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Automatic-effortful processing and cognitive inertia in persons with mental retardation.
N R Ellis1, P Woodley-Zanthos, C L Dulaney
1Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa 35487-0348.
American Journal of Mental Retardation : AJMR
|January 1, 1989
Summary
Persons with intellectual disabilities show greater Stroop interference due to less effortful control. Practice helps automatize suppression, but it persists longer in this group, termed cognitive inertia.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuropsychology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- The Stroop Color-Word Interference Test assesses automatic-effortful processing.
- Understanding cognitive control differences is crucial for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare automatic-effortful processing between individuals with intellectual disabilities and college students using a modified Stroop task.
- To investigate the effects of practice on cognitive control and response suppression in these groups.
Main Methods:
- A modified Stroop Color-Word Interference Test was administered.
- Three experiments were conducted, including practice sessions over multiple days.
- Interference scores and response suppression were measured.
Main Results:
- Individuals with intellectual disabilities exhibited greater Stroop interference, indicating less effective suppression of automatic reading.
- Both groups improved automatization of suppression with practice at similar rates.
- Automatized suppression effects were more pronounced and persistent in individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Conclusions:
- Individuals with intellectual disabilities may have deficits in effortful control, impacting cognitive processing.
- Cognitive inertia, characterized by persistent, non-adaptive automatized responses, may be a feature of cognitive functioning in this population.
- Findings suggest differences in the flexibility and persistence of cognitive control mechanisms.