Characterizing switching and congruency effects in the Implicit Association Test as reactive and proactive cognitive control

Joseph Hilgard; Bruce D Bartholow; Cheryl L Dickter; Hart Blanton

doi:10.1093/scan/nsu060

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Characterizing switching and congruency effects in the Implicit Association Test as reactive and proactive cognitive control

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Characterizing switching and congruency effects in the Implicit Association Test as reactive and proactive cognitive control

Joseph Hilgard, Bruce D Bartholow, Cheryl L Dickter and Hart Blanton

Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, Vol.10(3), pp.381-388

03/01/2015

DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsu060

PMCID: PMC4350479

PMID: 24812074

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https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsu060View

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Abstract

Recent research has identified an important role for task switching, a cognitive control process often associated with executive functioning, in the Implicit Association Test (IAT). However, switching does not fully account for IAT effects, particularly when performance is scored using more recent d-score formulations. The current study sought to characterize multiple control processes involved in IAT performance through the use of event-related brain potentials (ERPs). Participants performed a race-evaluative IAT while ERPs were recorded. Behaviorally, participants experienced superadditive reaction time costs of incongruency and task switching, consistent with previous studies. The ERP showed a marked medial frontal negativity (MFN) 250-450 ms post-stimulus at midline fronto-central locations that were more negative for incongruent than congruent trials but more positive for switch than for no-switch trials, suggesting separable control processes are engaged by these two factors. Greater behavioral IAT bias was associated with both greater switch-related and congruency-related ERP activity. Findings are discussed in terms of the Dual Mechanisms of Control model of reactive and proactive cognitive control.

Adolescent

Brain Mapping

Cognition - physiology

Continental Population Groups

Electroencephalography

Evoked Potentials - physiology

Executive Function

Female

Frontal Lobe - physiology

Humans

Male

Prejudice - psychology

Psychomotor Performance - physiology

Reaction Time - physiology

Reproducibility of Results

Word Association Tests

Young Adult

Details

Title: Subtitle: Characterizing switching and congruency effects in the Implicit Association Test as reactive and proactive cognitive control
Creators: Joseph Hilgard - William & Mary
Bruce D Bartholow - William & Mary
Cheryl L Dickter - University of Missouri
Hart Blanton - William & Mary
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, Vol.10(3), pp.381-388
DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsu060
PMID: 24812074
PMCID: PMC4350479
NLM abbreviation: Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci
ISSN: 1749-5016
eISSN: 1749-5024
Grant note: R01AA020970 / NIAAA NIH HHS R01 AA020970 / NIAAA NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 03/01/2015
Academic Unit: Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9984446446602771

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