Neural gain is the mechanism underlying the stability/flexibility trade-off, which is fundamental for goal-directed yet adaptive behavior. Inspired by the development of a computational model that...Show moreNeural gain is the mechanism underlying the stability/flexibility trade-off, which is fundamental for goal-directed yet adaptive behavior. Inspired by the development of a computational model that estimates gain, we assessed whether people rationally modulate gain to demands for stability and flexibility. We designed two task-switch digit-classification experiments with 60 participants each, in which we manipulated the proportion incongruency (PI) in experiment one and cue-to-stimulus interval (CSI) in experiment two. Our results indicated that PI manipulation did not significantly affect gain, yet incongruency costs and switch costs demonstrated an increase in stability in response to high PI. CSI manipulation significantly affected both gain and incongruency costs, demonstrating increased flexibility in response to a short preparation time. Furthermore, we used questionnaires to assess participants' ASD and ADHD trait scores and tested whether these predicted biases in gain and/or impairments in gain modulation. Despite the lack of conclusive findings, this study offers insight in the relation between ASD and ADHD and neural gain. More studies that overcome our limitations may discover the impairments in neurocognitive mechanisms underlying psychological disorders and inform treatment. Altogether, our results indicate that people rationally adapt to demands for stability and flexibility following an antagonistic trade-off. Therefore, this study contributes to the research on neuromodulation and adds to the general understanding of attention. Our findings may also help to inform applied research on the benefits and drawbacks of stability and flexibility in the workplace. Thereby, managers could be made aware of the number of tasks assigned to their employees and whether the demand to switch between them is proportional to their difficulty.Show less
Cognitive stability and flexibility are a continuous trade-off. To exert stable task focus, humans need deeper attractor states and higher neural gain to shield distractors. For cognitive...Show moreCognitive stability and flexibility are a continuous trade-off. To exert stable task focus, humans need deeper attractor states and higher neural gain to shield distractors. For cognitive flexibility, shallower attractor states and lower gain are beneficial to switch tasks quicker. Individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) seem to have problems adjusting stability and flexibility. This study examined the influence of two contextual demands on a computational estimate of neural gain. First, we expected people to increase neural gain with a higher proportion of incongruent stimuli to facilitate focus on the task relevant stimulus dimension. Second, we hypothesised that participants decrease neural gain when presented a short versus long cue to stimulus interval (CSI) to allow faster switching. Generally, we expected individuals with higher levels of ADHD to have lower gain and more difficulties adjusting it. These hypotheses were tested separately with a cued task-switch paradigm online. First, the proportion of incongruent stimuli was manipulated (75% versus 25%). With a high proportion incongruency, participants lowered their incongruency cost and increased switch cost. However, they did not change gain. Second, the CSI length was varied (300ms versus 1000ms). With a short CSI, people lowered gain and made more errors on incongruent switch trials. We found partial support that individuals with self-reported ADHD have less optimal gain. We recommend that individuals work in environments matching their demands. If a task demands focus, one should not work in a flexibility demanding space. When focus and accuracy are required, sufficient time must be given.Show less
