Neural substrates of contingency learning and executive control: dissociating physical, valuative, and behavioral changes
Contingency learning is fundamental to cognition. Knowledge about environmental contingencies allows behavioral flexibility, as executive control processes accommodate the demands of novel or changing environments. Studies of experiential learning have focused on the relationship between actions and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2009-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/neuro.09.023.2009/full |
| _version_ | 1818352806602473472 |
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| author | O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman Scott A Huettel Scott A Huettel Scott A Huettel |
| author_facet | O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman Scott A Huettel Scott A Huettel Scott A Huettel |
| author_sort | O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Contingency learning is fundamental to cognition. Knowledge about environmental contingencies allows behavioral flexibility, as executive control processes accommodate the demands of novel or changing environments. Studies of experiential learning have focused on the relationship between actions and the values of associated outcomes. However, outcome values have often been confounded with the physical changes in the outcomes themselves. Here, we dissociated contingency learning into valuative and non-valuative forms, using a novel version of the two-alternative choice task, while measuring the neural effects of contingency changes using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Changes in value-relevant contingencies evoked activation in the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC), posterior parietal cortex (PPC), and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) consistent with prior results (e.g., reversal-learning paradigms). Changes in physical contingencies unrelated to value or to action produced similar activations within the LPFC, indicating that LPFC may engage in generalized contingency learning that is not specific to valuation. In contrast, contingency changes that required behavioral shifts evoked activation localized to the DMPFC, supplementary motor, and precentral cortices, suggesting that these regions play more specific roles within the executive control of behavior. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T18:59:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-32197a8ae4434bc89a3830618fe25629 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5161 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T18:59:29Z |
| publishDate | 2009-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-32197a8ae4434bc89a3830618fe256292022-12-21T23:34:42ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1662-51612009-09-01310.3389/neuro.09.023.2009797Neural substrates of contingency learning and executive control: dissociating physical, valuative, and behavioral changesO'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman0O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman1O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman2Scott A Huettel3Scott A Huettel4Scott A Huettel5Duke UniversityDuke UniversityDuke UniversityDuke UniversityDuke UniversityDuke UniversityContingency learning is fundamental to cognition. Knowledge about environmental contingencies allows behavioral flexibility, as executive control processes accommodate the demands of novel or changing environments. Studies of experiential learning have focused on the relationship between actions and the values of associated outcomes. However, outcome values have often been confounded with the physical changes in the outcomes themselves. Here, we dissociated contingency learning into valuative and non-valuative forms, using a novel version of the two-alternative choice task, while measuring the neural effects of contingency changes using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Changes in value-relevant contingencies evoked activation in the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC), posterior parietal cortex (PPC), and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) consistent with prior results (e.g., reversal-learning paradigms). Changes in physical contingencies unrelated to value or to action produced similar activations within the LPFC, indicating that LPFC may engage in generalized contingency learning that is not specific to valuation. In contrast, contingency changes that required behavioral shifts evoked activation localized to the DMPFC, supplementary motor, and precentral cortices, suggesting that these regions play more specific roles within the executive control of behavior.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/neuro.09.023.2009/fullDecision MakingPrefrontal Cortexcognitive controlexecutive controlfMRIanterior cingulate cortex |
| spellingShingle | O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman Scott A Huettel Scott A Huettel Scott A Huettel Neural substrates of contingency learning and executive control: dissociating physical, valuative, and behavioral changes Frontiers in Human Neuroscience Decision Making Prefrontal Cortex cognitive control executive control fMRI anterior cingulate cortex |
| title | Neural substrates of contingency learning and executive control: dissociating physical, valuative, and behavioral changes |
| title_full | Neural substrates of contingency learning and executive control: dissociating physical, valuative, and behavioral changes |
| title_fullStr | Neural substrates of contingency learning and executive control: dissociating physical, valuative, and behavioral changes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Neural substrates of contingency learning and executive control: dissociating physical, valuative, and behavioral changes |
| title_short | Neural substrates of contingency learning and executive control: dissociating physical, valuative, and behavioral changes |
| title_sort | neural substrates of contingency learning and executive control dissociating physical valuative and behavioral changes |
| topic | Decision Making Prefrontal Cortex cognitive control executive control fMRI anterior cingulate cortex |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/neuro.09.023.2009/full |
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