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Dynamics of Hierarchical Task Representations
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Dynamics of Hierarchical Task Representations

Dillan Cellier, Isaac T Petersen and Kai Hwang
The journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, Vol.42(38), pp.7276-7284
08/18/2022
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0233-22.2022
PMCID: PMC9512570
PMID: 35985836
url
https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0233-22.2022View
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Abstract

Task representations are critical for cognitive control and adaptive behavior. The hierarchical organization of task representations allows humans to maintain goals, integrate information across varying contexts, and select potential responses. In this study we characterized the structure and interactive dynamics of task representations that facilitate cognitive control. Human participants (both males and females) performed a hierarchical task that required them to select a response rule while considering the contingencies from different contextual inputs. By applying time- and frequency-resolved representational similarity analysis to human electroencephalography data, we characterized properties of task representations that are otherwise difficult to observe. We found that participants formed multiple representations of task-relevant contexts and features from the presented stimuli, beyond simple stimulus–response mappings. These disparate representations were hierarchically structured, with higher-order contextual representations dominantly influencing subordinate representations of task features and response rules. Furthermore, this cascade of top-down interactions facilitated faster responses. Our results describe key properties of task representations that support hierarchical cognitive control.

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