Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada.
Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn. 2024 Jan-Mar;31(1):187-201. doi: 10.1080/13825585.2022.2134548. Epub 2022 Oct 15.
The present study examined the effect of event segmentation on cognitive control mode use in a sample of older adults ( = 30; = 73, = 4.75) using a modified AX-Continuous Performance Test (AX-CPT). This task included a perceptual event boundary between each cue and its forthcoming probe by means of a spatial shift across the left and right side of the display. Past research showed that young adults' existing proactive control bias could be enhanced in an event segmented AX-CPT relative to their performance on a standard AX-CPT. For older adults who adopt reactive control by default, the event boundary was expected to impede cue-reactivation during probe presentation, and thus further enhance their existing reactive control bias. To examine this, older adults were tested with a standard and an event segmented AX-CPT in two blocks, with error rates revealing a shift toward greater reactive control use in the event segmented relative to the standard AX-CPT. Findings supported our hypothesis that placing a spatial event boundary between each cue and forthcoming probe would further enhance older adults' reactive control bias. This study contributes to the sparse but growing literature on the effects of task-specific manipulations on cognitive control use. The results are discussed in light of the dual mechanisms of control framework and the event horizon model.
本研究采用改良 AX-连续表现测验（AX-CPT），在一组老年被试（n=30；年龄 M=73，SD=4.75）中，考察了事件分割对认知控制模式使用的影响。该任务在每个提示与其后续探测之间通过在显示器的左右两侧进行空间转换来设置知觉事件边界。过去的研究表明，与标准 AX-CPT 相比，年轻被试在事件分割的 AX-CPT 中，现有的前摄控制偏向可以得到增强。对于默认采用反应控制的老年被试，事件边界预计会在探测呈现期间阻碍提示的重新激活，从而进一步增强他们现有的反应控制偏向。为了检验这一点，老年被试在两个块中接受了标准和事件分割的 AX-CPT 测试，错误率显示在事件分割的 AX-CPT 中，反应控制的使用倾向于更大。研究结果支持了我们的假设，即在每个提示和后续探测之间设置空间事件边界将进一步增强老年被试的反应控制偏向。本研究为关于任务特定操作对认知控制使用影响的稀缺但不断增长的文献做出了贡献。结果根据控制的双重机制框架和事件视界模型进行了讨论。
