Task-switching under explicit and transition cueing: common and distinct underlying neural mechanisms
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1
Universitat de les Illes Balears, Spain
Two types of task-switch cues have been used as interchangeable methods to investigate preparatory cognitive control. ‘Explicit’ cues specify which task should be performed next (e.g., color vs shape task), whereas ‘transition’ cues inform only about the need to switch or repeat the task, but say nothing about task identity. To date few studies have explored whether switching from one task to another may involve different cognitive and neural mechanisms depending on cueing type. To address this issue, behavioral responses and event-related potentials (ERPs) were measured while 17 subjects performed an intermittently-instructed task-switching paradigm using transition versus explicit cues. Behavioral analyses revealed significant switch costs under transition cueing that were not influenced by practice (i.e., similar costs between trial blocks). However, under explicit cueing behavioral switch costs were apparent only in the second trial block due to faster reaction times to task-repeat trials as compared to the first block of trials. ERP analyses revealed that cue-locked P3 amplitudes (400-450 ms) mirrored behavioral effects, with cue-locked P3 differences between task-switch and repeat trials in those conditions showing behavioral switch costs. These results support the purported relationship between behavioral task-switch costs and cue-locked P3 activity (Barcelo, Periañez & Knight, 2002). In addition, partly different neural mechanisms seem to underlie the distinct behavioral and ERP responses found under explicit vs transition task-cueing procedures. The putative neural networks involved are discussed according to current models of cognitive control of task-switching.
Conference:
10th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience, Bodrum, Türkiye, 1 Sep - 5 Sep, 2008.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Decision Making and Response Selection
Citation:
Periáñez
JA and
Barceló
F
(2008). Task-switching under explicit and transition cueing: common and distinct underlying neural mechanisms.
Conference Abstract:
10th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience.
doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.09.2009.01.207
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Received:
08 Dec 2008;
Published Online:
08 Dec 2008.
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Correspondence:
F. Barceló, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Mallorca, Spain, barcelo.paco@gmail.com