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When stimulus variability accelerates the learning of task knowledge in adults and school-aged children
Kaichi Yanaoka1, Félice Van't Wout2, Satoru Saito3
1Osaka Kyoiku University, Osaka, Japan.
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2006)
|April 1, 2024
Summary
Learning to engage cognitive control is influenced by stimulus variability. Prior experience with reactive control hinders proactive control engagement, especially in children when stimuli change, impacting abstract task knowledge transfer.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Variability in experiences aids abstract knowledge formation and transfer to new situations.
- Cognitive control involves proactive control (anticipatory) and reactive control (conflict-driven).
- Understanding how stimulus variability affects cognitive control engagement is crucial for developmental and educational contexts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of stimulus variability on the engagement of proactive and reactive cognitive control in adults and children.
- To examine how prior experience with reactive control influences subsequent proactive control, and vice versa.
- To assess age-related differences in the variability effect on cognitive control.
Main Methods:
- Four preregistered online experiments using a cued task-switching paradigm.
- Involved adults and 9- to 10-year-old children.
- Manipulated stimulus variability in cue and target elements across blocks.
Main Results:
- Prior reactive control experience led to slower responses in subsequent proactive control tasks for both adults and children.
- 9- to 10-year-olds showed negative transfer when uninformative stimuli varied, unlike when they were fixed.
- Adults demonstrated suggestive evidence of the variability effect across different stimulus manipulation conditions.
Conclusions:
- Stimulus variability plays a significant role in shaping cognitive control engagement.
- Experience with reactive control can negatively impact proactive control, particularly in younger children when task contexts change.
- Findings highlight the importance of considering stimulus variability in understanding cognitive control development and transfer.
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