Mixed-task Blocks Research Articles

Depressive symptoms and cognitive control: the role of affective interference

ABSTRACT Depressive symptoms are characterised by reduced cognitive control. However, whether depressive symptoms are linked to difficulty in exerting cognitive control in general or over emotional content specifically remains unclear. To better differentiate between affective interference or general cognitive control difficulties in people with depressive symptoms, we employed a non emotional (cold) and an emotional (hot) version of a task-switching paradigm in a nonclinical sample of young adults (N = 82) with varying levels of depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were linked to greater difficulties in exerting cognitive control in complex situations (mixed-task blocks) compared to simple and semiautomatic situations (single-task blocks) in both task versions. Moreover, greater depressive symptoms were associated with longer latencies in the emotional version of the task across all trial types. Thus, the emotion-specific effect was not modulated by the degree of cognitive control required to perform the task. In sum, depressive symptoms were characterised by a general difficulty to exert cognitive control in both emotional and non emotional contexts and by greater difficulty in even simple attentional processing of emotional material. This study granted novel insights on the extent of cognitive control difficulties in emotional and non emotional contexts for people with depressive symptoms.

The Effect of Bilingualism on Cue-Based vs. Memory-Based Task Switching in Older Adults.

Findings suggest a positive impact of bilingualism on cognition, including the later onset of dementia. However, it is not clear to what extent these effects are influenced by variations in attentional control demands in response to specific task requirements. In this study, 20 bilingual and 20 monolingual older adults performed a task-switching task under explicit task-cuing vs. memory-based switching conditions. In the cued condition, task switches occurred in random order and a visual cue signaled the next task to be performed. In the memory-based condition, the task alternated after every second trial in a predictable sequence without presenting a cue. The performance of bilinguals did not vary across experimental conditions, whereas monolinguals experienced a pronounced increase in response latencies and error rates in the cued condition. Both groups produced similar switch costs (difference in performance on switch trials as opposed to repeating trials within the mixed-task block) and mixing costs (difference in performance on repeat trials of a mixed-task block as opposed to trials of a single-task block), but bilinguals produced them with lower response latencies. The cognitive benefits of bilingualism seem not to apply to executive functions per se but to affect specific cognitive processes that involve task-relevant context processing. The present results suggest that lifelong bilingualism could promote in older adults a flexible adjustment to environmental cues, but only with increased task demands. However, due to the small sample size, the results should be interpreted with caution.

Brain oscillatory activity associated with switch and mixing costs during reactive control.

Task-switching paradigms, which involve task repetitions and between-task switches, have long been used as a benchmark of cognitive control processes. When mixed and single-task blocks are presented, two types of costs usually occur: the switch cost, measured by contrasting performance on switch and repeat trials during the mixed-task blocks, and the mixing cost, calculated as the performance difference between the all-repeat trials from the single-task blocks and the repeat trials from the mixed-task blocks. Both costs can be mitigated by informational cues that signal the upcoming task switch beforehand. Recent electroencephalographic studies have started unveiling the brain oscillatory activity underlying the switch cost during the preparatory cue-target interval, thus, targeting proactive control processes. Less attention has instead been paid to the mixing cost and, importantly, to the oscillatory dynamics involved in switch and mixing costs during reactive control. To fill this gap, here, we analyzed the time-frequency data obtained during a task-switching paradigm wherein the simultaneous presentation of task cues and targets increased the need for reactive control. Results showed that while alpha and beta bands were modulated by switch and mixing costs in a similar gradual fashion, with greater suppression going from switch to repeat and all-repeat trials, theta power was sensitive to the switch cost with increased power for switch than repeat trials. Together, our findings join previous studies underlining the importance of theta, alpha and beta oscillations in task-switching and extend them by depicting the oscillations involved in switch and mixing costs during reactive control processes.

Task switching and bilingualism in young and older adults: A behavioral and electrophysiological investigation

The current study investigated behavioral and electrophysiological (event-related potential; ERP) differences associated with task switching in a sample of young and older monolingual and bilingual adults. ERPs associated with task preparation (switch and mixing positivity) and task execution processes (N2 and P3b) were investigated. Participants performed a cued letter-number task switching paradigm that included single task and mixed task blocks, while their electroencephalography was recorded. Behavioral results revealed smaller switch and mixing costs in bilinguals relative to monolinguals, in both young and older participants. There were no ERP differences in the effect size of the cue-locked mixing and switch positivities, nor the target-locked mixing and switch N2 and P3b components. However, overall larger target-locked N2 amplitudes were observed in bilinguals relative to monolinguals. In addition, bilingual older adults exhibited smaller P3b amplitudes than monolingual older adults. The smaller behavioral mixing and switch costs observed in bilinguals suggest that bilinguals exhibit superior sustained attention and faster task-set reconfiguration processes compared to monolinguals. The ERP measures provide evidence for differences in brain processes between monolinguals and bilinguals and a reliance on different processing strategies in bilingual compared to monolingual older adults.

Individual differences in mixing costs relate to general executive functioning.

The ability to enact cognitive control under changing environmental demands is commonly studied using set-shifting paradigms. While the control processes required for task set reconfiguration (switch costs) have been studied extensively, less research has focused on the control required during task repetition in blocks containing multiple tasks as compared to those containing a single task (mixing costs). We investigated how individual differences in mixing costs related to other executive functions (EFs) in a large sample (N = 749) of young adults. Individual differences in mixing costs across three different set-shifting paradigms loaded significantly onto a mixing cost latent variable. This Mixing Cost factor moderately correlated with a Common EF factor capturing variance shared across nine EF tasks designed to tap response inhibition, working memory updating, and mental set-shifting. It did not correlate with Updating-Specific and Shifting-Specific factors. Results indicate that the additional cognitive control required during mixed-task block repeat trials relies on general executive processes, as well as unique abilities distinct from both set-shifting and working memory updating. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Post-event processing in social anxiety: Investigation using Attentional Control Theory

Post-event processing has been identified as a maladaptive maintaining feature of social anxiety occurring after a social-evaluative event; however, the cognitive mechanisms thought to underlie post-event processing are still unclear. Poor attentional control may serve to maintain this thought process in social anxiety disorder. A total of 92 undergraduates were pre-screened and categorised into either high or low social anxiety groups and then randomly assigned to either a post-event processing (following a speech task) or a control condition (four groups in total). Participants completed a series of self-report questionnaires and then performed the mixed emotional saccade task whereby participants completed pro-saccades and antisaccades in response to facial expressions in either single-task or mixed-task blocks. The results showed that high socially anxious participants in the post-event processing condition did not display attentional control impairments compared to high socially anxious participants in the control condition or low socially anxious participants in either condition. Conversely, low socially anxious participants in the post-event processing condition showed improved attentional control abilities compared to low socially anxious participants in the control condition. These findings suggest that post-event processing may facilitate attentional control abilities for low socially anxious individuals.

Common Cognitive Control Processes Underlying Performance in Task-Switching and Dual-Task Contexts.

In the present study, participants performed highly comparable task-switching and dual-task paradigms, and the paradigm-specific performance costs were analysed in the context of the commonly postulated core components of cognitive control (i.e., working memory updating, inhibition, and shifting). In the task-switching paradigm, we found switch costs (i.e., switch trials vs. repetition trials) and mixing costs (i.e., repetition trials in mixed-task blocks vs. single-task trials). In the dual-task paradigm, we observed a psychological refractory period (PRP) effect (i.e., Task 2 [T2] performance after short stimulus-onset asynchrony [SOA] vs. long SOA), dual-task costs (i.e., T2 dual-task performance with a long SOA in trials with a task repetition between Task 1 [T1] and T2 vs. single-task performance), and switch costs in T2 (i.e., dual-task performance in trials with a switch between T1 and T2 vs. dual-task performance in trials with a repetition between T1 and T2). A within-subjects comparison of the performance costs showed a correlation between mixing costs and dual-task costs, possibly indicating shared underlying cognitive control processes in terms of working memory updating. Surprisingly, there was also a correlation between switch costs and the PRP effect, presumably suggesting that cognitive control, as opposed to passive queuing of response selection processes, contributes to the PRP effect.

Attentional control deficits in social anxiety: Investigating inhibition and shifting functions using a mixed antisaccade paradigm

Background and objectivesAttentional control has recently been assumed to play a critical role in the generation and maintenance of threat-related attentional bias and social anxiety. The present study aimed to investigate whether socially anxious (SA) individuals show impairments in attentional control functions, particularly in inhibition and shifting. MethodsForty-two SA and 41 non-anxious (NA) participants completed a mixed antisaccade task, a variant of the antisaccade task that is used to investigate inhibition as well as shifting functions. ResultsThe results showed that, overall, SA participants had longer antisaccade latencies than NA participants, but the two groups did not differ in their antisaccade error rates. Moreover, in the single-task block, SA participants had longer latencies than NA participants for antisaccade but not prosaccade trials. In the mixed-task block, the SA participants had longer latencies than the NA participants for both task types. The two groups did not differ in their latency switch costs in the mixed-task blocks. LimitationsFirst, this study was conducted using a non-clinical sample of undergraduate students. Second, the antisaccade task measures primarily oculomotor inhibition. Third, this study did not include the measure of state anxiety to rule out the effects of state anxiety on the present findings. ConclusionsThis study suggests that SA individuals demonstrate diminished efficiency of inhibition function but show no significant impairment of shifting function. However, in the mixed-task condition, SA individuals may exhibit an overall reduction in processing efficiency due to the higher task difficulty.

Frontoparietal theta oscillations during proactive control are associated with goal-updating and reduced behavioral variability

Low frequency oscillations in the theta range (4–8Hz) are increasingly recognized as having a crucial role in flexible cognition. Such evidence is typically derived from studies in the context of reactive (stimulus-driven) control processes. However, little research has explored the role of theta oscillations in preparatory control processes. In the current study, we explored the extent of theta oscillations during proactive cognitive control and determined if these oscillations were associated with behavior. Results supported a general role of theta oscillations during proactive cognitive control, with increased power and phase coherence during the preparatory cue interval. Further, theta oscillations across frontoparietal electrodes were also modulated by proactive control demands, with increased theta phase synchrony and power for cues signaling the need for goal updating. Finally, we present novel evidence of negative associations between behavioral variability and both power and phase synchrony across many of these frontoparietal electrodes that were associated with the need for goal updating. In particular, greater consistency in frontoparietal theta oscillations, indicated by increased theta phase and power during mixed-task blocks, resulted in more consistent task-switching performance. Together, these findings provide new insight into the temporal dynamics and functional relevance of theta oscillations during proactive cognitive control.

Anticipatory processing in social anxiety: Investigation using attentional control theory

Background and ObjectivesCognitive models of social anxiety disorder (SAD) emphasize anticipatory processing as a prominent maintaining factor occurring before social-evaluative events. While anticipatory processing is a maladaptive process, the cognitive mechanisms that underlie ineffective control of attention are still unclear. The present study tested predictions derived from attentional control theory in a sample of undergraduate students high and low on social anxiety symptoms. MethodsParticipants were randomly assigned to either engage in anticipatory processing prior to a threat of a speech task or a control condition with no social evaluative threat. After completing a series of questionnaires, participants performed pro-saccades and antisaccades in response to peripherally presented facial expressions presented in either single-task or mixed-task blocks. ResultsCorrect antisaccade latencies were longer than correct pro-saccade latencies in-line with attentional control theory. High socially anxious individuals who anticipated did not exhibit impairment on the inhibition and shifting functions compared to high socially anxious individuals who did not anticipate or low socially anxious individuals in either the anticipatory or control condition. Low socially anxious individuals who anticipated exhibited shorter antisaccade latencies and a switch benefit compared to low socially anxious individuals in the control condition. LimitationsThe study used an analogue sample; however findings from analogue samples are generally consistent with clinical samples. ConclusionsThe findings suggest that social threat induced anticipatory processing facilitates executive functioning for low socially anxious individuals when anticipating a social-evaluative situation.

Multisubject Decomposition of Event-related Positivities in Cognitive Control: Tackling Age-related Changes in Reactive Control

Age-related neurocognitive effects have been observed at different levels ranging from reduced amplitudes of even-related potentials and brain oscillations, to topography changes of brain activity. However, their association remains incompletely understood. We investigated time-frequency and time-course effects in functional networks underlying the P300 and their involvement in reactive control. Electroencephalographic (EEG) data of three different age groups (30 young: 18–26 years, 30 mid-aged: 49–58 years, 30 elderly: 65–75 years) was measured while they performed a cued colour/thickness switching task. Neural data was analysed concerning the targets. To consider restart, mixing, and switching processes, the targets´ position after a cue (first or third target) as well as their context in the single-task (distractor cue) or the mixed-task block (switch- or repeat cue) was analysed. P300 EEG data was decomposed by means of group-independent component and time-frequency analyses focusing on theta and beta oscillations. RTs generally slowed down with age (main effect group), and effects were specifically strong in targets after a switching cue (larger Cohens d). Peaking at around 300 ms, we detected five functionally independent networks reflecting the multicomponent process underlying task-switching. These networks differed in terms of their topography (parietal and frontal), their involvement in task processes (switch-specific, mixing-, restart-, and single-task processes) and in terms of frequency effects. All were affected by age, as indicated by amplitude changes of the target-P300 and power reductions most consistently shown in beta oscillations. Most extensive age-related changes were observed in one parietal network sensitive to mixing and restart processes. Changes included a topography shift, P300 and beta amplitudes, and were ongoing in the elderly group.

Effects of task and task-switching on temporal inhibition of return, facilitation of return, and saccadic momentum during scene viewing.

During scene viewing, saccades directed toward a recently fixated location tend to be delayed relative to saccades in other directions ("delay effect"), an effect attributable to inhibition of return (IOR) and/or saccadic momentum (SM). Previous work indicates this effect may be task-specific, suggesting that gaze control parameters are task-relevant and potentially affected by task-switching. Accordingly, the present study investigated task-set control of gaze behavior using the delay effect as a measure of task performance. The delay effect was measured as the effect of relative saccade direction on preceding fixation duration. Participants were cued on each trial to perform either a search, memory, or rating task. Tasks were performed either in pure-task or mixed-task blocks. This design allowed separation of switch-cost and mixing-cost. The critical result was that expression of the delay effect at 2-back locations was reversed on switch versus repeat trials such that return was delayed in repeat trials but speeded in switch trials. This difference between repeat and switch trials suggests that gaze-relevant parameters may be represented and switched as part of a task-set. Existing and new tests for dissociating IOR and SM accounts of the delay effect converged on the conclusion that the delay at 2-back locations was due to SM, and that task-switching affects SM. Additionally, the new test simultaneously replicated noncorroborating results in the literature regarding facilitation-of-return (FOR), which confirmed its existence and showed that FOR is "reversed" SM that occurs when preceding and current saccades are both directed toward the 2-back location.

The flip side of the auditory spatial selection benefit: larger attentional mixing costs for target selection by ear than by gender in auditory task switching.

In cued auditory task switching, one of two dichotically presented number words, spoken by a female and a male, had to be judged according to its numerical magnitude. One experimental group selected targets by speaker gender and another group by ear of presentation. In mixed-task blocks, the target-defining feature (male/female vs. left/right) was cued prior to each trial, but in pure blocks it remained constant. Compared to selection by gender, selection by ear led to better performance in pure blocks than in mixed blocks, resulting in larger "global" mixing costs for ear-based selection. Selection by ear also led to larger "local" switch costs in mixed blocks, but this finding was partially mediated by differential cue-repetition benefits. Together, the data suggest that requirements of attention shifting diminish the auditory spatial selection benefit.

Flexibility in task switching by monolinguals and bilinguals.

Many bilinguals routinely switch between their languages, yet mixed evidence exists about the transfer of language switching skills to broader domains that require attentional control such as task switching. Monolingual and bilingual young adults performed a nonverbal task-switching paradigm in which they viewed colored pictures of animals and indicated either the animal or its color in response to a cue. Monolinguals and bilinguals performed similarly when switching between tasks (local switch cost) in a mixed-task block, but bilinguals demonstrated a smaller mixing effect (global switch cost) than monolinguals, indicating better ability to reconfigure stimulus-response associations. These results suggest that regular practice using multiple languages confers a broader executive function advantage shown as improved flexibility in task switching.

Reactive control processes contributing to residual switch cost and mixing cost across the adult lifespan.

In task-switching paradigms, performance is better when repeating the same task than when alternating between tasks (switch cost) and when repeating a task alone rather than intermixed with another task (mixing cost). These costs remain even after extensive practice and when task cues enable advanced preparation (residual costs). Moreover, residual reaction time mixing cost has been consistently shown to increase with age. Residual switch and mixing costs modulate the amplitude of the stimulus-locked P3b. This mixing effect is disproportionately larger in older adults who also prepare more for and respond more cautiously on these “mixed” repeat trials (Karayanidis et al., 2011). In this paper, we analyze stimulus-locked and response-locked P3 and lateralized readiness potentials to identify whether residual switch and mixing cost arise from the need to control interference at the level of stimulus processing or response processing. Residual mixing cost was associated with control of stimulus-level interference, whereas residual switch cost was also associated with a delay in response selection. In older adults, the disproportionate increase in mixing cost was associated with greater interference at the level of decision-response mapping and response programming for repeat trials in mixed-task blocks. These findings suggest that older adults strategically recruit greater proactive and reactive control to overcome increased susceptibility to post-stimulus interference. This interpretation is consistent with recruitment of compensatory strategies to compensate for reduced repetition benefit rather than an overall decline on cognitive flexibility.

Cognitive control and language across the life span: Does labeling improve reactive control?

How does cognitive control change with age, and what are the processes underlying these changes? This question has been extensively studied using versions of the task-switching paradigm, which allow participants to actively prepare for the upcoming task (Kray, Eber, & Karbach, 2008). Little is known, however, about age-related changes in this ability across the life span when there is no opportunity to anticipate task goals. We examined the effect of 2 kinds of verbal self-instruction-labeling either the task goal or the relevant feature of the stimulus-on 2 components of cognitive control, goal setting and switching, in children, young adults, and older adults. All participants performed single-task blocks and mixed-task blocks (involving unpredictable switching between 2 tasks) in silent and labeling conditions. Participants categorized bidimensional stimuli either by picture or by color, depending on their spatial position in a 2-cell vertical grid. Response times revealed an inverted U shape in performance with age. These age differences were more pronounced for goal setting than for switching, thus generalizing results obtained in situations taping proactive control to this new context forcing reactive control. Further, differential age-related effects of verbalization were also obtained. Verbalizations were detrimental for young adults, beneficial for older adults, and had mixed effects in children. These differences are interpreted in terms of qualitative developmental changes in reactive goal-setting strategies.

Spatio-temporal components of preparation in task-switching: A combined EEG and MEG approach

Event Abstract Back to Event Spatio-temporal components of preparation in task-switching: A combined EEG and MEG approach Elise Mansfield1*, Alexander Provost1, Blake W. Johnson2, Graciela Tesan2, Renate Thienel1 and Frini Karayanidis1 1 University of Newcastle, Australia 2 Macquarie University, Australia Background The cued-trials task switching paradigm is used to decompose the cognitive mechanisms required to flexibly adjust to changes in our environment. Two different types of performance decrements are observed in these studies: a) mixing cost, which refers to the reduction in performance that is observed for repeat trials within a mixed-task block (i.e. mixed repeat trials) relative to repeat trials within a single-task block (i.e. all repeat trials), and b) switch cost, which refers to the reduction in performance on switch relative to mixed repeat trials within an intermixed task block. At least part of these costs is attributable to differences in preparation occurring within the cue to target interval. Cue-locked ERPs have provided evidence for temporally distinct preparatory components underlying mixing and switch cost, respectively. In addition, fMRI evidence suggests that these processes are associated with distinct neural generators. However, sources derived from fMRI cannot be reliably linked to timepoints within the timecourse of a trial. We used a combined EEG-MEG approach that allows us to more precisely map neural sources of these preparatory components. Methods EEG and MEG data was recorded simultaneously from 17 participants. Both datasets were analysed in BESA v6.0. Time windows for source analysis were selected based on periods of maximal differentiation between conditions in event-related potentials (ERPs). Frontal and parietal regional sources were seeded based on regions identified in fMRI studies. Results Reaction time was slower on switch relative to mixed repeat trials, and for mixed repeat relative to all repeat trials. ERP waveforms at parietal electrodes showed an early mixing positivity that partially overlapped with a later switch positivity. MEG source waveforms showed distinct patterns of activation within the time windows of the mixing positivity and switch positivity at frontal and parietal sources. Discussion We found distinct activation profiles in a fronto-parietal network that corresponded to an early preparatory task-set updating process and a later switch preparation process. These findings provide converging evidence for temporally and spatially dissociable preparation processes in cued-trials task switching. Keywords: task switching, MEG, ERP, cognitive control, source modeling Conference: ACNS-2013 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference, Clayton, Melbourne, Australia, 28 Nov - 1 Dec, 2013. Presentation Type: Poster Topic: Executive Processes Citation: Mansfield E, Provost A, Johnson BW, Tesan G, Thienel R and Karayanidis F (2013). Spatio-temporal components of preparation in task-switching: A combined EEG and MEG approach. Conference Abstract: ACNS-2013 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2013.212.00095 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 Sep 2013; Published Online: 25 Nov 2013. * Correspondence: Ms. Elise Mansfield, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia, elise.mansfield@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 Elise Mansfield Alexander Provost Blake W Johnson Graciela Tesan Renate Thienel Frini Karayanidis Google Elise Mansfield Alexander Provost Blake W Johnson Graciela Tesan Renate Thienel Frini Karayanidis Google Scholar Elise Mansfield Alexander Provost Blake W Johnson Graciela Tesan Renate Thienel Frini Karayanidis PubMed Elise Mansfield Alexander Provost Blake W Johnson Graciela Tesan Renate Thienel 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.

Developmental changes in using verbal self-cueing in task-switching situations: the impact of task practice and task-sequencing demands

In this study we examined whether developmental changes in using verbal self-cueing for task-goal maintenance are dependent on the amount of task practice and task-sequencing demands. To measure task-goal maintenance we applied a switching paradigm in which children either performed only task A or B in single-task blocks or switched between them on every second trial in mixed-task blocks. Task-goal maintenance was determined by comparing the performance between both blocks (mixing costs). The influence of verbal self-cueing was measured by instructing children to either name the next task aloud or not to verbalize during task preparation. Task-sequencing demands were varied between groups whereas one group received spatial task cues to support keeping track of the task sequence, while the other group did not. We also varied by the amount of prior practice in task switching while one group of participants practiced task switching first, before performing the task naming in addition, and the other group did it vice versa. Results of our study investigating younger (8–10 years) and older children (11–13 years) revealed no age differences in beneficial effects of verbal self-cueing. In line with previous findings, children showed reduced mixing costs under task-naming instructions and under conditions of low task-sequence demands (with the presence of spatial task cues). Our results also indicated that these benefits were only obtained for those groups of children that first received practice in task switching alone with no additional verbalization instruction. These findings suggest that internal task-cueing strategies can be efficiently used in children but only if they received prior practice in the underlying task so that demands on keeping and coordinating various instructions are reduced. Moreover, children benefitted from spatial task cues for better task-goal maintenance only if no verbal task-cueing strategy was introduced first.

IMPAIRED ANTISACCADES IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

BackgroundOne of the most promising categories of clinical biomarker in Parkinson's disease is eye movement abnormalities, in particular visually guided horizontal saccades.Methodsodern equipment permits the rapid acquisition of large datasets...

Too much of a good thing: Stronger bilingual inhibition leads to larger lag-2 task repetition costs

Inhibitory control and monitoring abilities of Hebrew–English bilingual and English monolingual university students were compared, in a paradigm requiring participants to switch between performing three distinct tasks. Inhibitory control was gauged by lag-2 task repetition costs, namely decreased performance on the final trial of sequences of type ABA relative to CBA, due to persisting inhibition of the recently abandoned task. Bilinguals had larger lag-2 repetition costs, which reflect stronger inhibition of a no-longer relevant task to facilitate a switch into a new task. Monitoring ability was measured by the fadeout effect, which reflects adaptation to simpler task demands when a single task block immediately and unexpectedly follows mixed task blocks. Bilinguals did not differ from monolinguals in the magnitude or trajectory of the fade-out effect. Thus, results support the notion of increased bilingual inhibitory control, even when it is detrimental to performance, and do not demonstrate a specific bilingual advantage in monitoring. These findings are discussed in the context of the recent debate concerning the locus of bilingual advantages.