Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026
Irrelevant Stimuli and Action Control: Analyzing the Influence of Ignored Stimuli via the Distractor-Response Binding Paradigm
Published on: May 14, 2014
Adaptation by binding: a learning account of cognitive control
1Department of Psychology, Ghent University, H. Dunantlaan 2, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. tom.verguts@ugent.be
Abstract:
Cognitive control refers to the ability to repress our instantaneous urges in favor of more appropriate responses. Current debate concerns whether cognitive control effects that are studied in the laboratory (e.g. Stroop tasks) actually reflect the operation of a cognitive control system (adaptation theory) or instead merely reflect side effects of feature binding processes (binding theory). The two perspectives can be integrated by conceptualizing cognitive control as resulting from interactions between binding processes (as instantiated in Hebbian learning) and arousal. Conflict situations such as Stroop incongruent-stimuli lead to arousal and noradrenalin release throughout the brain, which facilitates binding between task-relevant cortical areas. Our proposal emphasizes an intimate link between cognitive and emotional processing.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Cognitive Learning
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
01:29The Influence of Cognition on Affect
01:25Self-Regulation
01:17Cognitivism
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process information is...
01:30Social Cognitive Perspective on Personality
01:14Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...