Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Components of attentional set-switching.

M F S Rushworth1, R E Passingham, A C Nobre

  • 1Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, England. matthew.rushworth@psy.ox.ac.uk

Experimental Psychology
|April 27, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Implicit learning across varying temporal scales in individuals with and without mood instability.

Journal of affective disorders·2025
Same author

Brain Charts for the Rhesus Macaque Lifespan.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2024
Same author

Whole-brain white matter organization, intelligence, and educational attainment.

Trends in neuroscience and education·2019
Same author

Differences between endogenous attention to spatial locations and sensory modalities.

Experimental brain research·2017
Same author

Acting, seeing, and conscious awareness.

Neuropsychologia·2017
Same author

Preventing intrusive memories after trauma via a brief intervention involving Tetris computer game play in the emergency department: a proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial.

Molecular psychiatry·2017
Same journal

Error Cancellation During Early Task Performance.

Experimental psychology·2026
Same journal

Test Format Matching Moderates the Forward Testing Effect.

Experimental psychology·2026
Same journal

Affective-Motivational Task Content and Stimulus Size Modulate Cognitive Control in Task Switching.

Experimental psychology·2026
Same journal

The Effect of Violent Virtual Avatar Experience on Players' Response Inhibition to Angry Expressions and Its Cognitive Neural Mechanisms.

Experimental psychology·2026
Same journal

Same Person, Different Personality?

Experimental psychology·2026
Same journal

Competition Matters!

Experimental psychology·2026
See all related articles

Task switching involves distinct neural mechanisms for changing attention versus changing responses. Event-related potentials (ERPs) reveal different brain activity patterns for attentional set switching versus intentional set switching.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Task switching is crucial for cognitive flexibility.
  • Distinct neural mechanisms may underlie attentional versus intentional set switching.
  • Event-related potentials (ERPs) offer insights into the temporal dynamics of cognitive processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To differentiate the neural correlates of switching attentional sets from those of switching intentional sets.
  • To investigate the distinct electrophysiological signatures associated with initiating and implementing task switches.
  • To compare the brain activity patterns during attentional set switching with those previously observed during intentional set switching.

Main Methods:

  • Recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) from human subjects performing an attentional set switching task.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Presented stimuli based on two conflicting attentional sets (color or shape).
  • Compared ERPs time-locked to switch and stay cues, and to subsequent stimuli, with data from a prior intentional set switching study.

    • Main Results:

    • Identified neural correlates for both the initiation and implementation of task switches.
    • Observed similar parietal electrode modulation for both attentional and intentional set switching.
    • Differentiated frontal activity: lateral for attentional, medial for intentional set switching.
    • Attentional set implementation modulated early visual potentials; intentional set implementation modulated later response potentials.

    Conclusions:

    • Task switching comprises multiple processes that are differentially engaged based on the type of switch (attentional vs. intentional).
    • Attentional and intentional set switching exhibit unique electrophysiological profiles, particularly in frontal brain regions and temporal processing.
    • The findings support a dissociation between mechanisms for redirecting attention and altering response selection during task switching.