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Updated: Aug 4, 2025
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A Fully Automated Rodent Conditioning Protocol for Sensorimotor Integration and Cognitive Control Experiments
Published on: April 15, 2014
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Novelty and learning in cognitive control: evidence from the Simon task.
Andrea De Cesarei1, Stefania D'Ascenzo2, Roberto Nicoletti2
1Department of Psychology, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 5, 40127, Bologna, Italy. andrea.decesarei@unibo.it.
Psychological Research
|March 31, 2023
Summary
Cognitive control reduces interference from unwanted information. Novelty and stimulus changes did not affect the correspondence sequence effect (CSE), but changing response modalities did, suggesting learned bindings prevent spatial interference.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Performance
Background:
- Unwanted information can disrupt ongoing tasks and impair performance.
- Cognitive control and contextual factors can mitigate interference.
- The correspondence sequence effect (CSE) in the Simon task reduces interference but its mechanisms are unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the role of novelty and trial-to-trial variations in stimulus and response features on the CSE.
- Understand the mechanisms underlying the reduction of spatial interference in the Simon task.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the spatial correspondence (Simon) task.
- Manipulated novelty and changes in stimulus and response features across trials.
- Analyzed the modulation of the CSE under different conditions.
Main Results:
- Similar modulation of CSE was observed for novel and non-novel stimulus changes.
- Changing response modality across trials significantly dampened the CSE.
- This dampening effect was more pronounced with higher probabilities of switch trials.
Conclusions:
- Novelty and stimulus changes do not appear to be the primary drivers of the CSE.
- Response modality switching and long-term learning play a crucial role in reducing spatial interference.
- Findings support cognitive control mechanisms triggered by learned bindings in preventing spatial interference.
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