The interactive effects of listwide control, item-based control, and working memory capacity on Stroop performance

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Experimental Psychology

Background:

• Conflict-rich environments pose challenges to cognitive control.
• Understanding top-down and bottom-up control mechanisms is crucial for explaining performance variations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the interplay of item-specific and listwide control mechanisms.
• To examine the role of contingency learning and working memory capacity (WMC) in modulating Stroop interference.

Main Methods:

• Participants completed a Stroop task with varying item-specific (congruency) and listwide (filler item proportion) contexts.
• Incongruent trials were manipulated for frequency (high vs. low contingency).
• Working memory capacity was assessed and correlated with performance.

Main Results:

• An item-specific congruency effect was observed, strongest with high contingency and in mostly congruent lists.
• A listwide congruency effect interacted with WMC, showing larger effects in low WMC individuals.
• Low WMC individuals exhibited trial-dependent Stroop interference patterns.

Conclusions:

• Results support distinct top-down and bottom-up cognitive control mechanisms.
• Contingency learning significantly contributes to proportion congruence effects in conflict tasks.
• Findings align with the dual mechanisms of control theory, highlighting WMC's role.