Adaptive control and the avoidance of cognitive control demands across development
Jesse C Niebaum1, Nicolas Chevalier2, Ryan M Guild1
1Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, United States.
Neuropsychologia
|May 4, 2018
Summary
Young adults and older children avoid demanding tasks, showing cognitive control development. Younger children lack this adaptive behavior, indicating developing effort avoidance strategies.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Cognitive control is crucial for goal-directed behavior.
- Young adults exhibit adaptive strategies to minimize cognitive effort.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the developmental trajectory of adaptive demand avoidance.
- Examine how children and young adults select tasks based on cognitive control demands.
Main Methods:
- A demand selection task was used with varying rule switch frequencies.
- Participants included 6-7-year-olds, 11-12-year-olds, and young adults.
- Behavioral and self-report measures assessed metacognition and demand avoidance.
Main Results:
- Adults and older children preferentially selected less demanding tasks.
- A metacognitive signal guided adaptive demand avoidance in older groups.
- Younger children did not adjust task selection despite varying cognitive demands.
Conclusions:
- Sensitivity to cognitive control demands and adaptive avoidance emerge during development.
- Findings align with the maturation of prefrontal cortex networks supporting effort-based decision-making.
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