负性情绪与认知执行功能的关系研究

目的:对负性情绪组和正常对照组被试进行认知执行功能测定,探讨负性情绪患者的认知执行功能特征,为临床诊断治疗提供参考.方法:通过贝克抑郁量表和贝克焦虑量表测查被试的抑郁和焦虑程度,并运用认知调控测试、Stroop测试和语词流畅性测试研究所有被试的认知执行功能,比较高负性情绪组和低负性情绪组的认知执行功能特征.结果:(1)低负性情绪组比高负性情绪组在完成AST测验大多数任务操作上速度更快(P＜0.05),错误数更少,且抑郁情绪症状和焦虑情绪症状与完成AST测验所需时间的相关性分别在0.01和0.05的水平上显著;(2)低抑郁组比高抑郁组在完成Stroop任务操作上速度更快(P＜0.01),且难度越大,低负性情绪组与高负性情绪组的成绩差异越明显;(3)低负性情绪组与高负性情绪组在完成VF测验中,除了低焦虑组在正确率指标上不如高焦虑组外,其他成绩都优于高负性情绪组.结论:高负性情绪者的认知执行功能受到不同程度的损伤,任务难度越大,其认知执行功能受损表现越明显.     

COMT Val158Met多态型青年在数字工作记忆任务中的视觉事件相关电位的研究

目的:针对不同COMT基因型健康青年被试,进行连续3-back任务1h共12Block,探讨健康成人数字工作记忆能力变化情况。方法:将112名健康青年分组抽取出18名不同基因型作为被试,利用视觉事件相关电位P3来观测被试连续工作记忆任务中COMT基因多态型与脑皮层电生理的关系。结果:Val/Val基因型的被试P3波幅显著高于Val/Met基因型(P<0.01),但和Met/Met基因型被试的波幅无差异。结论:Val/Met基因型被试关联着最差的工作记忆任务的成绩,被试者的P3波幅和3-back任务成绩成正相关。     

创伤性事件（汶川地震）对个体选择性注意的影响：一项ERP实验

采用事件相关电位（ERP）技术探讨了被试完成地震色词Stroop任务（the earthquake color-matching Stroop task）时的脑内时程动态变化．24名被试都亲身经历了汶川大地震（5．12）,其中12名被试为成都灾民（成都组：强烈震感）,另外12名来自重庆（重庆组：稍有震感）．行为结果发现,只有成都组被试对地震相关词颜色判断的反应时显著长于地震无关词,表现出了明显的地震干扰效应（the earthquake interference effect）．ERP结果显示,就成都组被试而言,在刺激出现后的350～450ms内,地震相关词比无关词诱发出一个更加正性的ERP成分（P350～450）,最强效应出现在大脑中前部;而重庆组没有表现出明显的ERP干扰效应．对差异波（地震相关词一地震无关词）进行偶极子溯源分析,结果显示,P350～450可能起源于海马旁回．本研究结果表明,P350～450可能反映了成都被试对地震词的注意加工偏向（或创伤性事件的自动激活）,从而干扰了其对刺激物理颜仁的判断．     

同伴合作对7-8岁儿童分类活动的影响

目的:考察性别、不同分组和言语对儿童分类能力的影响.方法:被试为122名小学一年级学生,年龄为7-8岁.实验材料为两套内容同质的分类卡片,每套卡片都存在四个维度的差异.首先通过前测将儿童的分类能力分为高水平、低水平两种类型,然后进行两两配对.因变量指标为:后测成绩与前测成绩之间的差值.结果:1.能力水平配对因素影响同伴合作.2.有无言语交流对分类成绩存在显著性影响,有言语交流组成绩明显高于无言语组.3.性别配对对同伴合作没有影响.4.能力水平配对与有无言语交流的交互作用明显,其中低.高组中有言语交流成绩明显优于无言语交流成绩.结论:与水平比自己高的同伴合作效果好于水平相当或比自己水平低的同伴之间的合作.言语交流的效果能明显促进儿童的认知发展.     

空间注意策略对Flanker任务下冲突适应的影响

标准Flanker任务中能否获得稳定的冲突适应效应（conflict adaptation effect,CAE）,在已有研究中存在激烈争议,由于该任务中靶刺激与分心物在空间上是分离的,这使得刺激呈现前是否出现注视点可能有重要影响,注视点出现与否会成为被试完成任务的线索,导致其采用不同的策略而影响CAE的获得,此外,试次间间隔（intertrial interval,ITI）也是影响CAE的原因之一,本研究结果显示,在无注视点长ITI条件下,去除反应重复后仍获得了显著的CAE,其他条件下如果去除反应重复则都不会有显著的CAE。这表明ITI与注视点共同影响着CAE的产生,这一结果可能与Flanker刺激的空间分离性,以及被试在任务中采用的空间注意策略有关。     

提示线索位置影响斜线任务中Flanker与Simon冲突间的交互作用

目的：本文探讨Flanker与Simon冲突间的交互作用,以及提示线索位置对其的影响。方法：实验通过将Flanker与Simon两种冲突融合于同一范式,采用斜线任务提高冲突难度,设计上下、左右和斜线三种位置提示线索,并根据其类型的不同将被试分为三组。统计分析冲突下的正确率与反应时数据,用重复测量方差分析得出两种冲突的交互作用,以及不同位置线索对其的影响。结果：总的来说,Flanker冲突和Simon冲突在反应时和正确率上都有显著效应。从正确率来看,上下位置线索时,Flanker和Simon冲突之间的交互作用显著;左右位置线索时交互作用不显著;而斜线位置线索时交互作用边缘显著。从反应时来看,对于三种位置线索,两种冲突间的交互作用都不显著。结论：融合在同一任务中的Flanker冲突与Simon冲突之间是否存在交互作用与提示线索的位置有关。     

认知负荷对色词Stroop干扰效应的影响

目的:依据负荷理论,认知负荷会导致选择性注意任务中干扰刺激干扰效应的增加。本研究目的在于检验两种类型的认知负荷对色词Stroop干扰效应的影响。方法:实验一通过比较色词Stroop任务与言语工作记忆任务同时进行的双任务区组(高负荷条件)与单任务区组(低负荷条件)来检验认知负荷对构成Stroop干扰效应的语义冲突及反应冲突产生的影响。实验二则通过比较色词Stroop任务与言语工作记忆任务相协调的双任务区组(高负荷条件)与单任务区组(低负荷条件)来操纵认知负荷。结果:实验一的结果显示工作记忆负荷变化对语义冲突及反应冲突均不产生影响。实验二发现虽然在反应时指标上认知负荷与一致性之间未产生显著交互作用,但在错误率指标上两者交互作用达到显著,说明在高认知负荷条件下反应冲突显著增加了。结论:认知负荷对选择性注意任务中干扰刺激干扰效应的影响取决于认知负荷类型及冲突所发生的水平     

认知负荷对色词Stroop干扰效应的影响

目的:依据负荷理论,认知负荷会导致选择性注意任务中干扰刺激干扰效应的增加.本研究目的在于检验两种类型的认知负荷对色词Stroop干扰效应的影响.方法:实验一通过比较色词Stroop任务与言语工作记忆任务同时进行的双任务区组(高负荷条件)与单任务区组(低负荷条件)来检验认知负荷对构成Stroop干扰效应的语义冲突及反应冲突产生的影响.实验二则通过比较色词Stroop任务与言语工作记忆任务相协调的双任务区组(高负荷条件)与单任务区组(低负荷条件)来操纵认知负荷.结果:实验一的结果显示工作记忆负荷变化对语义冲突及反应冲突均不产生影响.实验二发现虽然在反应时指标上认知负荷与一致性之间未产生显著交互作用,但在错误率指标上两者交互作用达到显著,说明在高认知负荷条件下反应冲突显著增加了.结论:认知负荷对选择性注意任务中干扰刺激干扰效应的影响取决于认知负荷类型及冲突所发生的水平.     

完全睡眠剥夺对大脑注意网络冲突效应和脑电样本熵的影响*

目的: 本研究分析睡眠剥夺对个体选择性注意网络冲突效应和脑电样本熵的影响,探讨睡眠剥夺对大脑注意网络的影响。方法: 25名健康受试者参与36 h完全睡眠剥夺试验。试验于当天9:00开始,于次日21:00结束,试验采用自身前后对照设计。受试者在睡眠剥夺前后分别完成注意网络任务,同步采集受试者的脑电图。用脑电样本熵算法分析脑电图的delta、theta、alpha、beta和gamma频率段的脑电复杂度并对比各频段脑电样本熵在睡眠剥夺前、后的变化。结果: 同睡眠剥夺前比较,睡眠剥夺后与受试者的注意网络冲突效应密切相关的反应时显著下降(P＜0.01),正确率显著增加(P＜0.01)。脑电样本熵分析发现在beta频率段,与注意网络冲突控制相关的脑电样本熵值在睡眠剥夺后明显增大(P＜0.01)。其余脑电频率段脑电样本熵未发现显著差异。结论: 表明完全睡眠剥夺后大脑的注意网络冲突效应降低,表明睡眠剥夺后执行冲突控制能力的下降。     

冲突适应的神经振荡机制

靶刺激和干扰刺激的不一致性会造成人类的行为冲突.特别地,连续的冲突情境能诱发大脑对冲突的适应.然而,目前的研究结果还不能清楚地阐释冲突适应的认知和神经机制.为了考察冲突适应的神经振荡过程,采用冲突观察实验范式,记录了15个健康成人被试在完成字母Flanker任务时的行为和脑电数据.对EEG数据进行时频分析,结果揭示了冲突适应的神经振荡机制.在观察任务中,对于不一致条件,α频带（9~13 Hz,480~980 ms）在左前额叶和中前区展现了显著的事件相关异步性（ERD）;对于一致条件,α频带在这些区域展现了显著的事件相关同步性（ERS）.在反应任务中,θ频带（6~8 Hz,50~1000 ms）的ERS在左前额叶和中前区表现为iI〈cI,反映了冲突适应.这些结果表明,冲突能诱发特定频带范围内大脑能量的调整,从而使大脑对冲突进行有效的控制.     

The Multi-Source Interference Task: an fMRI task that reliably activates the cingulo-frontal-parietal cognitive/attention network

In this protocol we describe how to perform the Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT), a validated functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task that reliably and robustly activates the cingulo-frontal-parietal cognitive/attention network (CFP network) within individual subjects. The MSIT can be used to (i) identify the cognitive/attention network in normal volunteers and (ii) test its integrity in people with neuropsychiatric disorders. It is simple to perform, can be completed in less than 15 min and is not language specific, making it appropriate for children, adults and the elderly. Since its validation, over 100 adults have performed the task. The MSIT produces a robust and temporally stable reaction time interference effect (range 200-350 ms), and single runs of the MSIT have produced CFP network activation in approximately 95% of tested subjects. The robust, reliable and temporally stable neuroimaging and performance data make the MSIT a useful task with which to study normal human cognition and psychiatric pathophysiology.     

Modulation of Higher-Order Olfaction Components on Executive Functions in Humans

The prefrontal (PFC) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) appear to be associated with both executive functions and olfaction. However, there is little data relating olfactory processing and executive functions in humans. The present study aimed at exploring the role of olfaction on executive functioning, making a distinction between primary and more cognitive aspects of olfaction. Three executive tasks of similar difficulty were used. One was used to assess hot executive functions (Iowa Gambling Task-IGT), and two as a measure of cold executive functioning (Stroop Colour and Word Test-SCWT and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test-WCST). Sixty two healthy participants were included: 31 with normosmia and 31 with hyposmia. Olfactory abilities were assessed using the ‘‘Sniffin’ Sticks’’ test and the olfactory threshold, odour discrimination and odour identification measures were obtained. All participants were female, aged between 18 and 60. Results showed that participants with hyposmia displayed worse performance in decision making (IGT; Cohen’s-d = 0.91) and cognitive flexibility (WCST; Cohen’s-d between 0.54 and 0.68) compared to those with normosmia. Multiple regression adjusted by the covariates participants’ age and education level showed a positive association between odour identification and the cognitive inhibition response (SCWT-interference; Beta = 0.29; p = .034). The odour discrimination capacity was not a predictor of the cognitive executive performance. Our results suggest that both hot and cold executive functions seem to be associated with higher-order olfactory functioning in humans. These results robustly support the hypothesis that olfaction and executive measures have a common neural substrate in PFC and OFC, and suggest that olfaction might be a reliable cognitive marker in psychiatric and neurologic disorders.     

Low Cognitive Load and Reduced Arousal Impede Practice Effects on Executive Functioning,Metacognitive Confidence and Decision Making

The present study investigated the effects of low cognitive workload and the absence of arousal induced via external physical stimulation (motion) on practice-related improvements in executive (inhibitory) control, short-term memory, metacognitive monitoring and decision making. A total of 70 office workers performed low and moderately engaging passenger tasks in two successive 20-minute simulated drives and repeated a battery of decision making and inhibitory control tests three times – before, between and after these drives. For half the participants, visual simulation was synchronised with (moderately arousing) motion generated through LAnd Motion Platform, with vibration levels corresponding to a well-maintained unsealed road. The other half performed the same simulated drive without motion. Participants’ performance significantly improved over the three test blocks, which is indicative of typical practice effects. The magnitude of these improvements was the highest when both motion and moderate cognitive load were present. The same effects declined either in the absence of motion (low arousal) or following a low cognitive workload task, thus suggesting two distinct pathways through which practice-related improvements in cognitive performance may be hampered. Practice, however, degraded certain aspects of metacognitive performance, as participants became less likely to detect incorrect decisions in the decision-making test with each subsequent test block. Implications include consideration of low cognitive load and arousal as factors responsible for performance decline and targets for the development of interventions/strategies in low load/arousal conditions such as autonomous vehicle operations and highway driving.     

No Evidence of the Ego-Depletion Effect across Task Characteristics and Individual Differences: A Pre-Registered Study

Ego-depletion, a psychological phenomenon in which participants are less able to engage in self-control after prior exertion of self-control, has become widely popular in the scientific community as well as in the media. However, considerable debate exists among researchers as to the nature of the ego-depletion effect, and growing evidence suggests the effect may not be as strong or robust as the extant literature suggests. We examined the robustness of the ego-depletion effect and aimed to maximize the likelihood of detecting the effect by using one of the most widely used depletion tasks (video-viewing attention control task) and by considering task characteristics and individual differences that potentially moderate the effect. We also sought to make our research plan transparent by pre-registering our hypotheses, procedure, and planned analyses prior to data collection. Contrary to the ego-depletion hypothesis, participants in the depletion condition did not perform worse than control participants on the subsequent self-control task, even after considering moderator variables. These findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting ego-depletion is not a reliable phenomenon, though more research is needed that uses large sample sizes, considers moderator variables, and pre-registers prior to data collection.     

Electrophysiological Indices of Response Inhibition in a Go/NoGo Task Predict Self-Control in a Social Context

Recent research demonstrates that response inhibition—a core executive function—may subserve self-regulation and self-control. However, it is unclear whether response inhibition also predicts self-control in the multifaceted, high-level phenomena of social decision-making. Here we examined whether electrophysiological indices of response inhibition would predict self-control in a social context. Electroencephalography was recorded as participants completed a widely used Go/NoGo task (the cued Continuous Performance Test). Participants then interacted with a partner in an economic exchange game that requires self-control. Results demonstrated that greater NoGo-Anteriorization and larger NoGo-P300 peak amplitudes—two established electrophysiological indices of response inhibition—both predicted more self-control in this social game. These findings support continued integration of executive function and self-regulation and help extend prior research into social decision-making processes.     

Ego Depletion Impairs Implicit Learning

Implicit skill learning occurs incidentally and without conscious awareness of what is learned. However, the rate and effectiveness of learning may still be affected by decreased availability of central processing resources. Dual-task experiments have generally found impairments in implicit learning, however, these studies have also shown that certain characteristics of the secondary task (e.g., timing) can complicate the interpretation of these results. To avoid this problem, the current experiments used a novel method to impose resource constraints prior to engaging in skill learning. Ego depletion theory states that humans possess a limited store of cognitive resources that, when depleted, results in deficits in self-regulation and cognitive control. In a first experiment, we used a standard ego depletion manipulation prior to performance of the Serial Interception Sequence Learning (SISL) task. Depleted participants exhibited poorer test performance than did non-depleted controls, indicating that reducing available executive resources may adversely affect implicit sequence learning, expression of sequence knowledge, or both. In a second experiment, depletion was administered either prior to or after training. Participants who reported higher levels of depletion before or after training again showed less sequence-specific knowledge on the post-training assessment. However, the results did not allow for clear separation of ego depletion effects on learning versus subsequent sequence-specific performance. These results indicate that performance on an implicitly learned sequence can be impaired by a reduction in executive resources, in spite of learning taking place outside of awareness and without conscious intent.     

Need for Cognitive Closure Modulates How Perceptual Decisions Are Affected by Task Difficulty and Outcome Relevance

The aim of this study was to assess the extent to which Need for Cognitive Closure (NCC), an individual-level epistemic motivation, can explain inter-individual variability in the cognitive effort invested on a perceptual decision making task (the random motion task). High levels of NCC are manifested in a preference for clarity, order and structure and a desire for firm and stable knowledge. The study evaluated how NCC moderates the impact of two variables known to increase the amount of cognitive effort invested on a task, namely task ambiguity (i.e., the difficulty of the perceptual discrimination) and outcome relevance (i.e., the monetary gain associated with a correct discrimination). Based on previous work and current design, we assumed that reaction times (RTs) on our motion discrimination task represent a valid index of effort investment. Task ambiguity was associated with increased cognitive effort in participants with low or medium NCC but, interestingly, it did not affect the RTs of participants with high NCC. A different pattern of association was observed for outcome relevance; high outcome relevance increased cognitive effort in participants with moderate or high NCC, but did not affect the performance of low NCC participants. In summary, the performance of individuals with low NCC was affected by task difficulty but not by outcome relevance, whereas individuals with high NCC were influenced by outcome relevance but not by task difficulty; only participants with medium NCC were affected by both task difficulty and outcome relevance. These results suggest that perceptual decision making is influenced by the interaction between context and NCC.     

Cerebellar Damage Impairs Executive Control and Monitoring of Movement Generation

Executive control of motor responses is a psychological construct of the executive system. Several studies have demonstrated the involvement of the cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, and thalamus in the inhibition of actions and monitoring of performance. The involvement of the cerebellum in cognitive function and its functional interaction with basal ganglia have recently been reported. Based on these findings, we examined the hypothesis of cerebellar involvement in executive control by administering a countermanding task in patients with focal cerebellar damage. The countermanding task requires one to make a movement in response to a ‘go’ signal and to halt it when a ‘stop’ signal is presented. The duration of the go process (reaction time; RT), the duration of the stop process (stop signal reaction time; SSRT), and their relationship, expressed by a psychometric function, are recorded as measures of executive control. All patients had longer go process duration in general and in particular, as a proactive control, as demonstrated by the increase in RT after erroneously performed stop trials. Further, they were defective in the slope of the psychometric function indicating a difficulty on triggering the stop process, although the SSRT did not differ from controls. Notably, their performance was worse when lesions affected deep cerebellar nuclei. Our results support the hypothesis that the cerebellum regulates the executive control of voluntary actions. We speculate that its activity is attributed to specific cerebellar influence over the cortico-striatal loop.     

Learning new gait patterns is enhanced by specificity of training rather than progression of task difficulty

The use of motor learning strategies may enhance rehabilitation outcomes of individuals with neurological injuries (e.g., stroke or cerebral palsy). A common strategy to facilitate learning of challenging tasks is to use sequential progression – i.e., initially reduce task difficulty and slowly increase task difficulty until the desired difficulty level is reached. However, the evidence related to the use of such sequential progressions to improve learning is mixed for functional skill learning tasks, especially considering situations where practice duration is limited. Here, we studied the benefits of sequential progression using a functional motor learning task that has been previously used in gait rehabilitation. Three groups of participants (N = 43) learned a novel motor task during treadmill walking using different learning strategies. Participants in the specific group (n = 21) practiced only the criterion task (i.e., matching a target template that was scaled-up by 30%) throughout the training. Participants in the sequential group (n = 11) gradually progressed to the criterion task (from 3% to 30% in increments of 3%), whereas participants in the random group (n = 11) started at 3% and progressed in random increments (involving both increases and decreases in task difficulty) to the criterion task. At the end of training, kinematic tracking performance on the criterion task was evaluated in all participants both with and without visual feedback. Results indicated that the tracking error was significantly lower in the specific group, and no differences were observed between the sequential and the random progression groups. The findings indicate that the amount of practice in the criterion task is more critical than the difficulty and variations of task practice when learning new gait patterns during treadmill walking.