Anticipating conflict facilitates controlled stimulus-response selection.

Cognitive control can be triggered in reaction to previous conflict, as suggested by the finding of sequential effects in conflict tasks. Can control also be triggered proactively by presenting cues predicting conflict ("proactive control")? We exploited the high temporal resolution of ERP...

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Main Authors: Correa, A, Rao, A, Nobre, A
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2009
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author Correa, A
Rao, A
Nobre, A
author_facet Correa, A
Rao, A
Nobre, A
author_sort Correa, A
collection OXFORD
description Cognitive control can be triggered in reaction to previous conflict, as suggested by the finding of sequential effects in conflict tasks. Can control also be triggered proactively by presenting cues predicting conflict ("proactive control")? We exploited the high temporal resolution of ERPs and controlled for sequential effects to ask whether proactive control based on anticipating conflict modulates neural activity related to cognitive control, as may be predicted from the conflict-monitoring model. ERPs associated with conflict detection (N2) were measured during a cued flanker task. Symbolic cues were either informative or neutral with respect to whether the target involved conflicting or congruent responses. Sequential effects were controlled by analyzing the congruency of the previous trial. The results showed that cueing conflict facilitated conflict resolution and reduced the N2 latency. Other potentials (frontal N1 and P3) were also modulated by cueing conflict. Cueing effects were most evident after congruent than after incongruent trials. This interaction between cueing and sequential effects suggests neural overlap between the control networks triggered by proactive and reactive signals. This finding clarifies why previous neuroimaging studies, in which reactive sequential effects were not controlled, have rarely found anticipatory effects upon conflict-related activity. Finally, the high temporal resolution of ERPs was critical to reveal a temporal modulation of conflict detection by proactive control. This novel finding suggests that anticipating conflict speeds up conflict detection and resolution. Recent research suggests that this anticipatory mechanism may be mediated by preactivation of ACC during the preparatory interval.
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spelling oxford-uuid:47f44ef4-d2fa-4c4a-acb2-ea0fc0c8d4df2022-03-26T15:22:57ZAnticipating conflict facilitates controlled stimulus-response selection.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:47f44ef4-d2fa-4c4a-acb2-ea0fc0c8d4dfEnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2009Correa, ARao, ANobre, ACognitive control can be triggered in reaction to previous conflict, as suggested by the finding of sequential effects in conflict tasks. Can control also be triggered proactively by presenting cues predicting conflict ("proactive control")? We exploited the high temporal resolution of ERPs and controlled for sequential effects to ask whether proactive control based on anticipating conflict modulates neural activity related to cognitive control, as may be predicted from the conflict-monitoring model. ERPs associated with conflict detection (N2) were measured during a cued flanker task. Symbolic cues were either informative or neutral with respect to whether the target involved conflicting or congruent responses. Sequential effects were controlled by analyzing the congruency of the previous trial. The results showed that cueing conflict facilitated conflict resolution and reduced the N2 latency. Other potentials (frontal N1 and P3) were also modulated by cueing conflict. Cueing effects were most evident after congruent than after incongruent trials. This interaction between cueing and sequential effects suggests neural overlap between the control networks triggered by proactive and reactive signals. This finding clarifies why previous neuroimaging studies, in which reactive sequential effects were not controlled, have rarely found anticipatory effects upon conflict-related activity. Finally, the high temporal resolution of ERPs was critical to reveal a temporal modulation of conflict detection by proactive control. This novel finding suggests that anticipating conflict speeds up conflict detection and resolution. Recent research suggests that this anticipatory mechanism may be mediated by preactivation of ACC during the preparatory interval.
spellingShingle Correa, A
Rao, A
Nobre, A
Anticipating conflict facilitates controlled stimulus-response selection.
title Anticipating conflict facilitates controlled stimulus-response selection.
title_full Anticipating conflict facilitates controlled stimulus-response selection.
title_fullStr Anticipating conflict facilitates controlled stimulus-response selection.
title_full_unstemmed Anticipating conflict facilitates controlled stimulus-response selection.
title_short Anticipating conflict facilitates controlled stimulus-response selection.
title_sort anticipating conflict facilitates controlled stimulus response selection
work_keys_str_mv AT correaa anticipatingconflictfacilitatescontrolledstimulusresponseselection
AT raoa anticipatingconflictfacilitatescontrolledstimulusresponseselection
AT nobrea anticipatingconflictfacilitatescontrolledstimulusresponseselection