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Related Experiment Video

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A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats
06:11

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats

Published on: February 20, 2019

Conflicts as aversive signals.

Gesine Dreisbach1, Rico Fischer

  • 1Institute of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, Germany. Gesine.Dreisbach@psychologie.uni-regensburg.de

Brain and Cognition
|January 6, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Human action control theories suggest the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) monitors conflicts or negative outcomes. This study shows response conflicts are perceived as aversive signals, integrating these theories.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Psychology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Theories of human action control explain dynamic adjustment of cognitive control to task demands.
  • The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is implicated in either conflict monitoring or outcome evaluation.
  • A recent proposal suggests both ACC functions converge on detecting aversive signals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether response conflicts are registered as aversive signals.
  • To bridge the gap between conflict monitoring and outcome evaluation theories of ACC function.

Main Methods:

  • An affective priming paradigm was employed using Stroop color-words as primes (congruent/incongruent).
  • Positive and negative stimuli served as targets.
  • Behavioral responses to targets were measured following prime presentation.

Main Results:

  • Negative targets were evaluated faster following incongruent Stroop primes compared to congruent primes.
  • Positive targets were evaluated slower following incongruent Stroop primes compared to congruent primes.
  • These findings indicate that response conflicts are processed as aversive signals.

Conclusions:

  • Response conflicts are indeed registered as aversive signals, supporting their integration into a unified theory of ACC function.
  • This finding broadens the applicability of the conflict monitoring theory to a wider range of tasks and situations.
  • The study provides empirical evidence for the convergence of conflict monitoring and outcome evaluation accounts of ACC function.