Voluntary control over mental processes

Question 1

What are the 2 main aspects of cognitive control?

Answer 1

Evaluative control - ability to monitor your internal and external environments for situations requiring control
Executive control - configure cognitive system in accordance with new demands

Question 2

What is the “control humunculus”?

Answer 2

Where theorists declare the problem of control extrinsic to their current concern

Question 3

What cognitive mechanisms have been associated with control?

Answer 3

• Central executive

- SAS - believed to control response to stimuli (utilization behaviour in patients with frontal lobe damage)

Question 4

What is the modularity hypothesis?

Answer 4

• Idea that the cognitive system consists of a hierarchy of modules with specific functions
• Mentap operations are performed by units in an autonomous manner

Question 5

How did Fluorens counter the modularity hypothesis?

Answer 5

• Showed that size of lesion has more of an effect than lesion location
• Idea that the whole brain partakes in behaviour - aggregate field theory

Question 6

What cognitive functions do interference tasks rely on?

Answer 6

`- Basal cognitive action (perception, stimulus response)

• Exectutive functions (goal maintenance)
• Evaluative functions (monitoring for conflicts and errors)

Question 7

What is spatial stimulus response compatability?

Answer 7

Where it is easier to respond to stimulus when response is on the same side as stimulus

Question 8

What have stimulus response compatability assays shown us about object and location anaylsis

Answer 8

Dual route model “where” - dorsal stream and “what” - ventral stream
2 separate routes which can facilitate or interfere with eachother

Question 9

What effect does the stimulus response compatability task have on lateralised motor activation?

Answer 9

Incorrect side is briefly activated before being corrected and becoming more negative

Question 10

What is the Flanker task?

Answer 10

A number of letter stimuli, must report central. Flanker and central can be compatible or incompatible (task relevant vs task irrelevant information)

Question 11

What are the results of a stroop task?

Answer 11

• Compatible has lower reaction times than incompatible
• No impact on reading
  (indicates automatic word reading vs color processing)

Question 12

What changes in performance happen after an incorrect response?

Answer 12

• Slower
• More conservative
• Error processing interferes with other processing cs

Question 13

What effect is observed following errors in a flanker task?

Answer 13

• Reduction of effect after incompatible trisl

- Golton effect - dynamic adjustment of information processing in response to conflict

Question 14

What effect is observed after incompatible trials in a Simon task?

Answer 14

• Conflict leads to temporary closure of the automatic activation route and therefore reduced effect
• Lack of lateralised readiness potential

Question 15

What brain area is believed to be especially important with regards to control?

Answer 15

Anterior cingulate cortex

Question 16

How are different areas of the anterior cingulate cortex believed to deal with different aspects of control?

Answer 16

Rostral - emotive tasks

Dorsal - purely cognitive tasks

Question 17

What is error-related negativity?

Answer 17

• Error related component which peaks ~100ms after incorrect response
• found over fronto-central electrode sites suggesting ACC origin

Question 18

What do manipulations of speed-accuracy tasks have on the error-related negativity?

Answer 18

Focus on speed decreases error-related negativity in subject

Question 19

What effect does error-related negativity have on behaviour?

Answer 19

• Relates to response force, smaller response force (due to inhibition of error motor response) when ERN is large
• Large ERN related to increased probability of pressing the correct key after the wrong one

Question 20

What is conflict monitoring theory?

Answer 20

Idea that representations are connected via inhibitory links where conflict is defined as a certain Hopfield energy and the energy of the network is the sum of each pair

Question 21

According to conflict monitoring theory, when is conflict maximal?

Answer 21

• When competing activations are equal

- With large number of competing representations

Question 22

What are errors in terms of conflict monitoring theory?

Answer 22

Where representation of correct and actual performed response are different, comparison leads to error signal setting of the ACC and possible remedial actions

Question 23

What evidence suggests that error and conflict are dealt with by two different systems?

Answer 23

• Manipulations for error (flanker task when flankers shown first) shows ERN for errors but not in response to conflict
• Different areas of fMRI activation

Question 24

What effects on error and conflict are seen in schizophrenics?

Answer 24

• Deficits in error and conflict processing: no post-conflict adjustment and no post-error adjustment
• Reduced ACC activity

Question 25

How are different brain areas proposed to detect error and control adjustment?

Answer 25

ACC detection - more activity in previous trial

dlPFC - adjustment, more activity in current trial

Question 26

How has dlPFC been found to act in relation to conflict?

Answer 26

• Selectively activated during preparation for conflict (modified stroop task)
• When activated more results in less conflict

Question 27

In what other situations is the ACC activated?

Answer 27

• Monetary loss
• Negative feedback
• Social rejection

Question 28

What have single-cell recordings revealed about the relationship between dopaminergic neurons and the ACC?

Answer 28

After error reduction in dopamine activates D2 indirect dopamine pathway leading to disinhibition of ACC