scholarly journals Temporal and spectral dynamics underlying cognitive control modulated by task-irrelevant stimulus-response learning

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 158-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanan Cao ◽  
Xiangyi Cao ◽  
Zhenzhu Yue ◽  
Ling Wang
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Irrelevant Stimulus ◽  
Response Learning ◽  
Spectral Dynamics ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Task Irrelevant

scholarly journals Cognitive control in bilinguals: Advantages in Stimulus–Stimulus inhibition

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 610-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
HENRIKE K. BLUMENFELD ◽  
VIORICA MARIAN
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Stroop Task ◽  
Simon Task ◽  
Irrelevant Information ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Stimulus Features ◽  
Task Irrelevant ◽  
Language Profiles

Bilinguals have been shown to outperform monolinguals at suppressing task-irrelevant information and on overall speed during cognitive control tasks. Here, monolinguals’ and bilinguals’ performance was compared on two nonlinguistic tasks: a Stroop task (with perceptualStimulus–Stimulus conflictamong stimulus features) and a Simon task (withStimulus–Response conflict). Across two experiments testing bilinguals with different language profiles, bilinguals showed more efficient Stroop than Simon performance, relative to monolinguals, who showed fewer differences across the two tasks. Findings suggest that bilingualism may engage Stroop-type cognitive control mechanisms more than Simon-type mechanisms, likely due to increased Stimulus–Stimulus conflict during bilingual language processing. Findings are discussed in light of previous research on bilingual Stroop and Simon performance.

Irrelevant Stimulus Processing When Switching Between Tasks

2013 ◽  
Vol 221 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Wendt * ◽  
Andrea Kiesel * ◽  
Hanna Mathew ◽  
Aquiles Luna-Rodriguez ◽  
Thomas Jacobsen
Keyword(s):  
Irrelevant Stimulus ◽  
Irrelevant Information ◽  
The Other ◽  
Task Switch ◽  
Task Repetition ◽  
Impaired Performance ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Current Task ◽  
Frequent Switching ◽  
Task Irrelevant

Frequent switching between two tasks afforded by the same stimuli is associated with between-task congruency effects, that is, relatively impaired performance when a stimulus affords different responses as compared to the same responses in both tasks. These congruency effects indicate some form of application of the stimulus-response (S-R) rules of the currently irrelevant task. Between-task congruency effects are usually enhanced on task switch trials compared with task repetition trials. Here we investigate whether this interaction reflects stronger proactive interference from the irrelevant task on switch trials or whether performance on switch trials is characterized by generally enhanced susceptibility to task-irrelevant information processing. To this end, we contrasted between-task congruency effects with interference exerted from flanker stimuli taken from the current task (Experiment 1) and from spatial-numerical association of response codes (SNARC; Experiment 2). In both experiments, between-task congruency effects were larger on switch trials than on repetition trials, whereas interference from the other source remained constant, thus demonstrating that switch trials are not characterized by generally increased distractibility.

A Simon effect for stimulus-response duration

2002 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 581-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilfried Kunde ◽  
Christian Stöcker
Keyword(s):  
Simon Effect ◽  
Response Duration ◽  
Irrelevant Stimulus ◽  
Presentation Duration ◽  
Independent Manner ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Correspondence Effects ◽  
Stimulus Features ◽  
Single Response ◽  
Task Irrelevant

A non-spatial variant of the Simon effect for the stimulus-response (S-R) feature of duration is reported. In Experiment 1 subjects were required to press a single response key either briefly or longer in response to the colour of a visual stimulus that varied in its presentation duration. Short keypresses were initiated faster with short than with long stimulus duration whereas the inverse was observed with long keypresses. In Experiment 2 subjects were required to press a left or right key (according to stimulus form) either briefly or longer (according to stimulus colour). The stimuli concurrently varied in their location (left or right) and duration (short or long), which were both task irrelevant. Approximately additive correspondence effects for S-R location and S-R duration were observed. To summarize, the results suggest that the irrelevant stimulus features of location and duration are processed automatically and prime corresponding responses in an independent manner.

scholarly journals Goal-Based Binding of Irrelevant Stimulus Features for Action Slips

2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 206-213
Author(s):  
Anna Foerster ◽  
Klaus Rothermund ◽  
Juhi Jayesh Parmar ◽  
Birte Moeller ◽  
Christian Frings ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Irrelevant Stimulus ◽  
Action Control ◽  
Alternative Interpretation ◽  
Concurrent Task ◽  
Cognitive System ◽  
Response Mapping ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
The Future ◽  
Stimulus Features ◽  
Task Irrelevant

Abstract. Binding between representations of stimuli and actions and later retrieval of these compounds provide efficient shortcuts in action control. Recent observations indicate that these mechanisms are not only effective when action episodes go as planned, but they also seem to be at play when actions go awry. Moreover, the human cognitive system even corrects traces of error commission on the fly because it binds the intended but not actually executed response to concurrent task-relevant stimuli, thus enabling retrieval of a correct, but not actually executed response when encountering the stimulus again. However, a plausible alternative interpretation of this finding is that error commission triggers selective strengthening of the instructed stimulus–response mapping instead, thus promoting its efficient application in the future. The experiment presented here makes an unequivocal case for episodic binding and retrieval in erroneous action episodes by showing binding between task-irrelevant stimuli and correct responses.

scholarly journals Auditory Working Memory Load Impairs Visual Ventral Stream Processing: Toward a Unified Model of Attentional Load

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Klemen ◽  
Christian Büchel ◽  
Mira Bühler ◽  
Mareike M. Menz ◽  
Michael Rose
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Human Performance ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Matching Task ◽  
Load Theory ◽  
Attentional Load ◽  
Relevant Task ◽  
Task Irrelevant

Attentional interference between tasks performed in parallel is known to have strong and often undesired effects. As yet, however, the mechanisms by which interference operates remain elusive. A better knowledge of these processes may facilitate our understanding of the effects of attention on human performance and the debilitating consequences that disruptions to attention can have. According to the load theory of cognitive control, processing of task-irrelevant stimuli is increased by attending in parallel to a relevant task with high cognitive demands. This is due to the relevant task engaging cognitive control resources that are, hence, unavailable to inhibit the processing of task-irrelevant stimuli. However, it has also been demonstrated that a variety of types of load (perceptual and emotional) can result in a reduction of the processing of task-irrelevant stimuli, suggesting a uniform effect of increased load irrespective of the type of load. In the present study, we concurrently presented a relevant auditory matching task [n-back working memory (WM)] of low or high cognitive load (1-back or 2-back WM) and task-irrelevant images at one of three object visibility levels (0%, 50%, or 100%). fMRI activation during the processing of the task-irrelevant visual stimuli was measured in the lateral occipital cortex and found to be reduced under high, compared to low, WM load. In combination with previous findings, this result is suggestive of a more generalized load theory, whereby cognitive load, as well as other types of load (e.g., perceptual), can result in a reduction of the processing of task-irrelevant stimuli, in line with a uniform effect of increased load irrespective of the type of load.

scholarly journals Do Reward-Related Distractors Impair Cognitive Performance? Perhaps Not

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorottya Rusz ◽  
Erik Bijleveld ◽  
Michiel A. J. Kompier
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Mental Arithmetic ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Arithmetic Task ◽  
Bayesian Analyses ◽  
Monetary Rewards ◽  
Mental Arithmetic Task ◽  
Task Irrelevant ◽  
Math Problems

Over a hundred prior studies show that reward-related distractors capture attention. It is less clear, however, whether and when reward-related distractors affect performance on tasks that require cognitive control. In this experiment, we examined whether reward-related distractors impair performance during a demanding arithmetic task. Participants (N = 81) solved math problems, while they were exposed to task-irrelevant stimuli that were previously associated with monetary rewards (vs. not). Although we found some evidence for reward learning in the training phase, results from the test phase showed no evidence that reward-related distractors harm cognitive performance. This null effect was invariant across different versions of our task. We examined the results further with Bayesian analyses, which showed positive evidence for the null. Altogether, the present study showed that reward-related distractors did not harm performance on a mental arithmetic task. When considered together with previous studies, the present study suggests that the negative impact of reward-related distractors on cognitive control is not as straightforward as it may seem, and that more research is needed to clarify the circumstances under which reward-related distractors harm cognitive control.

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