Task uncertainty can account for mixing and switch costs in task-switching.
Cognitive control is required in situations that involve uncertainty or change, such as when resolving conflict, selecting responses and switching tasks. Recently, it has been suggested that cognitive control can be conceptualised as a mechanism which prioritises goal-relevant information to deal wi...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2015-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4480360?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1818359292287254528 |
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| author | Patrick S Cooper Paul M Garrett Jaime L Rennie Frini Karayanidis |
| author_facet | Patrick S Cooper Paul M Garrett Jaime L Rennie Frini Karayanidis |
| author_sort | Patrick S Cooper |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cognitive control is required in situations that involve uncertainty or change, such as when resolving conflict, selecting responses and switching tasks. Recently, it has been suggested that cognitive control can be conceptualised as a mechanism which prioritises goal-relevant information to deal with uncertainty. This hypothesis has been supported using a paradigm that requires conflict resolution. In this study, we examine whether cognitive control during task switching is also consistent with this notion. We used information theory to quantify the level of uncertainty in different trial types during a cued task-switching paradigm. We test the hypothesis that differences in uncertainty between task repeat and task switch trials can account for typical behavioural effects in task-switching. Increasing uncertainty was associated with less efficient performance (i.e., slower and less accurate), particularly on switch trials and trials that afford little opportunity for advance preparation. Interestingly, both mixing and switch costs were associated with a common episodic control process. These results support the notion that cognitive control may be conceptualised as an information processor that serves to resolve uncertainty in the environment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T20:42:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9a1b5501d05746d69357898f230a3452 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T20:42:35Z |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-9a1b5501d05746d69357898f230a34522022-12-21T23:32:07ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032015-01-01106e013155610.1371/journal.pone.0131556Task uncertainty can account for mixing and switch costs in task-switching.Patrick S CooperPaul M GarrettJaime L RennieFrini KarayanidisCognitive control is required in situations that involve uncertainty or change, such as when resolving conflict, selecting responses and switching tasks. Recently, it has been suggested that cognitive control can be conceptualised as a mechanism which prioritises goal-relevant information to deal with uncertainty. This hypothesis has been supported using a paradigm that requires conflict resolution. In this study, we examine whether cognitive control during task switching is also consistent with this notion. We used information theory to quantify the level of uncertainty in different trial types during a cued task-switching paradigm. We test the hypothesis that differences in uncertainty between task repeat and task switch trials can account for typical behavioural effects in task-switching. Increasing uncertainty was associated with less efficient performance (i.e., slower and less accurate), particularly on switch trials and trials that afford little opportunity for advance preparation. Interestingly, both mixing and switch costs were associated with a common episodic control process. These results support the notion that cognitive control may be conceptualised as an information processor that serves to resolve uncertainty in the environment.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4480360?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Patrick S Cooper Paul M Garrett Jaime L Rennie Frini Karayanidis Task uncertainty can account for mixing and switch costs in task-switching. PLoS ONE |
| title | Task uncertainty can account for mixing and switch costs in task-switching. |
| title_full | Task uncertainty can account for mixing and switch costs in task-switching. |
| title_fullStr | Task uncertainty can account for mixing and switch costs in task-switching. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Task uncertainty can account for mixing and switch costs in task-switching. |
| title_short | Task uncertainty can account for mixing and switch costs in task-switching. |
| title_sort | task uncertainty can account for mixing and switch costs in task switching |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4480360?pdf=render |
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