Task Paradigm Research Articles

Effect of age on susceptibility to the attraction effect in sequential risky decision-making

Abstract Our study aims to contribute to the existing body of research on age-related changes in decision-making by investigating susceptibility to the attraction effect across adulthood. Prior studies have produced inconsistent conclusions regarding the decision-making abilities of older individuals, with some portraying them as easily manipulated and risk-averse, while others suggest the opposite. To address this issue, we conducted two experiments using a novel paradigm of the roulette task: (1) in an online environment with 357 participants and (2) in a laboratory setting with 173 participants. The results were consistent and demonstrated the robustness of the attraction effect. However, no age differences in susceptibility to the attraction effect as a common decision bias were found. As predicted, older adults were more likely to commit simple decision-making mistakes, especially in the preliminary trials, which could have serious financial or societal consequences. Additionally, older adults exhibited more risk-seeking behaviours. Furthermore, we observed that the dynamics of decision competence (as indicated by a decrease in the selection of erroneous decoy options and an increase in decision fluency) were similar for both younger and older adults, suggesting preservation of the ability to optimise decision-making while becoming familiar with new tasks. These findings provide insight into the cognitive functioning of older adults and indicate that decision-making abilities in late adulthood may be more complex than commonly assumed.

Post-error slowing during motor sequence learning under extrinsic and intrinsic error feedback conditions.

Post-error slowing, described as an error-corrective index of response binding during motor sequence learning, has only been demonstrated in the serial reaction time task under conditions where extrinsic error feedback is presented. The present experiment investigated whether post-error slowing is dependent on, or is influenced by, extrinsic error feedback. Thirty participants (14 females, Mage = 21.9 ± 1.8 years) completed the serial reaction time task with or without presentation of extrinsic error feedback. Post-error slowing was observed following response error whether feedback was presented or not. However, presentation of extrinsic error feedback increased post-error slowing across practice and extended the number of responses that were slowed following an error. There was no evidence of feedback effects on motor sequence learning or explicit awareness. Instead, feedback appeared to function as a performance factor that reduced response error rates relative to no feedback conditions. These findings illustrate that post-error slowing in motor sequence learning is not reliant on or a result of presentation of extrinsic error information. More specific to the serial reaction time task paradigm, the present findings demonstrate that the common practice of presenting error feedback is not necessary for investigating motor sequence learning unless the aim is to maintain low error rate. However, doing so might inflate reaction time in latter training blocks.

Lateralization of memory function in temporal lobe epilepsy using scene memory fMRI.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) offers an alternative to the traditional Wada test for presurgical language and memory lateralization that carries almost no risk. However, fMRI lateralization of episodic memory remains challenging because the hippocampus, which is fundamental to episodic memory, is smaller, more prone to susceptibility artifact, and harder to functionally modulate than language regions. We previously showed that a complex scene memory task can lateralize memory function in the mesial temporal lobe. Using data acquired from N = 45 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy acquired with an improved stimulus paradigm and high-resolution fMRI, we now demonstrate that memory activation can be successfully lateralized within hippocampus proper. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: Epilepsy surgery can improve seizure control in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) that cannot be controlled with medications also, but ablation or removal of temporal lobe brain tissue can also cause cognitive deficits. Functional MRI (fMRI) can noninvasively map brain activation and perform well in lateralizing and localizing language function, but localizing and lateralizing memory function is more challenging. Building upon prior work using complex scene encoding to map memory function, we demonstrate that the use of high-resolution fMRI along with an optimized task paradigm allows memory activation to be detected within the hippocampus. Because the hippocampus is both a common site of TLE and a key region underlying memory, this approach is expected to contribute to presurgical evaluation of TLE.

On prior visual experience in mental map navigation using allocentric and egocentric perspectives in the visually impaired.

Using new developments in the mental comparison task paradigm, this study addresses the question of the influence of prior visual experience in the natural use of mental perspective to achieve mental spatial tasks without any protocol-imposed perspective. During the experiment, 39 participants (11 early blind, 13 late blind, and 15 blindfolded-sighted) explored two corridor maps to memorise the spatial arrangement of 10 objects disposed along corridors. After the learning phase, several tasks addressing spatial memory and reasoning used in the mental spatial representation were performed. Blindfolded-sighted participants preferred an egocentric perspective, while the two visually impaired groups showed no overriding preference between egocentric and allocentric perspectives. Results showed a performance advantage for egocentric over allocentric perspectives, regardless of visual experience. Our results shed light on previous assumptions regarding cognitive mental map construction, suggesting the need to reflect on previous results and their dependence on imposed mental perspectives.

Cognitive dual-task does not annihilate the negative effects of gender stereotype threat on girls' motor learning

Stereotype threat, a key concept in social psychology, occurs when individuals fear they may confirm negative stereotypes about their social group (Steele, 1997). This phenomenon can significantly impair motor learning, particularly in children. Given the robust nature of stereotype threat, research it is now focused on mitigating these negative effects. According to the explicit monitoring hypothesis, it is suggested that distracting individual’s attention can lead to an annihilation of stereotype threat effects, however, to date, this hypothesis has not been examined in children. The present study examined the effect of stereotype threat in a dual task condition on children’s motor learning. One hundred and fifty girls (mean age = 10.96 ± .80 years) were randomly assigned into 3 groups; 1- explicit gender stereotype threat; 2- explicit gender stereotype threat + dual task; 3- control. The task consisted of a soccer-kicking task in which the participants had to score the most points by kicking the soccer ball towards the goals on the wall. This study included three phases; 1- pretest (10 trials); 2- practice phase (5 blocks of 10 trials); 3- retention test (10 trials). During the practice phase, the results indicated that participants in the control condition performed better (M = 1.46, SD = .19) than participants in the gender stereotype threat condition (M = 1.25, SD = .16, p < .001), and, than participants in the gender stereotype threat + dual task paradigm condition (M = .92, SD = .19, p < .001). However, participants in the gender stereotypes + dual task paradigm condition performed worse than participants in the gender stereotype threat condition (p < .001). In addition, the results of the retention test showed that participants in the control condition performed better (M = 1.51, SD = .34) than participants in the gender stereotype threat condition (M = 1.24, SD = .35, p = .001), and participants in the gender stereotype threat + dual task paradigm condition (M = 1.15, SD = .49, p < .001). In conclusion, these results do not support the potential neutralizing effect of a cognitive dual task in a stereotype threat condition in children.

Physiological influences on neurovascular coupling: A systematic review of multimodal imaging approaches and recommendations for future study designs.

In this review, we have amalgamated the literature, taking a multimodal neuroimaging approach to quantify the relationship between neuronal firing and haemodynamics during a task paradigm (i.e., neurovascular coupling response), while considering confounding physiological influences. Original research articles that used concurrent neuronal and haemodynamic quantification in humans (n ≥ 10) during a task paradigm were included from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE and PsychINFO. Articles published before 31 July 2023 were considered for eligibility. Rapid screening was completed by the first author. Two authors completed the title/abstract and full-text screening. Article quality was assessed using a modified version of the National Institutes of Health Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. A total of 364 articles were included following title/abstract and full-text screening. The most common combination was EEG/functional MRI (68.7%), with cognitive (48.1%) and visual (27.5%) tasks being the most common. The majority of studies displayed an absence/minimal control of blood pressure, arterial gas concentrations and/or heart rate (92.9%), and only 1.3% monitored these factors. A minority of studies restricted or collected data pertaining to caffeine (7.4%), exercise (0.8%), food (0.5%), nicotine (2.7%), the menstrual cycle (0.3%) or cardiorespiratory fitness levels (0.5%). The cerebrovasculature is sensitive to numerous factors; thus, to understand the neurovascular coupling response fully, better control for confounding physiological influences of blood pressure and respiratory metrics is imperative during study-design formulation. Moreover, further work should continue to examine sex-based differences, the influence of sex steroid hormone concentrations and cardiorespiratory fitness.

Assessment of Listening Effort Experience in Normal and Hearing Impaired Adult Population

Abstract Background Hearing impaired patients often report difficulties on attending to auditory message. These difficulties are not only exclusive to understanding the auditory message, rather, the process itself become effortful and induce tiredness or fatigue. While conventional Puretone audiometry and speech audiometry are efficient tools to access hearing impaired individuals, they do not address the perceived Listening Effort (LE) that the patient faces on daily basis. Accordingly, LE assessment tools represent a relatively new dimension in evaluating hearing impaired population. These tools include a subjective self-report questionnaires as the Speech, Spatial, Qualities of hearing scale (SSQ), a behavioral tool such as the dual task paradigms, and an objective physiological tool such as pupillometry, skin conductance, heart rate, Electroencephalography (EEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI). This study has used subjective self-rating Arabic version of SSQ scale, and an objective physiological tool which is pupillometry to measure LE for adult hearing aid users. Aim of the Work To standardize LE assessment tools namely the Arabic version of SSQ, and Pupillometry in normal hearing adults. To assess LE in adult Hearing aids (HA) users to investigate whether they still suffer even after being optimally fitted with HA. Patients and Methods The study consisted of one hundred and eleven adult individuals divided into two groups; a normal hearing group (sixty normal individuals) with mean age 40 years and a study group (fifty-one HA users with bilateral symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss of variable degrees) with mean age 35 years and hearing loss duration ranging from 2-49 years. Patients were recruited from Audiology Unit, ORL department, Ain Shams University. Listening effort was measured by a subjective self-report scale (Arabic version of Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing scale (SSQ)), and a physiological objective tool (Pupillometry) to measure pupil dilation quotient. Results Hearing aid users group revealed statistically significant increased listening effort for both subjective and objective methods referenced to age matched normal group. Conclusions Listening effort test battery is clinically feasible in audiology practice and could help understand the challenges the hearing impaired faces. HA algorithms and technology have not resolved LE for the majority of HA users.

A useful cognitive motor dual task paradigm in prodromal and manifest Huntington’s disease

IntroductionIndividuals with Huntington's disease (HD) experience increased difficulty with balance throughout disease progression. Adding a simultaneous cognitive task to a balance assessment, referred to as a dual task (DT) paradigm, may have a deleterious effect on balance, which can be expressed in terms of a Dual Task Cost (DTC), relative to a single task (ST) condition. The aim of this study is to explore whether a cognitive-motor DT paradigm uncovers balance deficits in prodromal (Pro-HD) and manifest HD, compared to healthy adults (HA). MethodsBalance under ST and DT conditions was examined using the BTracks Balance Plate and Balance software in 30 individuals with HD, 17 individuals with Pro-HD, and 20 HA. During the DT condition, participants were simultaneously administered a version of the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). DTC is calculated as the relative ratio of ST to DT, controlling for ST performance: DTC= (ST − DT)/ST x100. ResultsThe HA group performed significantly better than the HD group on both the ST and DT conditions (p < 0.01), while balance scores between the HA and the Pro-HD groups were not significantly different. The DTC scores, however, were significantly better in the HA compared to both the HD (p < 0.001) and Pro-HD (p < 0.05) groups. ConclusionOur findings indicate that the addition of a cognitive task interferes with participant's balance, reflecting real-life performance, and may have additional value for estimating transition to manifest disease, appraising fall risk, or serving as a valid outcome measure in observational and interventional trials in HD.

Virtual Reality Combined With Psychoeducation to Improve Emotional Well-Being in Informal Caregivers of Alzheimer's Disease Patients: Rationale and Study Design of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Care for community-dwelling people with dementia is frequently delegated to relatives, who find themselves in the role of informal caregivers with no practical management knowledge. This situation exposes caregivers to increased risk for emotional wellbeing. The current study aims to test whether the integration of the efficacy of an immersive virtual reality (VR) experience into an online psychoeducational program impacts caregiver empathy and therefore emotional wellbeing. One-hundred informal caregivers of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients will be enrolled and randomly assigned to (i) an online psychoeducational program (control arm); or (ii) an online psychoeducational program integrated with VR (experimental arm). VR will consist of 360-degree videos involving the caregivers to an immersive experience of dementia symptoms from the patient's perspective. Before, after the intervention and after 2months, all participants will complete validated clinical scales for caregiver burden and anxiety (primary outcomes) and sense of competence and dispositional empathy (secondary outcomes). A subsample of 50 participants will also undergo MRI exam, including structural and functional (resting-state and task-functional MRI [fMRI]) sequences. The fMRI task paradigm will use emotional stimuli to evaluate the neural correlate of empathy, by stressing its cognitive and affective components. The main outcome will be the change in the clinical assessment; the secondary outcome will be the change in brain connectivity of networks subserving the empathic and emotional functioning. We expect that the psychoeducational program will decrease anxiety and stress, enabling caregivers to perceive themselves capable of managing AD patients at home, educating them on symptom handling and boosting their cognitive empathy. In the experimental intervention, the VR-based experience will act as an add-on to psychoeducation, leading to greater improvement in the assessed clinical dimensions. VR should, in fact, enable a deeper understanding of disease symptoms and improve caregivers' cognitive empathy. We expect that the experimental intervention will result in deeper comprehension of disease symptoms and further strengthen caregivers' cognitive empathy. At the neural level, we expect to observe increased activation in circuits subserving cognitive empathy and decreased activation in circuits underlying affective empathy. To the best of our knowledge, this will be the first randomized controlled trial assessing the effect of combining psychoeducational interventions with VR-based experience in caregivers, and assessing both clinical and imaging outcomes. Registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05780476).

Evidence for separate backward recall and n-back working memory factors: a large-scale latent variable analysis

ABSTRACT Multiple studies have explored the factor structure of working memory (WM) tasks, yet few have done so controlling for both the domain and category of the memory items in a single study. In the current pre-registered study, we conducted a large-scale latent variable analysis using variant forms of n-back and backward recall tasks to test whether they measured a single underlying construct, or were distinguished by stimuli-, domain-, or paradigm-specific factors. Exploratory analyses investigated how the resulting WM factor(s) were linked to fluid intelligence. Participants (N = 703) completed a fluid reasoning test and multiple n-back and backward recall tasks containing memoranda that varied across (spatial or verbal material) and within (verbal digits or letters) domain, allowing the variance specific to task content and paradigm to be assessed. Two distinct but related backward recall and n-back constructs best captured the data, in comparison to other plausible model constructions (single WM factor, two-factor domain, and three-factor materials models). Common variance associated with WM was a stronger predictor of fluid reasoning than a residual n-back factor, but the backward recall factor predicted fluid reasoning as strongly as the common WM factor. These data emphasise the distinctiveness between backward recall and n-back tasks.

The Dual Task Ball Balancing Test and Its Association With Cognitive Function: Algorithm Development and Validation.

Dual task paradigms are thought to offer a quantitative means to assess cognitive reserve and the brain's capacity to allocate resources in the face of competing cognitive demands. The most common dual task paradigms examine the interplay between gait or balance control and cognitive function. However, gait and balance tasks can be physically challenging for older adults and may pose a risk of falls. We introduce a novel, digital dual-task assessment that combines a motor-control task (the "ball balancing" test), which challenges an individual to maintain a virtual ball within a designated zone, with a concurrent cognitive task (the backward digit span task [BDST]). The task was administered on a touchscreen tablet, performance was measured using the inertial sensors embedded in the tablet, conducted under both single- and dual-task conditions. The clinical use of the task was evaluated on a sample of 375 older adult participants (n=210 female; aged 73.0, SD 6.5 years). All older adults, including those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer disease-related dementia (ADRD), and those with poor balance and gait problems due to diabetes, osteoarthritis, peripheral neuropathy, and other causes, were able to complete the task comfortably and safely while seated. As expected, task performance significantly decreased under dual task conditions compared to single task conditions. We show that performance was significantly associated with cognitive impairment; significant differences were found among healthy participants, those with MCI, and those with ADRD. Task results were significantly associated with functional impairment, independent of diagnosis, degree of cognitive impairment (as indicated by the Mini Mental State Examination [MMSE] score), and age. Finally, we found that cognitive status could be classified with >70% accuracy using a range of classifier models trained on 3 different cognitive function outcome variables (consensus clinical judgment, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test [RAVLT], and MMSE). Our results suggest that the dual task ball balancing test could be used as a digital cognitive assessment of cognitive reserve. The portability, simplicity, and intuitiveness of the task suggest that it may be suitable for unsupervised home assessment of cognitive function.

Is self-disgust an implicit or explicit emotional schema?

Self-disgust, a negative self-conscious emotional schema that is associated with mental health difficulties in both clinical and non-clinical populations, is typically assessed with self-reported measures that target physical and behavioural aspects of the self. The aim of the present research was to develop and validate a novel implicit self-disgust measure (ISDM) using an Implicit Association Task (IAT) paradigm, across three studies. Study 1 developed a list of disgust-related and positive words that were rated for emotional valence and arousal and informed the content of the ISDM. Study 2 developed and examined the ISDM using the single-target IAT in a non-clinical population and showed that scores in the ISDM were significantly associated with self-reported self-disgust. Study 3 partly replicated the findings of Study 2 among participants with trauma-related experiences and following a mood induction paradigm, showing a significant association between the ISDM and the physical aspect of self-reported self-disgust. These findings are significant because they have implications about the automaticity of self-disgust in people with traumatic experiences which can further inform clinical practice and interventions targeting self-disgust.

Equiangular Basis Vectors: A Novel Paradigm for Classification Tasks

Equiangular Basis Vectors: A Novel Paradigm for Classification Tasks

Exploring the role of cognitive load in faking prevention using the dual task paradigm

AbstractOrganizations are increasingly employing personality assessments as part of their selection processes due to their predictive value for job‐related outcomes. However, applicant faking can undermine the validity of such measures. This study explored a novel faking prevention method using the dual task paradigm. Respondents in the dual task conditions memorized a series of five or seven digits while attempting to fake their responses on a personality measure. Their results were compared with a no dual task condition in which respondents were also instructed to fake. Our results revealed that faking performance was limited, and criterion‐related validity was improved in the dual task conditions compared with the no dual task condition. The practical implications and future directions for this initial proof of concept are discussed.

A mathematical theory of relational generalization in transitive inference

Humans and animals routinely infer relations between different items or events and generalize these relations to novel combinations of items. This allows them to respond appropriately to radically novel circumstances and is fundamental to advanced cognition. However, how learning systems (including the brain) can implement the necessary inductive biases has been unclear. We investigated transitive inference (TI), a classic relational task paradigm in which subjects must learn a relation ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]) and generalize it to new combinations of items ([Formula: see text]). Through mathematical analysis, we found that a broad range of biologically relevant learning models (e.g. gradient flow or ridge regression) perform TI successfully and recapitulate signature behavioral patterns long observed in living subjects. First, we found that models with item-wise additive representations automatically encode transitive relations. Second, for more general representations, a single scalar "conjunctivity factor" determines model behavior on TI and, further, the principle of norm minimization (a standard statistical inductive bias) enables models with fixed, partly conjunctive representations to generalize transitively. Finally, neural networks in the "rich regime," which enables representation learning and improves generalization on many tasks, unexpectedly show poor generalization and anomalous behavior on TI. We find that such networks implement a form of norm minimization (over hidden weights) that yields a local encoding mechanism lacking transitivity. Our findings show how minimal statistical learning principles give rise to a classical relational inductive bias (transitivity), explain empirically observed behaviors, and establish a formal approach to understanding the neural basis of relational abstraction.

Prefrontal activity and heart rate variability during cognitive tasks may show different changes in young and older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment.

Age-related decline in cognitive function is often linked to changed prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity and heart rate variability (HRV). Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a transitional stage between normal aging and dementia, might have further degeneration beyond aging. This study aimed to investigate the differences between young and older adults with or without MCI in cognitive functions, task-induced PFC activation and HRV changes. Thirty-one healthy young adults (YA), 44 older adults (OA), and 28 older adults with MCI (OA-MCI) were enrolled and compared in this cross-sectional study. Each participant received a one-time assessment including cognitive and executive functions, as well as the simultaneous recording of PFC activity and HRV during a cognitive task paradigm. We observed age-related decrease in global cognitive functions, executive functions, HRV, and increase in PFC activity. The MCI further deteriorated the global cognitive and executive performances, but not the HRV or the prefrontal activation. Older people showed lower performances in general cognitive function and executive function, compensatory increase of PFC activity, and reduced HRV. Older people with MCI had further deterioration in cognitive performance, but not in PFC activation and HRV.

Common neural deficits across reward functions in major depression: a meta-analysis of fMRI studies.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by deficient reward functions in the brain. However, existing findings on functional alterations during reward anticipation, reward processing, and learning among MDD patients are inconsistent, and it was unclear whether a common reward system implicated in multiple reward functions is altered in MDD. Here we meta-analyzed 18 past studies that compared brain reward functions between adult MDD patients (N = 477, mean age = 26.50 years, female = 59.40%) and healthy controls (N = 506, mean age = 28.11 years, females = 55.58%), and particularly examined group differences across multiple reward functions. Jack-knife sensitivity and subgroup meta-analyses were conducted to test robustness of findings across patient comorbidity, task paradigm, and reward nature. Meta-regression analyses assessed the moderating effect of patient symptom severity and anhedonia scores. We found during reward anticipation, MDD patients showed lower activities in the lateral prefrontal-thalamus circuitry. During reward processing, patients displayed reduced activities in the right striatum and prefrontal cortex, but increased activities in the left temporal cortex. During reward learning, patients showed reduced activity in the lateral prefrontal-thalamic-striatal circuitry and the right parahippocampal-occipital circuitry but higher activities in bilateral cerebellum and the left visual cortex. MDD patients showed decreased activity in the right thalamus during both reward anticipation and learning, and in the right caudate during both reward processing and learning. Larger functional changes in MDD were observed among patients with more severe symptoms and higher anhedonia levels. The thalamic-striatal circuitry functional alterations could be the key neural mechanism underlying MDD patients overarching reward function deficiencies.

Social media distraction: How distracting are visual social media cues and what influences users' distractibility?

Social media cues can distract people from working on intended tasks. Accordingly, in the context of social media, this study examines what influences a person's distractibility, specifically whether social media cues are more distracting than neutral cues. Across three experiments (N = 246), we measured user distractibility with the filter task paradigm, a measure of the ability to filter out distractions. The results showed that social media cues are not more visually distracting than complex neutral cues, but they are more distracting than simple neutral cues. In addition, distractibility increases with an increase in the number of distractors. Moreover, the findings show that individual differences (i.e. self-control, impulsivity, FoMO, problematic social media use) did not impact distractibility (Experiment 1). Experiment 2 found that state cyberostracism influenced distractibility, whereby socially excluded participants were more distracted than those who felt included. State fear of missing out (FoMO) did not influence distractibility (Experiment 3). This study contributes to the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of social media distraction by finding that social media cues are not more distracting than other neutral, more complex cues. This might be due to the high task demand under which we measured distractibility in our experiments. Future work is needed to find out more about differences in social media distraction and influencing factors of user's distractibility.

Micro-Gear Point Cloud Segmentation Based on Multi-Scale Point Transformer

To address the challenges in industrial precision component detection posed by existing point cloud datasets, this research endeavors to amass and construct a point cloud dataset comprising 1101 models of miniature gears. The data collection and processing procedures are elaborated upon in detail. In response to the segmentation issues encountered in point clouds of small industrial components, a novel Point Transformer network incorporating a multiscale feature fusion strategy is proposed. This network extends the original Point Transformer architecture by integrating multiple global feature extraction modules and employing an upsampling module for contextual information fusion, thereby enhancing its modeling capabilities for intricate point cloud structures. The network is trained and tested on the self-constructed gear dataset, yielding promising results. Comparative analysis with the baseline Point Transformer network indicates a notable improvement of 1.1% in mean Intersection over Union (mIoU), substantiating the efficacy of the proposed approach. To further assess the method’s effectiveness, several ablation experiments are designed, demonstrating that the introduced modules contribute to varying degrees of segmentation accuracy enhancement. Additionally, a comparative evaluation is conducted against various state-of-the-art point cloud segmentation networks, revealing the superior performance of the proposed methodology. This research not only aids in quality control, structural detection, and optimization of precision industrial components but also provides a scalable network architecture design paradigm for related point cloud processing tasks.

No evidence for cross-paradigm transfer of abstract task knowledge in adults and school-aged children.

Cognitive control is a hallmark of human cognition. A large number of studies have focused on the plasticity of cognitive control and examined how repeated task experience leads to the improvement of cognitive control in novel task environments. However, it has been demonstrated that training-induced changes are very selective and that transfer occurs within one task paradigm but not across different task paradigms. The current study tested the possibility that cross-paradigm transfer would occur if a common cognitive control strategy is employed across different task paradigms. Specifically, we examined whether prior experience of using reactive control in one task paradigm (i.e., either the cued task-switching paradigm or the AX-CPT) makes adults (N = 137) and 9- to 10-year-olds (N = 126) respond in a reactive way in a subsequent condition of another task paradigm in which proactive control could have been engaged. Bayesian generalized mixed-effects modelsrevealed clear evidence of an absence of cross-paradigm transfer of reactive control in both adults and school-aged children. Based on these findings, we discuss to what extent learned control could be transferred across different task contexts and the task-specificity of proactive/reactive control strategies.