Cognitive Control Efficiency Research Articles

Why are some individuals better at using negative attentional templates to suppress distractors? Exploration of interindividual differences in cognitive control efficiency.

Negative templates are based on foreknowledge of distractor features and can lead to more efficient visual search at the group level. However, large individual differences exist in the size of benefits induced by negative cues. The cognitive factors underlying these interindividual differences remain unknown. Previous research has suggested higher engagement of proactive control for negative templates compared to positive templates. We thus hypothesized that interindividual differences in proactive control efficiency may explain the large variability in negative cue benefits. A large data set made up of data from two previously published studies was reanalyzed (N = 139), with eye movements recorded in 36 participants. Individual proactive control efficiency was measured through reaction time (RT) variability. Participants with higher proactive control efficiency exhibited larger benefits after negative cues across two critical measures: Individuals with higher proactive control showed larger RT benefits following negative compared to neutral cues; similarly, individuals with higher proactive control exhibited lower first saccades to cued distractor items. No such relationship was observed for positive cues. Our results confirmed the existence of large interindividual differences in the benefits induced by negative attentional templates. Critically, we show that proactive control drives these interindividual differences in negative template use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of stimulus onset asynchrony on cognitive control in healthy adults.

The efficiency of cognitive control in healthy adults can be influenced by various factors, including the stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) effect and strategy training. To address these issues, our study aims to investigate the impact of SOA on single-mode cognitive control using the Go/No-Go task, as well as the manifestation of proactive control within dual mechanisms of cognitive control through the AX-CPT task. In single-mode cognitive control, extending SOA led to significantly enhanced reaction times (RTs) during Go trials, suggesting improved task performance with increased preparation time. Moreover, the analysis revealed consistently higher accuracy rates in No-Go trials than to Go trials across all SOA levels, indicating robust inhibition processes unaffected by SOA variations. In the dual mechanisms of cognitive control, significant variations in RT and accuracy were observed among different trial types. Notably, participants exhibited superior performance in detecting targets during BY trials and shorter RTs in BX trials, indicative of efficient processing of target stimuli. Conversely, prolonged RTs in AY trials suggest proactive control strategies aimed at maintaining task-relevant information and inhibiting irrelevant responses. Overall, these findings highlight the effect of SOA on single-mode cognitive control and the emergence of proactive control within dual mechanisms of cognitive control in healthy adults.

Differences in the Efficiency of Cognitive Control across Young Adulthood: An ERP Perspective.

Young adulthood is a period of major life changes when everyday life becomes much more complex compared to adolescence. Such changes require highly efficient cognitive control. Developmental studies show that structural changes in the brain areas that support complex behavior continue into the early 20s. However, despite the fact that at the beginning of young adulthood, important behavioral and brain restructuring still occurs, most studies use broad age ranges for young adults (from 18 to 40 years of age) as a reference point for "adult" behavior. The aim of this study was to investigate age-related differences in the efficiency of cognitive control across young adulthood. In total, 107 individuals participated in this study and were divided into three age groups: 19-21, 23-26, and 28-44. We used a visual word categorization task to assess cognitive efficiency and event-related potentials (ERPs) to track events that take place from the stimulus onset until the actual behavioral response. We found age differences in both performance and amplitudes of the ERP components during the early stages of processing - P2 and N2. Our findings provide important evidence for the continuation of age-related changes in brain dynamics that underlie the efficiency of cognitive control even in the early 20s.

Supplemental Material for Why Are Some Individuals Better at Using Negative Attentional Templates to Suppress Distractors? Exploration of Interindividual Differences in Cognitive Control Efficiency

Supplemental Material for Why Are Some Individuals Better at Using Negative Attentional Templates to Suppress Distractors? Exploration of Interindividual Differences in Cognitive Control Efficiency

FC22: Changes in inhibitory control in older adults: Diminished inhibitory efficiency or slowing of general processing speed?

Background:Age-related losses in cognitive control efficiency in the face of response conflict are commonly reported in ageing research. However, it is unclear to what extent this effect reflects changes in actual inhibitory control, or the well-known age-related slowing of processing speed.Methods:We compared young (n = 42; 29 women; mean age = 19.6 years; mean formal education = 13 years) and older adults (n = 42; 27 women; mean age = 68.7 years; mean formal education = 12.8 years) using a spatial Stroop task. Participants responded to the direction of an arrow, ignoring its position. Direction and position could be congruent, incongruent or neutral (respectively low, high and no conflict trials). The level of conflict in trial n-1 (high or no conflict) modulated the level of adaptive control in the nth trial. We used multivariate analyses of variance to probe age-group effects on inhibitory efficiency, adaptive (high conflict n-1 trial) and momentary (no conflict n-1 trial). We analysed accuracy and direct as well as proportional reaction times, which respectively integrate and control for differences in general processing speed.Results:Older participants showed a larger overall Stroop effect in both direct [Wilks’ λ = .61, F(2,81) = 25.99, p<.001] and proportional reaction times [Wilks’ λ = .79, F(2, 81) = 10.55, p<.001]. Controlling for differences in general processing speed did not impact age-group effects on momentary inhibitory efficiency [F(1,82) = 17.78, p<.001], but eliminated a trend for poorer adaptive inhibitory control in the older group [F(1, 82)=.198, p = .657]. As for accuracy, we unexpectedly found a larger Stroop effect for the younger group [Wilks’ λ = .79, F(2, 81) = 11.07, p=.001].Conclusion:Older and younger adults are as effective in using previous response conflicts to prepare for current conflict resolution. Older adults' lower momentary inhibitory effectiveness likely reflects age-related slowing of processing speed as well as, to a degree to be determined in future research, larger strategic reaction times investment in accuracy enhancement.Funding:BIAL Foundation (Grant 234/14)

Individual-level functional connectivity predicts cognitive control efficiency

Cognitive control (CC) is essential for problem-solving in everyday life, and CC-related deficits occur alongside costly and debilitating disorders. The tri-partite model suggests that CC comprises multiple behaviors, including switching, inhibiting, and updating. Activity within the fronto-parietal control network B (FPCN-B), the dorsal attention network (DAN), the cingulo-opercular network (CON), and the lateral default-mode network (L-DMN) is related to switching and inhibiting behaviors. However, our understanding of how these brain regions interact to bring about cognitive switching and inhibiting in individuals is unclear. In the current study, subjects performed two in-scanner tasks that required switching and inhibiting. We used support vector regression (SVR) models containing individually-estimated functional connectivity between the FPCN-B, DAN, CON and L-DMN to predict switching and inhibiting behaviors. We observed that: inter-network connectivity can predict inhibiting and switching behaviors in individuals, and the L-DMN plays a role in switching and inhibiting behaviors. Therefore, individually estimated inter-network connections are markers of CC behaviors, and CC behaviors may arise due to interactions between a set of networks.

Cognitive control in bilinguals: Proficiency and code-switching both matter

We examined the impact of bilingualism as a construct of both language usage and language proficiency on the effectiveness of cognitive control. In particular, we asked whether the frequency of daily dense code-switching – frequent change of language within and between sentences with the same interlocutor- and the level of L2 proficiency separately and or interactively affect cognitive control efficiency in the Simon task. Results from 134 bilinguals showed that frequently code-switching bilinguals had fewer errors and their accuracy rate improved over trials leading to a smaller Simon effect. For response times (RTs), however, L2 proficiency modulated the Simon effect, and interacted with code-switching frequency in intricate ways in modulating overall RTs over trials. Crucially, highly proficient frequently code-switching bilinguals were better at conflict adaptation. These results show that bilinguals differ among themselves, and that researchers need to take both proficiency and language use into account to test the impact of bilingual experience on cognitive control. Bilingualism should be regarded as a continuum, with many different factors contributing to the language experience and affecting cognitive functioning.

Valence and arousal of words in visual and conceptual interference control efficiency.

Cognitive control efficiency is susceptible to the emotional state of an individual. The aim of the current experiment was to search for the role of valence and arousal of emotion-laden words in a performance efficiency of a modified emotional Stroop task (EST) combined with the flanker task. Both paradigms allow for the measurement of the interference control, but interference appears on different stages of stimulus processing. In the flanker task, the interference is perceptual, while in EST, it is based on the emotional meaning of stimuli. We expected to find the effects of emotionality of words, that is, arousal and valence levels, for interference measured with EST. In a series of two experiments, the results confirmed that a high arousal level enlarges the reaction latencies to the EST. We also identified interaction between valence and arousal in shaping reaction latencies. We found the flanker congruency effect. We did not find interactions between emotional factors and flanker congruency. This suggests that interference measured with the EST and flanker task are in fact different from one another, and while using the modified EST combined with the flanker task, the word-meaning effects do not interfere with pure perceptual interferences.

Anterior cingulate cortex sulcation and its differential effects on conflict monitoring in bilinguals and monolinguals

The role of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in modulating the effect of bilingual experience on cognitive control has been reported at both functional and structural neural levels. Individual differences in the ACC sulcal patterns have been recently correlated with cognitive control efficiency in monolinguals. We aimed to investigate whether differences of ACC sulcation mediate the effect of bilingualism on cognitive control efficiency. We contrasted the performance of bilinguals and monolinguals during a cognitive control task (i.e., the Flanker Task) using a stratification based on the participants’ ACC sulcal features. We found that performance of the two groups was differentially affected by ACC sulcation. Our findings provide the first evidence that early neurodevelopmental mechanisms may modulate the effect of different environmental backgrounds – here, bilingual vs monolingual experience – on cognitive efficiency.

Training of support afferentation in postmenopausal women

We have recently shown a diminishing of the Menopause Index in old-aged women who underwent special training directed at the enhancement of support afferentation by increasing the plantar forefoot sensitivity (Bazanova et al., 2015). Based on these results we hypothesized, that purposeful training of support afferentation through stimulation of plantar graviceptors by Aikido practice will decrease excessive postural and psychoemotional tension not only in rest condition, but during cognitive and manual task performance too. Fluency of cognitive and motor task performance, EEG alpha power as an index of neuronal efficiency of cognitive control, amount of alpha power suppression as a visual activation measure and EMG power of forehead muscles as a sign of psychoemotional tension were compared in three groups of post-menopausal women: i) 8years training with forefeet support afferentation with Aikido practice (A), ii) 8years fitness training (F) and iii) no dedicated fitness training for past 8years (N). Simultaneous stabilometry, EEG, and frontal EMG recording were performed in sitting and standing up position in eyes closed and eyes open condition. Recording done at rest and while performing cognitive and finger motor tasks. We compared studied parameters between groups with one- and two-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, followed by post hoc two-tailed unpaired t-tests.The fluency of tasks performance, EMG and alpha-EEG-activity displayed similar values in all groups in a sitting position. Center of pressure (CoP) sway length, velocity and energy demands for saving balance increased when standing up, more in group N than in groups F and A (all contrasts p values<0.002, η2>0.89). Post hoc t-tests showed increased fluency in standing in both Aikido (p<0.01) and Fitness (p<0.05) subjects in relation to untrained subjects. Increasing fluency in motor task performance was in parallel with enhancing the EEG alpha-2-power and decreasing EMG power only in A group (η2>0.77). Fluency in motor task and alpha EEG power decreased, but frontal EMG power increased in response to standing in untrained women (group N) and did not change in F group. Post hoc t-tests showed that EEG amount of alpha-2 power suppression in response to visual activation and frontal EMG power was lower in A than F and N groups (p<0.004) during motor task performance in the standing position. These results were interpreted as showing that training of forefoot plantar surface sensitivity in postmenopausal women decreases levels of psychoemotional tension and increases cognitive control caused by the psychomotor and postural challenges. Thus, Aikido training aimed at learning coordination between manual task performance and balance control by increasing the plantar support zones sensation decreases the cost of maintained vertical position and dependence of motor coordination on visual contribution.

Effect Of Strenuous Exercise On Cognitive Control Efficiency

During exercise, optimal performance depends on the subject’s ability to simultaneously deal with cognitive and physical demands. Cognitive efficiency is best measured by complex decision making-tasks, such as Simon task. Subjects are requested to press either a left- or right-hand button according to the color of a visual stimulus presented either to the left or to the right of a fixation point. Performance is measured in term of mean reaction time (RT) and error rate (ER). It was classically observed that RT for ipsilateral stimulus-response associations (i.e. congruent trial, CO) was shorter than RT for contralateral stimulus-responses associations (i.e. incongruent trial, IN). This result is explained by the dual-route model of information processing. In this model, the side of the stimulus triggers an automatic and rapid response impulse whereas the color of the stimulus triggers a slower and deliberately controlled response. In IN associations, both responses are in conflict. PURPOSE: to assess the effects of strenuous exercise on cognitive control efficiency and error monitoring. METHODS: 16 healthy subjects (30.6±8.6y, 11 males, mean VO2max 47.3±7.8 ml/kg/min) performed a Simon task while cycling 25 min at rest (15W) or above the first ventilator threshold +5%. Partial errors (PE), which are suppressed incorrect action impulses before they result in an overt error, were recorded by EMG of the response effectors. Correction rate (CR) was calculated by dividing the number of PE by the number of incorrect activations (IA, partial errors plus errors). RESULTS: exercise was associated with shorter RT, higher ER and lower CR in IN and CO associations. Lower IA was observed in CO associations only. For the shortest trials, ER was higher for IN associations whatever the condition (i.e. exercise versus control). CONCLUSION: this study demonstrated that the ability to detect and correct IA was impaired by strenuous exercise for CO situations. Strenuous exercise reduced the occurrence of fast-guesses, the net behavioral result being reflected in an increase in error commission for IN associations.

Reduced Efficiency and Capacity of Cognitive Control in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Cognitive control constrains mental operations to prioritize information that reaches conscious awareness and is essential to flexible, adaptive behavior under conditions of uncertainty. Cognitive control can be compromised by neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is characterized by the presence of social and communicative deficits, and restricted interests/repetitive behaviors. Although prior investigations have attempted to elucidate the nature of cognitive control in ASD, whether there is an underlying information processing deficit associated with cognitive control remains unclear. This study challenged cognitive control in 15 high-functioning adults with ASD and 15 typically developing (TD) controls using three novel tasks designed to systematically manipulate uncertainty. We aimed to investigate the efficiency of cognitive control in sequential information processing, cognitive control of nonsequential information processing across a range of cognitive loads and cognitive control capacity under time constraint. Results demonstrated that the ASD group performed less efficiently on sequential and nonsequential information processing, and had reduced cognitive control capacity under time constraint relative to the TD group. These findings suggest that inefficient cognitive control of information processing may be a fundamental deficit in ASD.

Predicting stroop effect from spontaneous neuronal activity: a study of regional homogeneity.

The Stroop effect is one of the most robust and well-studied phenomena in cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience. However, little is known about the relationship between intrinsic brain activity and the individual differences of this effect. In the present study, we explored this issue by examining whether resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) signals could predict individual differences in the Stroop effect of healthy individuals. A partial correlation analysis was calculated to examine the relationship between regional homogeneity (ReHo) and Stroop effect size, while controlling for age, sex, and framewise displacement (FD). The results showed positive correlations in the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG), the left insula, the ventral anterior cingulate cortex (vACC), and the medial frontal gyrus (MFG), and negative correlation in the left precentral gyrus (LPG). These results indicate the possible influences of the LIFG, the left insula, and the LPG on the efficiency of cognitive control, and demonstrate that the key nodes of default mode network (DMN) may be important in goal-directed behavior and/or mental effort during cognitive control tasks.

Variability in inter-trial coherence predicts variability in cognitive control efficiency

Variability in inter-trial coherence predicts variability in cognitive control efficiency

Electrophysiological correlates of motor sequence learning.

BackgroundThe Error-related negativity (ERN) is a component of the event-related brain potentials elicited by error commission. The ERN is thought to reflect cognitive control processes aiming to improve performance. As previous studies showed a modulation of the ERN amplitude throughout the execution of a learning task, this study aims to follow the ERN amplitude changes from early to late learning blocks in relation with concomitant motor sequence learning using a serial reaction time (SRT) task. Twenty-two healthy participants completed a SRT task during which continuous EEG activity was recorded. The SRT task consists of series of stimulus-response pairs and involves motor learning of a repeating sequence. Learning was computed as the difference in mean response time between the last sequence block and the last random blocks that immediately follows it (sequence-specific learning). Event-related potentials were analysed to measure ERN amplitude elicited by error commission.ResultsMean ERN amplitude difference between the first four learning blocks and the last four learning blocks of the SRT task correlated significantly with motor sequence learning as well as with overall response time improvement, such that those participants whose ERN amplitude most increased through learning blocks were also those who exhibited most SRT task improvements. In contrast, neither sequence-specific learning nor overall response time improvement across learning blocks were found to be related to averaged ERN amplitude from all learning blocks.ConclusionFindings from the present study suggest that the ERN amplitude changes from early to late learning blocks occurring over the course of the SRT task, as opposed to the averaged ERN amplitude from all learning blocks, is more closely associated with learning of a motor sequence. These findings propose an improved electrophysiological marker to index change in cognitive control efficiency during motor sequence learning.

Age-related decline in cognitive control: the role of fluid intelligence and processing speed

BackgroundResearch on cognitive control suggests an age-related decline in proactive control abilities whereas reactive control seems to remain intact. However, the reason of the differential age effect on cognitive control efficiency is still unclear. This study investigated the potential influence of fluid intelligence and processing speed on the selective age-related decline in proactive control. Eighty young and 80 healthy older adults were included in this study. The participants were submitted to a working memory recognition paradigm, assessing proactive and reactive cognitive control by manipulating the interference level across items.ResultsRepeated measures ANOVAs and hierarchical linear regressions indicated that the ability to appropriately use cognitive control processes during aging seems to be at least partially affected by the amount of available cognitive resources (assessed by fluid intelligence and processing speed abilities).ConclusionsThis study highlights the potential role of cognitive resources on the selective age-related decline in proactive control, suggesting the importance of a more exhaustive approach considering the confounding variables during cognitive control assessment.

The Shape of the ACC Contributes to Cognitive Control Efficiency in Preschoolers

Cognitive success at school and later in life is supported by executive functions including cognitive control (CC). The pFC plays a major role in CC, particularly the dorsal part of ACC or midcingulate cortex. Genes, environment (including school curricula), and neuroplasticity affect CC. However, no study to date has investigated whether ACC sulcal pattern, a stable brain feature primarily determined in utero, influences CC efficiency in the early stages of cognitive and neural development. Using anatomical MRI and three-dimensional reconstruction of cortical folds, we investigated the effect that ACC sulcal pattern may have on the Stroop score, a classical behavioral index of CC efficiency, in 5-year-old preschoolers. We found higher CC efficiency, that is, lower Stroop interference scores for both RTs and error rates, in children with asymmetrical ACC sulcal pattern (i.e., different pattern in each hemisphere) compared with children with symmetrical pattern (i.e., same pattern in both hemispheres). Critically, ACC sulcal pattern had no effect on performance in the forward and backward digit span tasks suggesting that ACC sulcal pattern contributes to the executive ability to resolve conflicts but not to the ability to maintain and manipulate information in working memory. This finding provides the first evidence that preschoolers' CC efficiency is likely associated with ACC sulcal pattern, thereby suggesting that the brain shape could result in early constraints on human executive ability.

Variability in resting state EEG and task switching performance

Event Abstract Back to Event Variability in resting state EEG and task switching performance Patrick Cooper1, Chris Brown1, Anna Tuyl1, Ross Fulham2, Pat Michie1 and Frini Karayanidis1* 1 University of Newcastle, School of Psychology, Australia 2 Centre for Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Newcastle, Australia The importance of studying the role of functional connectivity of large scale neural networks on task performance is increasingly being recognised. Electroencephalogram (EEG) can be used to quantify the synchronisation of neural populations that make up such large scale networks. For example, during resting EEG, alpha (8-12Hz) and theta (4-7.5Hz) band activity are emerging as indexes of functional connectivity, with stronger alpha and lower theta power indicating increased neural synchronisation across the cortex. Increased neural synchronisation is likely to be a marker of more efficient functional connectivity. Hence, higher order cognitive processes that require efficient integration of information are likely to be performed faster and/or more accurately by individuals with stronger resting state synchronisation across networks. Cognitive flexibility, i.e., the ability to flexibly adapt behaviour to meet changing goals, is a cognitive control process that requires information integration across networks. In this study, we investigate the relationship between functional connectivity and cognitive flexibility. We measure alpha and theta power during eyes-closed resting state EEG before, during and after performance of a cognitively demanding task switching paradigm. We examined whether variability in alpha and theta power measures was related to variability in switching efficiency in a group of 20 young adults. Early findings suggest that individual variability in functional connectivity is related to variability in cognitive control efficiency. These differences may reflect variability in information processing within frontal processing networks. Keywords: resting state EEG, cognitive control, task switching, ERP/EEG, cognitive flexibility Conference: ACNS-2012 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference, Brisbane, Australia, 29 Nov - 2 Dec, 2012. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Executive Processes Citation: Cooper P, Brown C, Tuyl A, Fulham R, Michie P and Karayanidis F (2012). Variability in resting state EEG and task switching performance. Conference Abstract: ACNS-2012 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2012.208.00028 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 25 Oct 2012; Published Online: 07 Nov 2012. * Correspondence: Prof. Frini Karayanidis, University of Newcastle, School of Psychology, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia, frini.karayanidis@newcastle.edu.au Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Patrick Cooper Chris Brown Anna Tuyl Ross Fulham Pat Michie Frini Karayanidis Google Patrick Cooper Chris Brown Anna Tuyl Ross Fulham Pat Michie Frini Karayanidis Google Scholar Patrick Cooper Chris Brown Anna Tuyl Ross Fulham Pat Michie Frini Karayanidis PubMed Patrick Cooper Chris Brown Anna Tuyl Ross Fulham Pat Michie Frini Karayanidis Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Effect of Acute Exercise on Cognitive Control Required during an Eriksen Flanker Task

This study aimed to determine how cognitive control, engaged in a task requiring selective inhibition, is affected by acute steady-state exercise. An adapted version of the Eriksen flanker task, involving three types of trials that varied according to their level of congruency (congruent trials, stimulus-incongruent trials, and response-incongruent trials) was performed during 2 periods of 20-min cycling at a carefully controlled intensity (50% of maximal aerobic power). The results indicated that moderate exercise improves reaction time (RT) performance on the Eriksen flanker task. This facilitating effect appeared to be neither dependent on the nature of the interference (stimulus level conflict vs. response level conflict) nor on the amount of cognitive control engaged in the task (congruent vs. incongruent trials). Distributional RT analyses did not highlight any sign of impairment in the efficiency of cognitive control.