five 45-s games (each game was a block of ~46 trials) of an online flanker task. Accuracy of the congruent and incongruent flanker stimuli was analyzed using latent class and growth curve modeling adjusting for time between blocks, whether the blocks occurred on the same or different days, education, smoking, sleep, caffeinated coffee and tea use, and Lumosity training status (“free play” or part of a “daily brain workout”). Aerobic and resistance exercise were unrelated to first block accuracies. For the more cognitively demanding incongruent flanker stimuli, aerobic activity was positively related to the linear increase in accuracy [B=0.577%, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.112 to 1.25 per day above the weekly mean of 2.8 days] and inversely related to the quadratic deceleration of accuracy gains (B=−0.619% CI, −1.117 to −0.121 per day). An interaction of aerobic activity with age indicated that active participants younger than age 45 had a larger linear increase and a smaller quadratic deceleration compared to other participants. Age moderates the association between self-reported aerobic, but not self-reported resistance, exercise and changes in cognitive control that occur with practice during incongruent presentations across five blocks of a 45-s online, flanker task. (JINS, 2015, 21, 802–815)

scholarly journals Adaptive web-based learning: accommodating individual differences through system's adaptation

2003 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 511-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
George D. Magoulas ◽  
Yparisia Papanikolaou ◽  
Maria Grigoriadou
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Web Based Learning
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