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The variable nature of cognitive control: a dual mechanisms framework
1Department of Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA. tbraver@artsci.wustl.edu
Trends in Cognitive Sciences
|January 17, 2012
Summary
Cognitive control variability stems from two modes: proactive (sustained goal maintenance) and reactive (transient goal reactivation). The dual mechanisms of control (DMC) framework explains individual differences in cognitive control through biases toward these modes.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- Cognitive control, the regulation of thoughts and actions to meet goals, may rely on intrinsic variability.
- The dual mechanisms of control (DMC) framework proposes this variability arises from distinct temporal dynamics in proactive and reactive control modes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the dual mechanisms of control (DMC) framework.
- To explain cognitive control variation using the DMC framework's concepts of proactive and reactive control.
Main Methods:
- The study synthesizes existing research on cognitive control.
- It reviews findings related to the DMC framework, focusing on proactive and reactive control mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Proactive control involves sustained, anticipatory goal maintenance in the lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC).
- Reactive control involves transient, stimulus-driven goal reactivation recruiting lateral PFC and other brain networks based on interference or associations.
- The DMC framework coherently explains intra-individual, inter-individual, and between-group variations in cognitive control.
Conclusions:
- The DMC framework offers a unified explanation for cognitive control variability.
- Biases towards proactive or reactive control underlie different patterns of cognitive control performance.
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