Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 18, 2026
07:26
Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm
Published on: May 4, 2020
4.0K
[Neuroscience of mental flexibility]
1Pszichiátriai Klinika, Szegedi Tudományegyetem, Általános Orvostudományi Kar Szeged, Kálvária sgt. 57., 6725.
Orvosi Hetilap
|November 15, 2017
Summary
Mental flexibility, crucial for adapting to change, involves cognitive processes like attention and memory. Neuroimaging and other techniques reveal brain regions and neurotransmitters like dopamine are key to this adaptability.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neurobiology
Background:
- Mental flexibility is vital for adapting to environmental changes.
- It encompasses attention, inhibition, working memory, and switching processes.
- These cognitive functions can be assessed using neurocognitive tests.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the central nervous system correlates of mental flexibility.
- To understand the roles of specific brain regions and neurotransmitters.
- To examine the relationship between mental flexibility, creativity, and personality traits.
Main Methods:
- Cognitive neuroscience methods, including neuroimaging and pharmacological techniques.
- Assessment of brain structures and functions at rest and during tasks.
- Comparison of neurobiological parameters with cognitive and personality measures.
Main Results:
- Key brain regions (prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate, insula, striatum, inferior parietal lobule) and their network connectivities are involved.
- Neurotransmitters, notably dopamine, play a significant role.
- Mental flexibility shares neurobiological underpinnings with creativity and openness.
Conclusions:
- Mental flexibility is supported by specific neural networks and neurochemical systems.
- Alterations in mental flexibility are observed in diseases and stress.
- While flexibility is generally advantageous, stability can also be beneficial in certain contexts.
Related Concept Videos
01:01Neuroplasticity
2.0K
Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.
2.0K
01:17Cognitivism
3.2K
Cognitive psychology emerged as a significant field in the mid-20th century. It focused on understanding humans' internal mental processes. This approach emphasizes how people perceive, remember, think, and solve problems—elements critical to human cognition.
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process...
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process...
3.2K
01:21Cognitive Learning
1.4K
Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
1.4K
01:29Magical Thinking
229
Magical thinking encompasses the belief in assumptions that defy logical reasoning yet appear intuitively convincing. It is a common psychological phenomenon that persists across various cultural and individual contexts. While these assumptions contradict empirical evidence and scientific laws, they often serve meaningful psychological roles in promoting emotional resilience and a sense of control, especially under stress or uncertainty.Thought-Action Fusion and the Law of SimilarityA key...
229
01:24Growth versus Fixed Mindset
336
Carol Dweck introduced the term mindset to describe individuals' beliefs about their intellectual and personal capabilities. These beliefs significantly influence psychological processes such as motivation, goal-setting, and perseverance, ultimately shaping academic and life outcomes. Individuals generally possess one of two mindsets- a fixed or a growth mindset—each promoting different responses to success, failure, and challenge.Fixed vs. Growth MindsetA fixed mindset assumes that one's...
336
01:37Reason and Intuition
7.6K
The human brain processes information for decision-making using one of two routes: an intuitive system and a rational system (Epstein, 1994; popularized by Kahneman, 2011 as System 1 and System 2, respectively). The intuitive system is quick, impulsive, and operates with minimal effort, relying on emotions or habits to provide cues for what to do next, while the rational system is logical, analytical, deliberate, and methodical. Research in neuropsychology suggests that the...
7.6K