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Variability and harshness shape flexible strategy-use in support of the constrained flexibility framework
Sarah Pope-Caldwell1, Dominik Deffner2,3, Luke Maurits4
1Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany. popecaldwell.sarah@gmail.com.
Scientific Reports
|March 28, 2024
Summary
Cognitive flexibility allows adaptation, but humans often resist change. The constrained flexibility framework explains this by showing that harshness suppresses switching to new strategies, even beneficial ones.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Decision-making science
Background:
- Human cognition demonstrates remarkable flexibility across diverse environments.
- However, individuals often persist with familiar strategies, even when suboptimal alternatives exist.
- Understanding the factors influencing cognitive flexibility versus inflexibility is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide empirical evidence for the constrained flexibility framework (CFF).
- To investigate how environmental factors like variability, predictability, and harshness shape cognitive flexibility.
- To examine the role of elective switching in response to environmental demands.
Main Methods:
- Two studies involving 299 English-speaking adults completing a decision-making task.
- Manipulation of harshness within the decision-making environment (both within-subjects and between-subjects).
- Analysis of elective switching behavior in relation to environmental parameters.
Main Results:
- Elective switching was significantly suppressed by environmental harshness.
- This suppression effect was observed across both within- and between-subjects harshness manipulations.
- Findings align with the predictions of the constrained flexibility framework.
Conclusions:
- The constrained flexibility framework (CFF) offers a valuable model for understanding cognitive flexibility.
- Environmental harshness plays a key role in inhibiting the adoption of new strategies.
- Further research is needed to explore cognitive flexibility across varied contextual demands.
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