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People are sensitive to environmental predictability when engaging cognitive control
Kaichi Yanaoka1, Hiroyuki Tsubomi2, Félice van 't Wout3
1Osaka Kyoiku University, 4-88 Minami Kawahoricho, Osaka, Tennoji, 543-0054, Japan. makifactor@gmail.com.
Memory & Cognition
|April 28, 2026
Summary
Environmental predictability influences proactive control. People adapt their cognitive control strategies based on how reliably cues predict task rules, optimizing performance in dynamic settings.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Behavior
Background:
- Cognitive control allows goal achievement in dynamic environments.
- Proactive and reactive control strategies are flexibly employed.
- Factors influencing proactive control engagement remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate how environmental predictability influences proactive control.
- Examine the relationship between cue reliability and proactive control.
- Determine thresholds for engaging cognitive control based on predictability.
Main Methods:
- Self-paced task-switching paradigm used across two experiments.
- Adult participants controlled response timing.
- Environmental predictability manipulated via contextual cue reliability.
Main Results:
- Higher cue reliability (100%) led to longer preparation times and reduced switch costs.
- Participants adapted preparation time based on cue reliability (85% vs. 65%).
- Performance differences emerged between matched and unmatched trials under varying reliability.
Conclusions:
- Adults detect and adjust proactive control based on subtle cue reliability differences.
- Environmental predictability significantly modulates cognitive control engagement.
- Two cue reliability thresholds govern proactive control decisions and effectiveness.
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