Conflict-triggered top-down control: default mode, last resort, or no such thing?
1Washington University in St. Louis.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition
|November 27, 2013
Summary
Top-down control is not always engaged during high conflict. Associative learning can prevent its activation, suggesting top-down control acts as a last resort when other strategies fail.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Behavior
Background:
- The conflict monitoring theory suggests high conflict activates top-down control.
- Recent research indicates top-down control is inconsistent in high-conflict situations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if associative learning moderates top-down control engagement during conflict.
- To test the Associations as Antagonists to Top-Down Control (AATC) hypothesis.
Main Methods:
- Four experiments manipulated list-wide proportion congruence to create low and high conflict contexts.
- Conflict-triggered top-down control was assessed by comparing interference effects on congruent items.
- A fifth experiment compared young and older adults' control engagement.
Main Results:
- Evidence for top-down control engagement only appeared when associative learning was not predictive.
- This selective engagement aligns with the AATC hypothesis.
- Older adults showed no top-down control engagement where young adults did.
Conclusions:
- Top-down control is not a default response in high conflict; it's a last resort.
- Associative learning plays a critical role in inhibiting top-down control.
- Environmental predictability influences the engagement of cognitive control strategies.
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