Systematic Alterations of the Apparent Centers of Lines

1969 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 803-825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy B. Mefferd ◽  
Betty A. Wieland ◽  
L. Paul Dufilho
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Relative Influence ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Hand Dominance ◽  
Behavioral Differences ◽  
Basic Tendency ◽  
Horizontal Orientation ◽  
Stimulus Effects ◽  
Main Effects

Predictable stimulus-bound alterations in the apparent centers of lines were used to discriminate behavioral differences in bisection. 2 dimensions of individual differences were demonstrated in bisection that appeared to be related to cognitive control mechanisms: the well-known basic tendency for the upper segment of lines to be overestimated, and the relative influence on the apparent centers exerted by the stimulus-effects. The roles on these of minor modifications in the stimulus and of secondary factors such as practice, eye and hand dominance, sex, etc., were examined. A more basic effect was noted when the lines were bisected in a horizontal orientation—there was almost no correlation between S's performance with vertical vs horizontal lines. Even though the two main effects noted above were still present, their measures did not correlate with those of the vertical bisection. The implications of this are discussed.

scholarly journals Frontoparietal pattern similarity analyses of cognitive control in monozygotic twins

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rongxiang Tang ◽  
Joset A. Etzel ◽  
Alexander Kizhner ◽  
Todd S. Braver
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Individual Variation ◽  
Control Function ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Neural Representation ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Activation Patterns ◽  
Pattern Similarity

AbstractThe ability to flexibly adapt thoughts and actions in a goal-directed manner appears to rely on cognitive control mechanisms that are strongly impacted by individual differences. A powerful research strategy for investigating the nature of individual variation is to study monozygotic (identical) twins. Clear evidence of twin similarity effects have been observed in prior behavioral and neuroimaging studies, yet within the domain of cognitive control, the specificity and neural underpinnings of this similarity remains elusive. Here, we utilize a multi-task, within-subjects event-related neuroimaging design (with fMRI) to investigate twin effects through multivariate pattern similarity analyses. We focus on a set of fronto-parietal brain parcels exhibiting consistently increased activation associated with cognitive control demands across four task domains: selective attention, context processing, multi-tasking, and working memory. In these parcels, healthy young adult male and female monozygotic twin pairs had similar activation patterns, reliably in all tasks, a finding not observed in unrelated pairs. Twin activation pattern similarity effects were clearest under high control demands, were not present in a set of task-unrelated parcels, and were primarily observed during the within-trial timepoints in which the control demands peaked. Together, these results indicate that twin similarity in the neural representation of cognitive control may be domain-general but also functionally and temporally specific in relation to the level of control demand. The findings suggest a genetic and/or environmental basis for individual variation in cognitive control function, and highlight the potential of twin-based neuroimaging designs for exploring heritability questions within this domain.Significance StatementCognitive control is indispensable to human adaptability. A critical goal for basic and translational research is to discover the brain basis of the individual differences that clearly characterize this domain. Neuroimaging studies of twins enable exploration of this issue, by identifying similarity and variation in task-evoked neural activity, and testing whether such effects are domain general, but also functionally specific to cognitive control demands. Here, we provide the first evidence of twin similarity in neural activation patterns within fronto-parietal regions, which is present in multiple cognitive control tasks, and selective to peak periods of control demand. These results confirm the domain-generality of neural representations of cognitive control, and support the genetic and/or environmental basis of this source of individual variation.

Processing linguistic variation through dual mechanisms of cognitive control

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (s1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grant M. Berry
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Linguistic Variation ◽  
Connectionist Model ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Reactive Control ◽  
Processing Strategies ◽  
Control Hypothesis

AbstractWhile rarely difficult for the average speaker/listener, the ubiquity of variation at all levels of linguistic production is a challenge for modern psycholinguistic models of language processing. Variation is perhaps most extreme at the levels of phonetics and phonology, but many models of language processing all but eschew these levels altogether. The current paper posits that cognitive control mechanisms, when divided into proactive and reactive control via a dual mechanisms framework may effectively describe the strategies individuals use to process linguistic variation and, when incorporated into language processing models, can generate novel, testable predictions regarding the origin and propagation of individual differences. By means of example, I illustrate how dual mechanisms of control could be incorporated into a connectionist model of language production. I then describe how dual mechanisms of cognitive control might be relevant for the Adaptive Control Hypothesis and how individual differences in processing strategies may modulate participation in language changes-in-progress.

Extraversion and Dopamine

1998 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas H. Rammsayer
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
D2 Receptor ◽  
D2 Receptors ◽  
Behavioral Differences ◽  
Biological Mechanisms ◽  
Brain Dopamine ◽  
Personality Dimension ◽  
Time Performance ◽  
Reaction Time Performance ◽  
Induced Changes

Recent research suggests that individual differences in brain dopamine (DA) functioning may be related to the personality dimension of extraversion. The present study was designed to further elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying behavioral differences between extraverts and introverts. For this purpose, the differential effects of a pharmacologically induced blockade of mesolimbocortical DA D2 receptors on reaction-time performance were investigated in 24 introverted and 24 extraverted subjects. Introverts were found to be much more susceptible to pharmacologically induced changes in D2 receptor activity than extraverts. This finding provides additional experimental evidence for the notion that individual differences in D2 receptor responsivity may represent a neurobiological substratum for the personality dimension of extraversion.

scholarly journals Inhibitory Mechanisms in the Processing of Negations: A Neural Reuse Hypothesis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Beltrán ◽  
Bo Liu ◽  
Manuel de Vega
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Functional Relation ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Inhibitory Effects ◽  
General Domain ◽  
Inhibitory Mechanisms ◽  
Neural Reuse ◽  
Theoretical Foundations

AbstractNegation is known to have inhibitory consequences for the information under its scope. However, how it produces such effects remains poorly understood. Recently, it has been proposed that negation processing might be implemented at the neural level by the recruitment of inhibitory and cognitive control mechanisms. On this line, this manuscript offers the hypothesis that negation reuses general-domain mechanisms that subserve inhibition in other non-linguistic cognitive functions. The first two sections describe the inhibitory effects of negation on conceptual representations and its embodied effects, as well as the theoretical foundations for the reuse hypothesis. The next section describes the neurophysiological evidence that linguistic negation interacts with response inhibition, along with the suggestion that both functions share inhibitory mechanisms. Finally, the manuscript concludes that the functional relation between negation and inhibition observed at the mechanistic level could be easily integrated with predominant cognitive models of negation processing.

The effect of workload, work experience and inclined standing surface on visual spatial perception: Fall potential/prevention implications

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 251-259
Author(s):  
Laurel Kincl ◽  
Amit Bhattacharya ◽  
Paul Succop ◽  
Angshuman Bagchee
Keyword(s):  
Work Experience ◽  
Spatial Perception ◽  
Parameter Estimates ◽  
Industrial Workers ◽  
Job Experience ◽  
Horizontal Orientation ◽  
Visual Spatial ◽  
Visual Inputs ◽  
Inclined Surfaces ◽  
Main Effects

Maintenance of upright balance involves interplay between sensory (somatosensory, vestibular and visual) inputs and neuro-motor outputs. Visual spatial perception (VSP) of vertical and horizontal orientation plays a significant role in the maintenance of upright balance. For this experiment, a custom designed computer program randomly generated 42 images of horizontal and vertical lines at various angles for 60 industrial workers (39 ± 9.8 years). Half of the workers had more than three years of experience working on inclined and/or elevated surfaces. The main effects investigated included within subject factors of standing surface inclination (0°, 14° and 26°), job experience (number of months), and postural workload (0%, 50% or 100%). The VSP outcome measure was the count of correct responses to the angles presented. The inclination did not have a significant effect on VSP, but the parameter estimates indicated less correct responses on the inclined surfaces. The postural workload significantly affected the VSP, indicating that with increased workload, less correct responses were given. Finally, job experience was found to improve VSP response scores. In summary, these results indicate that job experience increases accurate VSP, while workloads and inclined work surfaces decrease accurate VSP responses.

scholarly journals Cortical silent period reflects individual differences in action stopping performance

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Paci ◽  
Giulio Di Cosmo ◽  
Mauro Gianni Perrucci ◽  
Francesca Ferri ◽  
Marcello Costantini
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Silent Period ◽  
Intracortical Inhibition ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Behavioral Differences ◽  
Cortical Silent Period ◽  
Stop Signal Reaction Time

AbstractInhibitory control is the ability to suppress inappropriate movements and unwanted actions, allowing to regulate impulses and responses. This ability can be measured via the Stop Signal Task, which provides a temporal index of response inhibition, namely the stop signal reaction time (SSRT). At the neural level, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) allows to investigate motor inhibition within the primary motor cortex (M1), such as the cortical silent period (CSP) which is an index of GABAB-mediated intracortical inhibition within M1. Although there is strong evidence that intracortical inhibition varies during action stopping, it is still not clear whether differences in the neurophysiological markers of intracortical inhibition contribute to behavioral differences in actual inhibitory capacities. Hence, here we explored the relationship between intracortical inhibition within M1 and behavioral response inhibition. GABABergic-mediated inhibition in M1 was determined by the duration of CSP, while behavioral inhibition was assessed by the SSRT. We found a significant positive correlation between CSP’s duration and SSRT, namely that individuals with greater levels of GABABergic-mediated inhibition seem to perform overall worse in inhibiting behavioral responses. These results support the assumption that individual differences in intracortical inhibition are mirrored by individual differences in action stopping abilities.

scholarly journals Neural Dynamics of Cognitive Control over Working Memory Capture of Attention

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 1079-1090 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter S. Whitehead ◽  
Mathilde M. Ooi ◽  
Tobias Egner ◽  
Marty G. Woldorff
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Visual Search ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Attentional Capture ◽  
Search Display ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Attentional Orienting ◽  
Behavioral Studies

The contents of working memory (WM) guide visual attention toward matching features, with visual search being faster when the target and a feature of an item held in WM spatially overlap (validly cued) than when they occur at different locations (invalidly cued). Recent behavioral studies have indicated that attentional capture by WM content can be modulated by cognitive control: When WM cues are reliably helpful to visual search (predictably valid), capture is enhanced, but when reliably detrimental (predictably invalid), capture is attenuated. The neural mechanisms underlying this effect are not well understood, however. Here, we leveraged the high temporal resolution of ERPs time-locked to the onset of the search display to determine how and at what processing stage cognitive control modulates the search process. We manipulated predictability by grouping trials into unpredictable (50% valid/invalid) and predictable (100% valid, 100% invalid) blocks. Behavioral results confirmed that predictability modulated WM-related capture. Comparison of ERPs to the search arrays showed that the N2pc, a posteriorly distributed signature of initial attentional orienting toward a lateralized target, was not impacted by target validity predictability. However, a longer latency, more anterior, lateralized effect—here, termed the “contralateral attention-related negativity”—was reduced under predictable conditions. This reduction interacted with validity, with substantially greater reduction for invalid than valid trials. These data suggest cognitive control over attentional capture by WM content does not affect the initial attentional-orienting process but can reduce the need to marshal later control mechanisms for processing relevant items in the visual world.

Contributions of Brain Function and Structure to Three Different Domains of Cognitive Control in Normal Aging

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Jenny R. Rieck ◽  
Giulia Baracchini ◽  
Cheryl L. Grady
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Functional Activity ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Diffusion Imaging ◽  
Normal Aging ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
And Task

Cognitive control involves the flexible allocation of mental resources during goal-directed behavior and comprises three correlated but distinct domains—inhibition, shifting, and working memory. The work of Don Stuss and others has demonstrated that frontal and parietal cortices are crucial to cognitive control, particularly in normal aging, which is characterized by reduced control mechanisms. However, the structure–function relationships specific to each domain and subsequent impact on performance are not well understood. In the current study, we examined both age and individual differences in functional activity associated with core domains of cognitive control in relation to fronto-parietal structure and task performance. Participants ( N = 140, aged 20–86 years) completed three fMRI tasks: go/no-go (inhibition), task switching (shifting), and n-back (working memory), in addition to structural and diffusion imaging. All three tasks engaged a common set of fronto-parietal regions; however, the contributions of age, brain structure, and task performance to functional activity were unique to each domain. Aging was associated with differences in functional activity for all tasks, largely in regions outside common fronto-parietal control regions. Shifting and inhibition showed greater contributions of structure to overall decreases in brain activity, suggesting that more intact fronto-parietal structure may serve as a scaffold for efficient functional response. Working memory showed no contribution of structure to functional activity but had strong effects of age and task performance. Together, these results provide a comprehensive and novel examination of the joint contributions of aging, performance, and brain structure to functional activity across multiple domains of cognitive control.

scholarly journals Right Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex Mediates Individual Differences in Conflict-driven Cognitive Control

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (12) ◽  
pp. 3903-3913 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Egner
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Resolution ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Group Analysis ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
Conflict Adaptation ◽  
Traditional Group ◽  
Behavioral Expression

Conflict adaptation—a conflict-triggered improvement in the resolution of conflicting stimulus or response representations—has become a widely used probe of cognitive control processes in both healthy and clinical populations. Previous fMRI studies have localized activation foci associated with conflict resolution to dorsolateral PFC (dlPFC). The traditional group analysis approach employed in these studies highlights regions that are, on average, activated during conflict resolution, but does not necessarily reveal areas mediating individual differences in conflict resolution, because between-subject variance is treated as noise. Here, we employed a complementary approach to elucidate the neural bases of variability in the proficiency of conflict-driven cognitive control. We analyzed two independent fMRI data sets of face–word Stroop tasks by using individual variability in the behavioral expression of conflict adaptation as the metric against which brain activation was regressed while controlling for individual differences in mean RT and Stroop interference. Across the two experiments, a replicable neural substrate of individual variation in conflict adaptation was found in ventrolateral PFC (vlPFC), specifically, in the right inferior frontal gyrus, pars orbitalis (BA 47). Unbiased regression estimates showed that variability in activity in this region accounted for ∼40% of the variance in behavioral expression of conflict adaptation across subjects, thus documenting a heretofore unsuspected key role for vlPFC in mediating conflict-driven adjustments in cognitive control. We speculate that vlPFC plays a primary role in conflict control that is supplemented by dlPFC recruitment under conditions of suboptimal performance.

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