Generality and specificity of cognitive control: research logics and debates.
- Author:
Guo-Chun YANG
1
;
Zheng-Han LI
1
;
Hai-Yan WU
1
;
Xun LIU
1
Author Information
1. CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China.
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- MeSH:
Brain;
physiology;
Brain Mapping;
Cognition;
Computer Simulation;
Humans;
Logic
- From:
Acta Physiologica Sinica
2019;71(1):140-148
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
As a high-level cognitive function of actively regulating human behaviors, cognitive control plays essential roles in conflict processing, working memory, decision making and so on. However, it is still under debate whether a universal cognitive control mechanism underlies the processing of various conflicts. Many existing theories tend to hold that cognitive control is domain-general; however, this view has been challenged by recent empirical studies. The logics of studying generality/specificity mainly include transferability, parallel comparison, correlation and resources competition, etc. Current empirical findings support that cognitive control is domain-general, domain-specific or both, respectively. To tackle this controversy, future studies about cognitive control can be performed from the perspectives of life-span development, the dynamic brain network, combination of multiple logics, causal relationship from brain injury, computational modeling, cognitive flexibility and functional connectivity.
