A fundamental problem that organisms face in a changing environment is how to regulate dynamically the balance between stable maintenance and flexible switching of goals cognitive sets. The authors show positive affect plays an important role regulation this stability-flexibility balance. In set-switching paradigm, induction mild increases affect, as compared with neutral or negative promoted flexibility reduced perseveration, but also incurred cost terms increased distractibility. Rather...

One fundamental problem of intelligent organisms pursuing goal-directed behavior is how to dynamically regulate the balance between maintenance and flexibility. The authors show that central dopaminergic activity, as indicated by spontaneous eyeblink rate dopamine gene polymorphisms, plays an important role in modulation this balance. Seventy-two young adults were examined. Participants with high blink rates showed increased cognitive flexibility but decreased stability compared participants...

The dynamic adaptation of cognitive control in the face competition from conflicting response tendencies is one hallmarks flexible human action control. Here, we suggest an alternative framework that places conflict-triggered into broader context affect regulation. Specifically, review evidence showing (a) conflicts are inherently aversive, (b) aversive stimuli absence conflict also trigger behavioral adjustments, and, finally, (c) do processes affective counter-regulation. Together with...

Goal-directed behavior in a constantly changing environment requires dynamic balance between two antagonistic modes of control: On the one hand, goals need to be maintained and shielded from distraction (stability), on other relaxed flexibly updated whenever significant changes occur (flexibility). A dysregulation this stability-flexibility can result overly rigid or distractible behavior, it is therefore important understand how regulated context-sensitive, adaptive manner. In present...

Cognitive control enables humans to flexibly switch between different thoughts and actions. An important prerequisite for this cognitive flexibility is the human ability form apply general task rules. In article, I review research investigating functional role of rules, with an emphasis on two main findings. First, shielding function rules helps guide attention toward task-related information, thereby reducing possible distraction by irrelevant information. Second, has be relaxed when a rule...

Adapting to changing task demands is one of the hallmarks human cognition. According an influential theory, conflict monitoring adaptation information processing occurs in a context-sensitive manner that conflicts signal need for control recruitment. Starting from here authors discuss role affect context conflict-triggered adjustments three different perspectives: (1) affective value per se, (2) modulation adjustments, and (3) by reward. Based on current empirical evidence, stress importance...

The purpose of the investigations was to dissociate processes task preparation from execution in task-switching paradigm. basic assumption that repetitions have 2 advantages over shifts: an activation advantage as a result same type pretrial, and expectation advantage, because participants, general, implicitly expect repetition. In Experiments 1-3, authors explicitly manipulated expectancies by presenting cues announced shift and/or repetition with probabilities 1.00, .75, .50, or .25....

To pursue goal directed behavior, the cognitive system must be shielded against interference from irrelevant information. Aside online adjustment of control widely discussed in literature, an additional mechanism preventive shielding is suggested that circumvents information being processed first place. Participants had to react 8 different words depicting clothing items were presented front line drawings could either semantically related (clothes) or unrelated (animals with spatial...

Action control in a changing environment requires that one shield current goals from distracting information (goal shielding) and at the same time monitor for potentially significant stimuli may afford goal switch (background monitoring). Response conflicts modulate balance between shielding background monitoring, as indicated by reduced susceptibility to interference after response conflicts. Such conflict-adaptation effects have been attributed enhanced recruitment of cognitive on trials...

It is a prominent idea that cognitive control mediates conflict adaptation, in response previous trial triggers adjustments reduce current trial. In the present EEG study, we investigated dynamics of response-priming task by examining effects on intertrial and oscillatory brain activities, both electrode source level. Behavioral results showed adaptation for RTs accuracy. Physiological sustained left parietal theta power, originating inferior cortex, midcentral beta right (pre)motor cortex....

Abstract Positive affect and the activity of neurotransmitter dopamine seem to shift balance between cognitive flexibility vs stability towards increased flexibility. Here we examined impact prospective monetary gains on this balance. Seventy healthy volunteers performed a set‐shifting task comprising condition in which bias new stimuli helped overcome perseveration flexibility, second directing attention distractibility. From previous studies executive functions, two contrasting predictions...

Although it is widely accepted that serotonin plays a pivotal role in the modulation of anxiety- and depression-related personality traits as well pathogenesis anxiety disorders depression, cognition less clear. In present study, we investigated involvement cognitive behaviors by examining impact genetic variation key regulators serotonergic neurotransmission on behavioral measures control task. Eighty-five healthy participants performed cued continuous performance task (the AX Continuous...

Performing 2 highly similar tasks at the same time requires an adaptive regulation of cognitive control to shield prioritized primary task processing from between-task (cross-talk) interference caused by secondary processing. In present study, authors investigated how implicitly and explicitly delivered information promotes flexible online adjustment shielding in dual-task performance. Context-specific implicit activation was implemented location-dependent manipulations likelihood (i.e.,...

The idea that conflicts are aversive signals recently has gained strong support by both physiological as well psychological evidence. However, the time course of signal not been subject to direct investigation. In present study, participants had judge valence neutral German words after being primed with conflict or non-conflict Stroop stimuli in three experiments varying SOA (200 ms, 400 800 ms) and prime presentation time. Conflict priming effects (i.e., increased frequencies negative...

Expectancy for upcoming action requirements is a fundamental prerequisite human control of action. In the research reported here, we investigated which part cognitive processing benefits from temporal predictability. binary forced-choice paradigm, visual targets were preceded by different intervals. one condition, could be predicted length other conditions, response goals or effectors Behavioral advantages observed when temporally predictable, whereas predictability and target stimuli was...