cognitive control - inhibition Flashcards
define inhibiton
controlling ones attention, behaviour, thoughts, and/or emotions to override a strong internal predisposition or external lure
not simple stimulus-response driven, contextual response
define flexibility
changing perspectives or approaches to a problem - flexibly adjusting to new demands, rules, priorities → switching between tasks
large range of behaviours applied to contexts flexibly → experiment participation where you respond to stimuli and follow and adapt to task rules
define multi-tasking
some tasks can be done in parallel if they don’t “collide” → related to attention, can they be done on “auto-pilot”
related to working memory
3 main features of cognitive control
inhibition
flexibility
multi-tasking (working memory)
what is cognition
basis for intelligent behaviour
overrides reflexive, habitual responses in favour of complex often long-term goals
cognitive control of: sensory, memory, and motor system
in prefrontal cortex in mammals
difference between cognitive control and executive function
executive functions = specific components e.g. working memory
cognitive control= less clear separation of distinct subcomponents
both are top-down mental processes (not stimulus-driven bottom-up ones)
requires effort or attention
cognitive control – core/basic abilities and higher-order/insight-related abilities
core/basic abilities = working memory, inhibitory control, flexibility
higher-order/insight-related = object permanence, self-recognition, mental time travel, ToM, tool use, causal reasoning
are different executive functions connected?
role and importance of EFs (7)?
questioned whether they can be entirely separated or work together
unknown if they are hierarchically structured
importance of EFs:
* impaired in mental disorders e.g. addiction, ADHD, OCD, depression, SZ etc
* poor EF associated with obesity, overeating, substance abuse
* idea that goof EF = better quality of life
* better school readiness and success
* job success
* marital harmony
* public safety
multicomponent model of memory
central executive
VSSP, episodic buffer, phonological loop
LTM
cognitive flexibility + task to test this
builds on other executive functions e.g. inhibition of previous perspective and loading new perspective into working memory
Wisconsin card sorting task
* task = draw a card and assign to a category to match colour, number, or symbol of another card
*given feedback on whether it was correct or not based on current rule (unknown to them)
* if correct, draw same category again
* if wrong, try another category
* “correct” category will change without warning so participant has to change behaviour in order to find correct category to match
people with some impairments struggle with this → e.g. frontal lobe damage, SZ, stroke, OCD
challenges studying cognitive flexibility
neurological damage is unique to each patient
studied to identified localised involvement
solving task doesn’t only involve cognitive flexibility but also other aspects of EF
inhibition – selecting appropriate thoughts and actions
strengthen appropriate response and inhibit other inappropriate ones
impulsivity related to deficient inhibitory processes
role of frontal lobe in inhibition
inhibit automatic and habitual behaviour
also basal ganglia does this
shown by neurological studies on frontal lobe damage and utilisation behaviour (e.g. given glasses and see if they put them on correctly)
directed vs competitive inhibition
directed = don’t do behaviour X e.g. stop driving at a red light
competitive = many actions competing and inhibition each other
cognitive control stopping mechanisms
put a brake on inappropriate responses
to mediate goal-directed behaviour and self-control
related constructs to inhibition (2)
self-control
* impaired common in many clinical disorders e.g. OCD, drug-addiction, gambling
* value-based decision making and delay discounting
attention
* similar to aspects of cognitive control → selecting/prioritising some processes over others
* often sensory → therefore more automatic than CC and EF
* other strategic forms may involve different mechanisms than sensory attention
importance of inhibition in wider context (4)
- describes behaviour, decision-making, and cognitive processes
- measuring inhibition is important for some diagnoses
- related to clinical and developmental and neuroscience
- related to AI and robotics
examples of inhibitory control (2)
driving in lots of traffic and phone rings/text message
* default = keep driving
* context = if you’re expecting an important call you are more likely to park or check the message
marshmallow test with kids
* long term or short term gain
2 types of inhibition
behavioural inhibition = stopping actions
cognitive inhibition = stopping mental processes
overlapping brain processes from imaging studies for both of these processes
3 types of behavioural inhibition
deferred gratification → impulsive choice → marshmallow test, linked to delayed gratification
* delay discounting, probability discounting, effort discounting
response inhibition → impulsive action → not answering phone whilst driving
* action postponing (waiting), action restraint/withholding, action cancellation (stopping)
reversal learning → inflexibility, compulsivity → stop understanding of one situation and think of new instead e.g. Wisconsin card sorting task
* discrimination reversal, rule/strategy reversal
cognitive inhibition
difficult to understand and study
control of movement is similar to control of ideas
movements can be described and measured more precisely than ideas → can study principles and mechanisms of cognitive inhibition through studying motor response inhibition
* overriding planned or already initiated actions
inhibition and EF
voluntary inhibition → is it a component of executive control?
current view = EFs require one another so combination or attention, inhibition, and flexibility allows complex behaviours
inhibition and attention together for selection of new goals, shifting of focus, performance monitoring and updating goals
impulsivity, compulsivity, and distractibility can inhibit parts of this process
inhibition and impulsivity
acting quickly can be advantageous but doing this persistently can be risky and maladaptive
impulsivity = deficient inhibitory process
link to addiction, ADHD, mania etc.
response inhibition used to measure impulsivity in lab tasks
although response inhibition only corresponds to some types of impulsivity → not all types
use animal studies of response inhibition for neural mechanisms → quantifiable
reaction time distribution
reaction time = time between onset of stimulus and response
contextual - depending on stimulus type
distribution = positive skew