Towards an Integrated Account of Incidental Learning and Cognitive Control

Abstract

SummaryInteraction between various cognitive systems is imperative in adaptive behaviour. Yet, the possibility of concurrent cognitive control and incidental sequence learning has been contentious. To test possible interrelations, we designed a novel sequential Stroop task. As the competition theory predicted, participants’ responses followed expectations in a Stroop task, however, they did not express control-independent learning of the stimulus-control state regularities. In contrast, statistical learning of stimulus-control state associations was enhanced in high stimulus conflict. Additionally, conflict-related response cost was reduced when the high conflict trials were predictable from the sequence. Thus, cognitive conflict can benefit from incidental sequence learning. Importantly, the EEG results suggest that competition and interaction can determine different stages of information processing. It is the level of conflict, the type of sequence learning, the general task experience, and the stage of information processing which determine whether cognitive conflict and sequence learning support or compete with each other.