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Task interference as a neuronal basis for the cost of cognitive flexibility
Cheng Xue1, Sol K Markman1,2, Ruoyi Chen3
1Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, IL, USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|March 18, 2024
Summary
Cognitive flexibility allows task juggling but reduces accuracy under uncertainty. This study reveals task interference, where competing neural representations cause errors, impacting decision-making in humans and animals.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Computational Modeling
Background:
- Humans and animals exhibit remarkable task-switching abilities in dynamic environments.
- This cognitive flexibility, however, is associated with performance decrements under task uncertainty.
Conclusions:
- The cost of task flexibility arises from task interference, leading to errors under uncertainty.
- Interference between neural representations of different stimuli, tasks, or memories may underlie cognitive capacity limitations in health and disease.
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