Contextual Adaptation of Cognitive Flexibility is driven by Task- and Item-Level Learning.

ABSTRACT: Adaptive behavior requires finding, and adjusting, an optimal tradeoff between focusing on a current task-set (cognitive stability) and updating that task-set when the environment changes (cognitive flexibility). Such dynamic adjustments of cognitive flexibility are observed in cued task-switching paradigms, where switch costs tend to decrease as the proportion of switch trials over blocks increases. However, the learning mechanisms underlying this phenomenon, here referred to as the list-wide proportion switch effect (LWPSE), are currently unknown. We addressed this question across four behavioral experiments. Experiment 1 replicated the basic LWPSE reported in previous studies. Having participants switch between three instead of two tasks, Experiment 2 demonstrated that the LWPSE is pres

SUBMITTER: Siqi-Liu A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7396276 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature