scholarly journals Dissociating proactively and retroactively cued task switching: a route towards neuropsychological analyses of cognitive control

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Kopp ◽  
Karl Wessel
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Response Time ◽  
Task Switching ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Switch Costs ◽  
Principal Component Analyses ◽  
Frontal Lesions

Cognitive control is often examined in task switching paradigms with dissociable types of task switching. Proactive task-cuing presents switch cues, signaling both a change of task and the task to implement, which occur prior to imperative events. Proactive transition-cuing utilizes switch cues, signaling a change of task but not indicating the required task, which occur prior to imperative events. Retroactive transition-cuing utilizes switch cues, again signaling a change of task but not indicating the required task, which occur later than imperative events. Thirty-six healthy young adults participated in the study. Response time switch costs were most pronounced on proactive task-cuing, whereas perseveration errors showed highest prevalence on retroactive transition-cuing. Principal component analyses revealed evidence for two components corresponding to the distinction between proactive and retroactive task-cuing, thus implying a dissociation between proactively and retroactively cued task switching. Retroactive transitioncuing might be particularly sensitive to frontal lesions of the cortex.

A Review of the Role of Cue Processing in Task Switching

2013 ◽  
Vol 221 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerstin Jost ◽  
Wouter De Baene ◽  
Iring Koch ◽  
Marcel Brass
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Task Switching ◽  
Task Switch ◽  
Task Set ◽  
Switch Costs ◽  
Set Switching ◽  
Controversial Topic ◽  
Cue Encoding ◽  
Cue Processing

The role of cue processing has become a controversial topic in research on cognitive control using task-switching procedures. Some authors suggested a priming account to explain switch costs as a form of encoding benefit when the cue from the previous trial is repeated and hence challenged theories that attribute task-switch costs to task-set (re)configuration. A rich body of empirical evidence has evolved that indeed shows that cue-encoding repetition priming is an important component in task switching. However, these studies also demonstrate that there are usually substantial “true” task-switch costs. Here, we review this behavioral, electrophysiological, and brain imaging evidence. Moreover, we describe alternative approaches to the explicit task-cuing procedure, such as the usage of transition cues or the task-span procedure. In addition, we address issues related to the type of cue, such as cue transparency. We also discuss methodological and theoretical implications and argue that the explicit task-cuing procedure is suitable to address issues of cognitive control and task-set switching.

Individual differences in resilience to stress are associated with affective flexibility

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lena Rademacher ◽  
Dominik Kraft ◽  
Cindy Eckart ◽  
Christian Fiebach
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Task Switching ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Affective Valence ◽  
Switch Costs ◽  
Cognitive Stability ◽  
Situational Demands ◽  
Affective Information ◽  
Relationship Of

Cognitive flexibility, the capacity to adjust behavior to changing situational demands, is frequently linked to resilience because of its important contribution to stress regulation. In this context, particularly affective flexibility, defined as the ability to flexibly attend and disengage from affective information, may play a significant role. However, there are so far only very few empirical investigations that directly explore the link between flexibility and resilience to stress. In the present study, the relationship of cognitive and affective flexibility and resilience was examined in 100 healthy participants. Resilience was measured with three self-report questionnaires, two defining resilience as a personality trait and one focusing on resilience as an outcome in the sense of stress coping abilities. Cognitive and affective flexibility were assessed in two experimental task switching paradigms with non-affective and affective materials and tasks, respectively. The cognitive flexibility paradigm additionally included measures of cognitive stability and dispositional cognitive flexibility. In the affective flexibility paradigm, we explicitly considered the affective valence of the stimuli before and during task switching. Response time switch costs in the affective flexibility paradigm were significantly correlated to all three self-report measures of resilience. Regarding the valence of the stimuli, the correlation with resilience was not specific to costs when switching from negative to positive information or vice versa. For cognitive (i.e., non-affective) flexibility, a significant correlation of response time switch costs was found with only one of the three resilience measures. A regression analysis including both affective and cognitive switch costs as predictors of resilience indicated that only affective, but not cognitive switch costs, explained unique variance components. Furthermore, the experimental measures of cognitive stability and dispositional cognitive flexibility did not correlate with resilience scores. These findings suggest that specifically the efficiency of flexibly switching between affective and non-affective information is related to resilience.

scholarly journals Internal consistency and test-retest reliability of an affective task-switching paradigm

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy Eckart ◽  
Dominik Kraft ◽  
Christian Fiebach
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Response Time ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Task Switching ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Strong Response ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
Switch Costs ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

Affective flexibility refers to the flexible adaptation of behavior or thought given emotionally relevant stimuli, tasks, or contexts. Individual differences in affective flexibility have received increased interest in the past years, as they may relate to differences in the efficiency of emotion regulation and dealing with stress and adversity. One way to assess individual differences in affective flexibility is to assess the behavioral costs (in terms of increased response times or errors rates) of switching between affective and neutral tasks. However, behavioral task measures like switch costs can only be treated as trait-like individual difference characteristics if their psychometric quality has been established. To this end, we developed an affective task switching paradigm and report an analysis of the test-retest reliability (inter-session interval two weeks) as well as internal consistencies of affective switch costs. Our results show strong response time switch costs, both for switching from the neutral to the emotion task and vice versa, excellent internal consistency estimates for both measures from both sessions (Spearman-Brown corrected r = .92), and good test-retest reliabilities (ICC(2,1) of .78 and .82, respectively). Effect sizes and reliability estimates were substantially lower for switch costs calculated from error rates, which is consistent with previous literature discussing the psychometric properties of task-based cognitive measures. In conclusion, our results indicate that response time-based switch costs are well-suited as a measure of individual differences in the efficiency of affective flexibility, i.e., of dynamically adjusting behavior and thought in the context of emotional task demands.

scholarly journals Disentangling the Roles of Cue Visibility and Knowledge in Adjusting Cognitive Control: A Preregistered Direct Replication of the Farooqui and Manly (2015) Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 468-479
Author(s):  
Christina Bejjani ◽  
Jack Dolgin ◽  
Ziwei Zhang ◽  
Tobias Egner
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
Task Switching ◽  
Control Process ◽  
Contextual Cuing ◽  
Switch Costs

Recent research suggests that people can learn to link the control process of task switching to predictive cues so that switch costs are attenuated following informative precues of switch likelihood. However, the precise conditions that shape such contextual cuing of control are not well understood. Farooqui and Manly (2015) raised the possibility that cued task switching is more effective when cues of control demand are presented subliminally. In the current study, we aimed to replicate and extend these findings by more systematically manipulating whether cues of control demand are consciously perceived or are presented subliminally and whether participants have explicit prior knowledge of the cue meaning or acquire cue knowledge through experience. The direct replication was unsuccessful: We found no evidence for effective subliminal cuing but observed some evidence for participants reducing switch costs with explicit, supraliminal cues. Thus, cognitive control may be guided most effectively by explicitly understood and consciously perceived precues.

Associations Between Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Executive Functioning in Young Adults

2017 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Lin ◽  
Kun Wang ◽  
Zuosong Chen ◽  
Xiang Fan ◽  
Liqun Shen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Task Switching ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Switch Costs ◽  
Cognitive Benefits ◽  
Linear Regression Modeling ◽  
Global Reaction

Associations between daily physical activity (PA) and executive functioning have rarely been investigated among young adults. This study examined these associations among 162 university students (74 females and 88 males; mean age = 19.0, SD = 1.1 years). We measured PA objectively, using hip-mounted accelerometers, and assessed executive functioning in a task-switching paradigm. Anthropometrics measurements were gathered using standardized procedures. Through linear regression modeling, we found moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (β = −0.19, 95% CI = [−0.35, −0.03], p = .02) and light physical activity (β = −0.17, 95% CI = [−0.34, −0.01], p = .04) to be associated with smaller global reaction time switch costs. Total PA was not associated with task-switching performance, and there were no statistically significant associations between PA indicators and local switch costs. As both moderate-to-vigorous and light physical activities were associated with better executive function in young adults, there can be important cognitive benefits to remaining physically active.

scholarly journals Associations of Cognitive Function with BMI, Body Fat Mass and Visceral Fat in Young Adulthood

Medicina ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 221
Author(s):  
Tao Huang ◽  
Zuosong Chen ◽  
Liqun Shen ◽  
Xiang Fan ◽  
Kun Wang
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Body Fat ◽  
Visceral Fat ◽  
Body Fat Percentage ◽  
Body Fat Mass ◽  
Fat Percentage ◽  
Visceral Fat Area ◽  
Switch Costs

Background and objectives: Existing studies concerning the associations of cognitive function with adiposity in young adults are sparse. The purpose of the study was to examine the associations of adiposity with cognitive control in young adults. Materials and Methods: Participants were 213 young adults (98 women and 115 men). Cognitive control was measured using a modified task-switching paradigm. Anthropometrics were measured by standardized procedures. Body fat mass and visceral fat area were measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Results: The results showed that increased body mass index (BMI, p = 0.02), body fat percentage (p = 0.02), and visceral fat area (p = 0.01) were significantly correlated with larger global switch costs of accuracy in women. In men, high levels of body fat percentage (p = 0.01) and visceral fat area (p = 0.03) were significantly correlated with larger local switch costs of reaction time. Conclusions: The results indicated that elevated adiposity was associated with worse performance on measures of cognitive control in young adults.

scholarly journals Task Switching After Stroke

2007 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia S Pohl ◽  
Joan M McDowd ◽  
Diane Filion ◽  
Lorie G Richards ◽  
William Stiers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
Task Switching ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Endogenous Control ◽  
Subacute Phase ◽  
Switch Costs ◽  
Switch Condition ◽  
Stroke Group ◽  
Switching Task

Background and Purpose Task switching is a cognitive skill that may be compromised after brain damage. The purposes of this study were to examine task-switching abilities in the subacute phase after stroke, to determine whether a switching task under endogenous or internal control is more difficult than a switching task under exogenous or cued control, and to determine whether deficits in switching attenuate in the first few months after stroke. Subjects The participants in this study were 46 adults with stroke and 38 adults without stroke. Methods Subjects performed 2 computer-based switching tasks, an alternating task that relied on endogenous control and a cued task that relied on exogenous control. Testing was done in subjects’ homes at 1 and 3 months after stroke and at a 2-month interval for control subjects. Switch costs, or the difference between the no-switch condition and the switch condition, were calculated for accuracy and response time. Results Subjects in the stroke group had higher switch costs for accuracy than did subjects in the control group. The alternating task was more difficult than the cued task, with higher switch costs for accuracy and response time. The alternating task was particularly difficult for subjects in the stroke group, with high switch costs for accuracy. Both groups showed decreased response time switch costs at the second testing session. Discussion and Conclusion Task switching, particularly if under endogenous control, is impaired in adults in the subacute phase after stroke. Clinicians should be aware of performance deficits that may relate to task switching.

Task-Switching Training and Transfer

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 106-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zsófia Anna Gaál ◽  
István Czigler
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Task Switching ◽  
Difficulty Level ◽  
Training Procedure ◽  
Far Transfer ◽  
Near Transfer ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Transfer Tasks

Abstract. We used task-switching (TS) paradigms to study how cognitive training can compensate age-related cognitive decline. Thirty-nine young (age span: 18–25 years) and 40 older (age span: 60–75 years) women were assigned to training and control groups. The training group received 8 one-hour long cognitive training sessions in which the difficulty level of TS was individually adjusted. The other half of the sample did not receive any intervention. The reference task was an informatively cued TS paradigm with nogo stimuli. Performance was measured on reference, near-transfer, and far-transfer tasks by behavioral indicators and event-related potentials (ERPs) before training, 1 month after pretraining, and in case of older adults, 1 year later. The results showed that young adults had better pretraining performance. The reference task was too difficult for older adults to form appropriate representations as indicated by the behavioral data and the lack of P3b components. But after training older adults reached the level of performance of young participants, and accordingly, P3b emerged after both the cue and the target. Training gain was observed also in near-transfer tasks, and partly in far-transfer tasks; working memory and executive functions did not improve, but we found improvement in alerting and orienting networks, and in the execution of variants of TS paradigms. Behavioral and ERP changes remained preserved even after 1 year. These findings suggest that with an appropriate training procedure older adults can reach the level of performance seen in young adults and these changes persist for a long period. The training also affects the unpracticed tasks, but the transfer depends on the extent of task similarities.

Effects of Monetary Incentives on Task Switching

2012 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 216-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Kleinsorge ◽  
Gerhard Rinkenauer
Keyword(s):  
Task Switching ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
General Level ◽  
Monetary Incentives ◽  
Switch Costs ◽  
Expectancy Effect ◽  
Reward Expectancy ◽  
Trial Basis

In two experiments, effects of incentives on task switching were investigated. Incentives were provided as a monetary bonus. In both experiments, the availability of a bonus varied on a trial-to-trial basis. The main difference between the experiments relates to the association of incentives to individual tasks. In Experiment 1, the association of incentives to individual tasks was fixed. Under these conditions, the effect of incentives was largely due to reward expectancy. Switch costs were reduced to statistical insignificance. This was true even with the task that was not associated with a bonus. In Experiment 2, there was a variable association of incentives to individual tasks. Under these conditions, the reward expectancy effect was bound to conditions with a well-established bonus-task association. In conditions in which the bonus-task association was not established in advance, enhanced performance of the bonus task was accompanied by performance decrements with the task that was not associated with a bonus. Reward expectancy affected mainly the general level of performance. The outcome of this study may also inform recently suggested neurobiological accounts about the temporal dynamics of reward processing.

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