Muscle or Motivation? A Stop-Signal Study on the Effects of Sequential Cognitive Control

Frontiers in Psychology

Hilde M. Huizenga¹ 

关键词: cognitive control;    resource depletion;    ego-depletion;    motivation;    stop-signal task;    stimulus response compatibility;    formal models;    multilevel analysis;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00126

学科分类：心理学（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Performance on cognitive control tasks deteriorates when control tasks are performed together with other control tasks, that is, if simultaneous cognitive control is required. Surprisingly, this is also observed if control tasks are preceded by other control tasks, that is, if sequential cognitive control is required. The typical explanation for the latter finding is that previous acts of cognitive control deplete a common resource, just like a muscle becomes fatigued after repeated usage. An alternative explanation, however, is that previous acts of cognitive control reduce motivation to match allocated resources to required resources. In this paper we formalize these muscle and motivation accounts, and show that they yield differential predictions regarding the interaction between simultaneous and sequential cognitive control. These predictions were tested using a paradigm where participants had to perform multiple stop-signal tasks, which varied in their demands on simultaneous and sequential control. Results of two studies supported predictions derived from the motivation account. Therefore, we conclude that the effects of sequential cognitive control are best explained in terms of a reduction of motivation to match allocated to required resources.

【 授权许可】

CC BY