Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 15, 2026
06:45
Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal
Published on: April 18, 2017
Questioning conflict adaptation: proportion congruent and Gratton effects reconsidered
1Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium. james.schmidt@ugent.be
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|January 18, 2013
Summary
Conflict adaptation, a popular cognitive psychology theory, may be an illusion. Recent research suggests contingency learning and confounds in classic paradigms, questioning its validity.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Conflict adaptation is a prominent theory explaining cognitive control.
- It is supported by behavioral and neural data from paradigms like proportion congruent and Gratton.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the evidence for conflict adaptation.
- To critically evaluate recent challenges to the theory's viability.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on conflict adaptation.
- Analysis of behavioral data from proportion congruent and Gratton paradigms.
- Examination of neuroimaging findings related to conflict and the anterior cingulate cortex.
Main Results:
- Contingency learning may explain the proportion congruent effect, not conflict adaptation.
- The Gratton paradigm is susceptible to confounds like feature repetition.
- Temporal learning effects complicate interpretation of behavioral data.
- Anterior cingulate cortex activation may reflect time-on-task rather than conflict.
Conclusions:
- The concept of conflict adaptation may be an oversimplification or an illusion.
- Existing data are ambiguous, necessitating further research.
- Open questions remain regarding the mechanisms of cognitive control.
More Related Videos
13:20Online Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Dorsomedial and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Cognition Decision Making, and Cognitive Dissonance
Published on: December 5, 2025
09:49Holistic Facial Composite Creation and Subsequent Video Line-up Eyewitness Identification Paradigm
Published on: December 24, 2015
Related Concept Videos
01:38Cognitive Dissonance
Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
01:29Theory of Attribution II: Kelley's Covariation Theory
Attribution theory plays a crucial role in social psychology, helping to explain how individuals interpret the causes of behavior. One prominent model within this field is Harold Kelley's covariation theory, which provides a systematic approach to determining whether internal traits or external circumstances drive a person's actions. The model posits that individuals rely on three key types of information—consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness—to make these judgments.Consensus: Comparing...
01:25The Anchoring-and-Adjustment Heuristic
In order to make good decisions, we use our knowledge and our reasoning. Often, this knowledge and reasoning is sound and solid. However, sometimes, we are swayed by biases or by others manipulating a situation. For example, let’s say you and three friends wanted to rent a house and had a combined target budget of $1,600. The realtor shows you only very run-down houses for $1,600 and then shows you a very nice house for $2,000. Might you ask each person to pay more in rent to get the $2,000...
03:26Framing Effects
Information is everywhere and its presentation—such as how and when items are presented—can impact our perceptions and decisions surrounding the info. This broad concept umbrellas framing effects—influences that occur due to the way information is framed in its appearance, whether it’s purely the order or the specific wording of a message. Let’s take a look at numerous ways in which two versions of something can objectively say the same thing, yet we respond in different ways based on the...
01:23Factors Influencing Attraction III: Similarity
The similarity hypothesis suggests that individuals are more likely to form relationships with others who share similar attitudes, beliefs, values, and interests. This concept has been widely studied in social psychology, demonstrating that perceived similarity fosters interpersonal attraction. In an experiment supporting this hypothesis, participants were presented with fabricated information indicating that strangers held attitudes similar to their own. The results showed that participants...
01:26Causes of Similarity-Dissimilarity Effect
The similarity-dissimilarity effect, a fundamental concept in social psychology, explains how interpersonal similarities and differences influence attraction and social interactions. This effect is supported by three key psychological perspectives: balance theory, social comparison theory, and consensual validation.Balance Theory and Cognitive ConsistencyBalance theory, developed by Fritz Heider, posits that individuals seek cognitive consistency in their relationships. When two people share...