Abstract
It is well established that cuing facilitates behavioral performance and that different aspects of instructional cues evoke specific neural preparatory processes in cued task-switching paradigms. To deduce the functional role of these neural preparatory processes the majority of studies vary aspects of the experimental paradigm and describe how these variations alter markers of neural preparatory processes. Although these studies provide important insights, they also have notable limitations, particularly in terms of understanding the causal or functional relationship of neural markers to cognitive and behavioral processes. In this study, we sought to address these limitations and uncover the functional roles of neural processes by examining how variability in the amplitude of neural preparatory processes predicts behavioral performance to subsequent stimuli. To achieve this objective 16 young adults were recruited to perform a cued Stroop task while their brain activity was measured using high-density electroencephalography. Four temporally overlapping but functionally and topographically distinct cue-triggered event related potentials (ERPs) were identified: 1) A left-frontotemporal negativity (250-700 ms) that was positively associated with word-reading performance; 2) a midline-frontal negativity (450-800 ms) that was positively associated with color-naming and incongruent performance; 3) a left-frontal negativity (450-800 ms) that was positively associated with switch trial performance; and 4) a centroparietal positivity (450-800 ms) that was positively associated with performance for almost all trial types. These results suggest that at least four dissociable cognitive processes are evoked by instructional cues in the present task, including: 1) domain-specific task facilitation; 2) switch-specific task-set reconfiguration; 3) preparation for response conflict; and 4) proactive attentional control. Examining the relationship between ERPs and behavioral performance provides a functional link between neural markers and the cognitive processes they index.
Highlights
Efficient goal-directed behavior requires neural mechanisms to react to immediate goal-related stimuli and to proactively shift neural resources to optimize goal-directed behavior on the basis of environmental cues and internal goals
Cued task-switching paradigms reliably demonstrate that instructional cues impact both task performance and pre-stimulus brain activity, providing a relevant experimental model for studying the phenomenology and neural correlates of proactive cognitive control [1]
Preparatory activations revealed by comparing switch and repeat trials may include switch-specific preparatory processes and activity related to general cognitive control and conflict monitoring that are present in both switch and repeat trials but relatively enhanced in switch trials
Summary
Efficient goal-directed behavior requires neural mechanisms to react to immediate goal-related stimuli and to proactively shift neural resources to optimize goal-directed behavior on the basis of environmental cues and internal goals. The majority of studies deduced the functional role of preparatory neural processes by measuring the effects of paradigm manipulations on behavior and neural markers These studies report a diverse array of cue-related cognitive processes including goal-shifting [3], disengagement from the prior task [4], facilitation of task-relevant brain networks [5,6,7], inhibition of task-irrelevant brain networks [8], anticipatory conflict monitoring [9,10], implementation of anticipatory cognitive control for the more difficult task [11], and maintenance of goal representations [12,13]. Studies using multiple contrasts have overcome some of these limitations and have been successfully applied to resolve some apparent conflicts in this field [4]
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