scholarly journals Bilingual Language Control and General Purpose Cognitive Control among Individuals with Bilingual Aphasia: Evidence Based on Negative Priming and Flanker Tasks

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya Dash ◽  
Bhoomika R. Kar
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Negative Priming ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Interactive Systems ◽  
Cumulative Distribution ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Reactive Control ◽  
Language Control ◽  
Bilingual Aphasia

Background. Bilingualism results in an added advantage with respect to cognitive control. The interaction between bilingual language control and general purpose cognitive control systems can also be understood by studying executive control among individuals with bilingual aphasia.Objectives. The current study examined the subcomponents of cognitive control in bilingual aphasia. A case study approach was used to investigate whether cognitive control and language control are two separate systems and how factors related to bilingualism interact with control processes.Methods. Four individuals with bilingual aphasia performed a language background questionnaire, picture description task, and two experimental tasks (nonlinguistic negative priming task and linguistic and nonlinguistic versions of flanker task).Results. A descriptive approach was used to analyse the data using reaction time and accuracy measures. The cumulative distribution function plots were used to visualize the variations in performance across conditions. The results highlight the distinction between general purpose cognitive control and bilingual language control mechanisms.Conclusion. All participants showed predominant use of the reactive control mechanism to compensate for the limited resources system. Independent yet interactive systems for bilingual language control and general purpose cognitive control were postulated based on the experimental data derived from individuals with bilingual aphasia.

scholarly journals Voluntary Language Switching in the Context of Bilingual Aphasia

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 141
Author(s):  
Nicholas Grunden ◽  
Giorgio Piazza ◽  
Carmen García-Sánchez ◽  
Marco Calabria
Keyword(s):  
Group Performance ◽  
Ecological Validity ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Reactive Control ◽  
Language Switching ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Language Control ◽  
Bilingual Aphasia ◽  
The Individual

As studies of bilingual language control (BLC) seek to explore the underpinnings of bilinguals’ abilities to juggle two languages, different types of language switching tasks have been used to uncover switching and mixing effects and thereby reveal what proactive and reactive control mechanisms are involved in language switching. Voluntary language switching tasks, where a bilingual participant can switch freely between their languages while naming, are being utilized more often due to their greater ecological validity compared to cued switching paradigms. Because this type of task had not yet been applied to language switching in bilingual patients, our study sought to explore voluntary switching in bilinguals with aphasia (BWAs) as well as in healthy bilinguals. In Experiment 1, we replicated previously reported results of switch costs and mixing benefits within our own bilingual population of Catalan-Spanish bilinguals. With Experiment 2, we compared both the performances of BWAs as a group and as individuals against control group performance. Results illustrated a complex picture of language control abilities, indicating varying degrees of association and dissociation between factors of BLC. Given the diversity of impairments in BWAs’ language control mechanisms, we highlight the need to examine BLC at the individual level and through the lens of theoretical cognitive control frameworks in order to further parse out how bilinguals regulate their language switching.

The relationship between language control and cognitive control in bilingual aphasia

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
TERESA GRAY ◽  
SWATHI KIRAN
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Language Control ◽  
Bilingual Aphasia ◽  
The Relationship

This study examines language control deficits in bilingual aphasia in terms of domain specific cognitive control and domain general cognitive control. Thirty Spanish–English controls and ten Spanish–English adults with aphasia completed the flanker task and a word-pair relatedness judgment task. All participants exhibited congruency effects on the flanker task. On the linguistic task, controls did not show the congruency effect on the first level analysis. However, conflict ratios revealed that the control group exhibited significant effects of language control. Additionally, individual patient analysis revealed overall positive and negative effects of language control impairment and a benefit from semantically related word-pairs. Patient data suggest a dissociation between the mechanisms of language control and cognitive control, thus providing evidence for domain specific cognitive control. The influence of language proficiency on speed of translation was also examined. Generally, controls were faster when translating into their dominant language, whereas the patients did not show the same trends.

The neurobiology of simultaneous interpreting: Where extreme language control and cognitive control intersect

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 740-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis Hervais-Adelman ◽  
Laura Babcock
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Integrative Model ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Simultaneous Interpreting ◽  
Concurrent Execution ◽  
Complex Cognitive Task ◽  
Language Control

Simultaneous interpreting is a complex cognitive task that requires the concurrent execution of multiple processes: listening, comprehension, conversion of a message from one language to another, speech production, and self-monitoring. This requires the deployment of an array of linguistic and cognitive control mechanisms that must coordinate the various brain systems implicated in handling these tasks. How the brain handles this challenge remains an open question, and recent brain imaging investigations have begun to complement the theories based on behavioural data. fMRI studies have shown that simultaneous interpreting engages a network of brain regions encompassing those implicated in speech perception and production, language switching, self-monitoring, and selection. Structural imaging studies have been carried out that also indicate modifications to a similar set of structures. In the present paper, we review the extant data and propose an integrative model of simultaneous interpreting that piggybacks on existing theories of multilingual language control.

scholarly journals Research on individual differences in executive functions

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 535-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi P. Friedman
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Set Shifting ◽  
Interference Control ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Language Control ◽  
Multicomponent Nature

Abstract Executive functions (EFs), such as response inhibition, interference control, and set shifting, are general-purpose control mechanisms that enable individuals to regulate their thoughts and behaviors. Because bilingual individuals use EF-like processes during language control, researchers have become interested in the hypothesis that this use might train EFs, resulting in better performance on non-linguistic EF tasks. Although this bilingual advantage hypothesis seems straightforward to test, it involves a number of important decisions in terms of how to assess bilingualism and EFs. In this article, I focus on the complexity of measuring EFs, drawing on individual differences research (conducted with participants not selected for bilingualism). Specifically, I discuss issues related to (1) the measurement of EFs (particularly the effects of task impurity and unreliability) and (2) the multicomponent nature of EFs. Within each of these topics, I elaborate on consequences for research on bilingual advantages and provide some recommendations.

scholarly journals Proactive Control of Emotional Distraction: An ERP Investigation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Laura Kranz
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Proactive Control ◽  
Reactive Control ◽  
Frequency Condition ◽  
Distractor Processing ◽  
Early Posterior Negativity ◽  
Distraction Task ◽  
Emotional Distraction

<p>According to the Dual Mechanisms of Control (DMC) framework (Braver, 2012) distraction can be controlled either proactively (i.e., before the onset of a distractor) or reactively (i.e., after the onset of a distractor). Research clearly indicates that, when distractors are emotionally neutral, proactive mechanisms are more effective at controlling distraction than reactive mechanisms. However, whether proactive control mechanisms can control irrelevant emotional distractions as effectively as neutral distraction is not known. In the current thesis I examined cognitive control over emotional distraction. In Experiment 1, I tested whether proactive mechanisms can control emotional distraction as effectively as neutral distraction. Participants completed a distraction task. On each trial, they determined whether a centrally presented target letter (embedded amongst a circle of ‘o’s) was an ‘X’ or an ‘N’, while ignoring peripheral distractors (negative, neutral, or positive images). Distractors were presented on either a low proportion (25%) or a high proportion (75%) of trials, to evoke reactive and proactive cognitive control strategies, respectively. Emotional images (both positive and negative) produced more distraction than neutral images in the low distractor frequency (i.e., reactive control) condition. Critically, emotional distraction was almost abolished in the high distractor frequency condition; emotional images were only slightly more distracting than neutral images, suggesting that proactive mechanisms can control emotional distraction almost as effectively as neutral distraction. In Experiment 2, I replicated and extended Experiment 1. ERPs were recorded while participants completed the distraction task. An early index (the early posterior negativity; EPN) and a late index (the late positive potential; LPP) of emotional processing were examined to investigate the mechanisms by which proactive control minimises emotional distraction. The behavioural results of Experiment 2 replicated Experiment 1, providing further support for the hypothesis that proactive mechanisms can control emotional distractions as effectively as neutral distractions. While proactive control was found to eliminate early emotional processing of positive distractors, it paradoxically did not attenuate late emotional processing of positive distractors. On the other hand, proactive control eliminated late emotional processing of negative distractors. However, the early index of emotional processing was not a reliable index of negative distractor processing under either reactive or proactive conditions. Taken together, my findings show that proactive mechanisms can effectively control emotional distraction, but do not clearly establish the mechanisms by which this occurs.</p>

The contributions of language control to executive functions: From the perspective of bilingual comprehension

2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (8) ◽  
pp. 1984-1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lu Jiao ◽  
Cong Liu ◽  
Lijuan Liang ◽  
Patrick Plummer ◽  
Charles A Perfetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Mixed Block ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Language Control ◽  
Language Context ◽  
L1 And L2

Previous studies have suggested that bilingual production experience has beneficial effects on executive functions. In the current study, four experiments were conducted to investigate whether bilingual comprehension experience influences executive functions. In Experiments 1 and 2, Chinese–English bilinguals completed a flanker task interleaved with a language comprehension task (reading comprehension in Experiment 1 and listening comprehension in Experiment 2). There were three blocks distinguished by language context, with a Chinese (L1) block, an English (L2) block, and a mixed (L1 and L2) block. Results showed that performance in the mixed block was better on both congruent and incongruent flanker trials when compared with the L1 and L2 blocks, indicating better monitoring functions overall. In Experiments 3 and 4 (reading comprehension and listening comprehension, respectively), participants were also exposed to three language contexts (i.e., L1, L2, and mixed block) but performed a non-conflict control task that did not require any conflict resolution. The results of Experiments 3 and 4 showed similar performance under the three different language contexts. Taken together, these results indicate that language control mechanisms involved in bilingual comprehension contribute to domain-general executive control performance. The results suggest a monitoring mechanism establishes a bridge connecting executive functions and bilingual language control during comprehension.

scholarly journals Proactive and reactive control mechanisms in navigational search

2020 ◽  
pp. 174702182095892
Author(s):  
Josie Briscoe ◽  
Iain D Gilchrist
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Target Location ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Control Mode ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Reactive Control ◽  
Search Behaviour ◽  
Flashing Light

Reactive and proactive cognitive control are fundamental for guiding complex human behaviour. In two experiments, we evaluated the role of both types of cognitive control in navigational search. Participants searched for a single hidden target in a floor array where the salience at the search locations varied (flashing or static lights). An a-priori rule of the probable location of the target (either under a static or a flashing light) was provided at the start of each experiment. Both experiments demonstrated a bias towards rule-adherent locations. Search errors, measured as revisits, were more likely to occur under the flashing rule for searching flashing locations, regardless of the salience of target location in Experiment 1 and at rule-congruent (flashing) locations in Experiment 2. Consistent with dual mechanisms of control, rule-adherent search was explained by engaging proactive control to guide goal-maintained search behaviour and by engaging reactive control to avoid revisits to salient (flashing) locations. Experiment 2 provided direct evidence for dual mechanisms of control using a Dot Pattern Expectancy task to distinguish the dominant control mode for a participant. Participants with a reactive control mode generated more revisits to salient (flashing) locations. These data point to complementary roles for proactive and reactive control in guiding navigational search and propose a novel framework for interpreting navigational search.

scholarly journals Proactive versus reactive emotion regulation: A dual-mechanisms perspective

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruna Martins ◽  
Lyneé A. Alves ◽  
Kimberly Sarah Chiew
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Reactive Control ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Regulation Strategies

Emotion regulation relies on cognitive processing, but the foundational cognitive control mechanisms engaged remain unclear. The process model of emotion regulation posits that different strategies occur at different points in time, with antecedent strategies occurring early and response-focused strategies later in the affective timecourse, with cognitive processing supporting these strategies following a similar timecourse. In parallel, the Dual Mechanisms of Control (DMC) theoretical framework (Braver, 2012; Braver, Gray, &amp; Burgess, 2007; Chiew &amp; Braver, 2017) proposes that cognitive control operates via two temporally-distinct modes: anticipatory preparation to perform cognitive tasks (proactive), and momentary engagement in cognitive tasks as they arise (reactive). However, empirical investigations of the role of proactive and reactive control in emotion regulation have been limited. In this paper, we summarize and integrate these two theoretical perspectives. We first posit that any emotion regulation strategy may take place either early or late in the affective timecourse, depending on whether it is proactively or reactively enacted. We next provide examples of different strategies from the process model and their engagement in both control modes. In addition, we discuss how strategic dependence on the downstream emotional stimulus and response could further affect the timecourse and cognitive load of emotion regulation strategies. We conclude by discussing how controlling for timing in future research designs may clarify how populations with reduced cognitive control may demonstrate intact emotion regulation (i.e., through greater reliance on reactive strategies), and how incorporation of the DMC perspective may inform applied emotion regulation interventions for clinical populations.

scholarly journals Spontaneous Alpha and Theta Oscillations Are Related to Complementary Aspects of Cognitive Control in Younger and Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace M. Clements ◽  
Daniel C. Bowie ◽  
Mate Gyurkovics ◽  
Kathy A. Low ◽  
Monica Fabiani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
Proactive Control ◽  
Reactive Control ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Task Sets ◽  
Task Representations

The resting-state human electroencephalogram (EEG) power spectrum is dominated by alpha (8–12 Hz) and theta (4–8 Hz) oscillations, and also includes non-oscillatory broadband activity inversely related to frequency (1/f activity). Gratton proposed that alpha and theta oscillations are both related to cognitive control function, though in a complementary manner. Alpha activity is hypothesized to facilitate the maintenance of representations, such as task sets in preparation for expected task conditions. In contrast, theta activity would facilitate changes in representations, such as the updating of task sets in response to unpredicted task demands. Therefore, theta should be related to reactive control (which may prompt changes in task representations), while alpha may be more relevant to proactive control (which implies the maintenance of current task representations). Less is known about the possible relationship between 1/f activity and cognitive control, which was analyzed here in an exploratory fashion. To investigate these hypothesized relationships, we recorded eyes-open and eyes-closed resting-state EEG from younger and older adults and subsequently tested their performance on a cued flanker task, expected to elicit both proactive and reactive control processes. Results showed that alpha power and 1/f offset were smaller in older than younger adults, whereas theta power did not show age-related reductions. Resting alpha power and 1/f offset were associated with proactive control processes, whereas theta power was related to reactive control as measured by the cued flanker task. All associations were present over and above the effect of age, suggesting that these resting-state EEG correlates could be indicative of trait-like individual differences in cognitive control performance, which may be already evident in younger adults, and are still similarly present in healthy older adults.

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