scholarly journals Dissociating the Neural Correlates of Planning and Executing Hierarchical Task Sets

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Savannah L Cookson ◽  
Eric H Schumacher
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Task Mapping ◽  
Response Hand ◽  
Task Representation ◽  
Task Support ◽  
Control Functions ◽  
Task Processing ◽  
Task Sets ◽  
Time Point

Task processing and task representation, two facets of cognitive control, are both supported by lateral frontal cortex (LFC). However, processing and representation have largely been investigated separately, so it is unknown if they are distinguishable aspects of control or if they are complementary descriptions of the same mechanism. Here, we explored this by combining a hierarchical task mapping with a pre-cueing procedure. Participants made match/non-match judgments on features of pairs of stimuli. Cues presented at the start of each trial indicated the judgment domain (spatial/non-spatial), the response hand, both, or neither, giving variable amounts of information to the subject at each time point in the trial. Our results demonstrated that regions throughout LFC supported task processing, indicated by an influence of time point on their BOLD activity levels. A subset of regions in left caudal LFC also supported task representation, indicated by an interaction between time point and cue information; we termed this subgroup the "CuexTime" group. This interaction effect was not seen in the remaining LFC regions, which only showed a main effect of time consistent with involvement in task processing; we termed this subgroup the "Time" group. These results suggest that task representation is one component of task processing, confined to the "CuexTime group" in left caudal LFC, while other regions in our task support other aspects of task processing. We further conducted an exploratory investigation of connectivity between regions in the "CuexTime" and "Time" groups and their potential relationship to networks that support distinct cognitive control functions.

Learning of across- and within-task contingencies modulates partial-repetition costs in dual-tasking

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lasse Pelzer ◽  
Christoph Naefgen ◽  
Robert Gaschler ◽  
Hilde Haider
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Discrimination Task ◽  
Experimental Approach ◽  
Feature Binding ◽  
Dual Tasking ◽  
Single Task ◽  
Task Set ◽  
Task Processing ◽  
Tone Discrimination ◽  
Task Sets

AbstractDual-task costs might result from confusions on the task-set level as both tasks are not represented as distinct task-sets, but rather being integrated into a single task-set. This suggests that events in the two tasks are stored and retrieved together as an integrated memory episode. In a series of three experiments, we tested for such integrated task processing and whether it can be modulated by regularities between the stimuli of the two tasks (across-task contingencies) or by sequential regularities within one of the tasks (within-task contingencies). Building on the experimental approach of feature binding in action control, we tested whether the participants in a dual-tasking experiment will show partial-repetition costs: they should be slower when only the stimulus in one of the two tasks is repeated from Trial n − 1 to Trial n than when the stimuli in both tasks repeat. In all three experiments, the participants processed a visual-manual and an auditory-vocal tone-discrimination task which were always presented concurrently. In Experiment 1, we show that retrieval of Trial n − 1 episodes is stable across practice if the stimulus material is drawn randomly. Across-task contingencies (Experiment 2) and sequential regularities within a task (Experiment 3) can compete with n − 1-based retrieval leading to a reduction of partial-repetition costs with practice. Overall the results suggest that participants do not separate the processing of the two tasks, yet, within-task contingencies might reduce integrated task processing.

scholarly journals “Cognitive control in media multitaskers” ten years on: A meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas A. Parry ◽  
Daniel B. Le Roux
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Systematic Search ◽  
Media Multitasking ◽  
Control Functions ◽  
Search And Selection ◽  
Measurement Approach

In the decade since Ophir, Nass, and Wagner’s (2009) seminal study numerous researchers have investigated possible associations between media multitasking and cognitive control. Extending recent reviews, the present study provides a synthesis of extant research into this association across measurement approachs and cognitive functions. Following a systematic search and selection process, 118 assessments were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, the pooled effect size of the association, across measurement approaches and cognitive control functions, is small. This association is moderated both by the measurement approach as well as by the outcome variables targeted. These differences are tested and explained in detail. Building on the findings, it is recommended that research be conducted to determine the sources of heterogeneity in outcomes, understand differences between measurement approaches, and address causality and theoretical mechanisms. Overall, the review suggests that, ten years on, we are no closer to understanding ‘cognitive control in media multitaskers.’

scholarly journals Cognitive control and daily affect regulation in major depression and borderline personality disorder: protocol for an experimental ambulatory assessment study in Berlin, Germany

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. e022694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Schulze ◽  
Paul-Christian Bürkner ◽  
Julian Bohländer ◽  
Ulrike Zetsche
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Affect Regulation ◽  
Smartphone Application ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Interference Control ◽  
Control Functions ◽  
Regulation Strategies

IntroductionAffective disturbances and difficulty in affect regulation are core features of major depressive disorder (MDD) as well as borderline personality disorder (BPD). Whereas depressed individuals are characterised by affective inertia, individuals with BPD are characterised by affective instability. Both groups have been found to use more maladaptive affect regulation strategies than healthy controls. Surprisingly, however, there have been hardly any studies directly comparing these two disorders to disentangle shared and disorder-specific deficits in affective dynamics and affect regulation.Furthermore, theoretical models link deficits in affect regulation to deficits in cognitive control functions. Given that individuals with MDD or BPD are both characterised by impairments in cognitive control, the present study will further examine the link between individual differences in cognitive control and disturbances in affect dynamics and regulation in the daily life of individuals with MDD or BPD.Methods and analysesWe will use a smartphone application to assess negative and positive affect as well as affect regulation strategies at eight times a day for 7 days. We will further employ four computerised tasks to assess two cognitive control functions, namely interference control and discarding irrelevant information from working memory. Our hypotheses will be tested using a multimethod approach. Power analyses determined a sample size of 159 (53 MDD, 53 BPD, 53 controls) to detect medium effect sizes.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval has been obtained from the Freie Universität Berlin. Data collection started in January 2017 and will last until the end of 2018. Results will be disseminated to relevant psychotherapeutic and patient communities in peer-reviewed journals, and at scientific conferences.

scholarly journals Cognitive Control Deficits in Alcohol Dependence Are a Trait- and State-Dependent Biomarker: An ERP Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohong Liu ◽  
Hongliang Zhou ◽  
Chenguang Jiang ◽  
Yanling Xue ◽  
Zhenhe Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Alcohol Dependence ◽  
Control Function ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Oddball Paradigm ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Auditory Oddball ◽  
State Dependent ◽  
Simple Effect ◽  
Time Point

Alcohol dependence (AD) presents cognitive control deficits. Event-related potential (ERP) P300 reflects cognitive control-related processing. The aim of this study was to investigate whether cognitive control deficits are a trait biomarker or a state biomarker in AD. Participants included 30 AD patients and 30 healthy controls (HCs). All participants were measured with P300 evoked by a three-stimulus auditory oddball paradigm at a normal state (time 1, i.e., just after the last alcohol intake) and abstinence (time 2, i.e., just after a 4-week abstinence). The results showed that for P3a and P3b amplitude, the interaction effect for group × time point was significant, the simple effect for group at time 1 level and time 2 level was significant, and the simple effect for time point at AD group level was significant; however, the simple effect for time point at HC group level was not significant. Above results indicated that compared to HCs, AD patients present reductions of P3a/3b amplitude, and after 4-week alcohol abstinence, although P3a/3b amplitudes were improved, they were still lower than those of HCs. For P3a and P3b latencies, no significant differences were observed. These findings conclude that AD patients present cognitive control deficits that are reflected by P3a/3b and that cognitive control deficits in AD are trait- and state-dependent. The implication of these findings is helpful to understand the psychological and neural processes for AD, and these findings suggest that improving the cognitive control function may impact the treatment effect for AD.

scholarly journals Dual-Task Processing With Identical Stimulus and Response Sets: Assessing the Importance of Task Representation in Dual-Task Interference

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric H. Schumacher ◽  
Savannah L. Cookson ◽  
Derek M. Smith ◽  
Tiffany V. N. Nguyen ◽  
Zain Sultan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Task Interference ◽  
Task Representation ◽  
Identical Stimulus ◽  
Response Sets ◽  
Task Processing ◽  
Dual Task Interference

Cognitive Control along the Language Spectrum: From the Typical Bilingual Child to Language Impairment

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (04) ◽  
pp. 256-271
Author(s):  
Klara Marton ◽  
Thorfun Gehebe ◽  
Lia Pazuelo
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Interference Control ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Control Functions ◽  
Language Deficit

AbstractCognitive control refers to the ability to perform goal-directed behaviors in the presence of other compelling actions or in the face of habitual practices. Cognitive control functions play a critical role in children's language processing and literacy development. In recent years, many clinicians have expanded their assessment and treatment to target specific cognitive skills. Our goal is to provide a review of recent findings on cognitive control functions in children with different language status (i.e., monolingual and bilingual children with and without language impairment). While children with language impairment show performance deficits in specific cognitive functions (e.g., working memory updating and interference control), typically developing bilingual children often outperform their monolingual peers in cognitive control tasks. However, the relationship between bilingualism and cognitive control has been controversial. Several factors that influence these variations are discussed. Given the findings on the joint impact of bilingualism and language impairment on cognitive control functions, we identify conditions in which bilingualism attenuates the negative effects of the language deficit and conditions in which language impairment has a stronger effect than bilingualism. Critical issues of bilingual assessment, suggestions, and future directions are discussed.

scholarly journals A Decentralised Task Mapping Approach for Homogeneous Multiprocessor Network-On-Chips

2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Zipf ◽  
Gilles Sassatelli ◽  
Nurten Utlu ◽  
Nicolas Saint-Jean ◽  
Pascal Benoit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Exact Algorithm ◽  
Communication Overhead ◽  
Processor Array ◽  
Task Mapping ◽  
Enumeration Algorithm ◽  
Task Distribution ◽  
Run Time ◽  
On Chip ◽  
Task Sets

We present a heuristic algorithm for the run-time distribution of task sets in a homogeneous Multiprocessor network-on-chip. The algorithm is itself distributed over the processors and thus can be applied to systems of arbitrary size. Also, tasks added at run-time can be handled without any difficulty, allowing for inline optimisation. Based on local information on processor workload, task size, communication requirements, and link contention, iterative decisions on task migrations to other processors are made. The mapping results for several example task sets are first compared with those of an exact (enumeration) algorithm with global information for a processor array. The results show that the mapping quality achieved by our distributed algorithm is within 25% of that of the exact algorithm. For larger array sizes, simulated annealing is used as a reference and the behaviour of our algorithm is investigated. The mapping quality of the algorithm can be shown to be within a reasonable range (below 30% mostly) of the reference. This adaptability and the low computation and communication overhead of the distributed heuristic clearly indicate that decentralised algorithms are a favourable solution for an automatic task distribution.

Fractionating the Cognitive Control Required to Bring About a Change in Task: A Dense-sensor Event-related Potential Study

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duncan E. Astle ◽  
G. M. Jackson ◽  
R. Swainson
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Task Switching ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Overt Response ◽  
Control Functions ◽  
Basic Task ◽  
Physical Response ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Covert Response

The ability to change our behavior is one that we frequently exert, although determining the mechanisms by which we do so is far from trivial. Task switching is a useful experimental paradigm for studying cognitive control functions. Switching between tasks is associated with a decrement in performance, or “switch-cost,” relative to repeating the same task. We have previously demonstrated that this cost is dependent on switching from performing one task to performing another; changing only our intended performance does not elicit the same performance deficit. Using event-related potentials (ERPs), we dissociated two electrophysiological indices mirroring this behavioral distinction [Astle, D. E., Jackson, G. M., & Swainson, R. Dissociating neural indices of dynamic cognitive control in advance task-set preparation: An ERP study of task switching. Brain Res, 1125, 94–103, 2006]. However, what was unclear were the specific aspects of performance that were critical for triggering the neural mechanisms associated specifically with switching from a previously performed task. Two candidate aspects were: (i) that performance required a physical response and (ii) that the two tasks shared their responses (they had bivalent response mappings). The present study therefore compared three separate groups to explore the effects of these different aspects of performance. Each group completed the same basic task-switching paradigm, but with either an overt response or covert response, and either switching between tasks that shared their responses (bivalent response mappings) or had separate responses (univalent response mappings). When comparing precue-locked ERPs, we observed three separable components: one common to all three groups, one which primarily dissociated overt from covert responding, and one which primarily dissociated bivalent from univalent responding. We therefore concluded that changing our behavior engages at least three dissociable mechanisms. Interestingly, in the overt conditions, residual switch-costs were absent; in addition, therefore, we concluded that it is possible to engage cognitive control in advance, such that the new behavior is as efficient as were the subject to have repeated the old behavior.

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