Limited evidence for executive function load impairing selective copying in a win-stay lose-shift task

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Evolutionary Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Explicitly metacognitive learning strategies are theorized to underpin human cumulative culture.
• These strategies are thought to engage explicit, system-2 cognitive processes for advantageous selective copying.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of executive functions (EF) in flexible learning decisions and metacognitive monitoring.
• To test the hypothesis that selective copying relies on system-2 processes under executive function load.

Main Methods:

• Adult participants completed a win-stay lose-shift (WSLS) paradigm under varying copying strategy demands (selective, always copy, always avoid).
• A concurrent switching task imposed executive function load.
• Metacognitive monitoring efficiency was assessed in a separate experiment alongside the switching task.

Main Results:

• Selective copying strategies were more challenging than consistent copying or deviation strategies.
• No significant impact of executive function load was observed on metacognitive monitoring ability.
• Task experience suggested potential ceiling effects that might mask EF load differences.

Conclusions:

• Copying decisions, even basic ones, appear to involve executive functions.
• Selective copying strategies are more demanding than their individual components.
• Further research is needed to explore EF load effects in contexts with higher memory demands.