Procedural Control Versus Resources as Potential Origins of Human Hyper Selectivity

Abstract

In the current review, we argue that experimental results usually interpreted as evidence for cognitive resource limitations could also reflect functional necessities of human information processing. First, we point out that selective processing of only specific features, objects, or locations at each moment in time allows humans to monitor the success and failure of their own overt actions and covert cognitive procedures. We then proceed to show how certain instances of selectivity are at odds with commonly assumed resource limitations. Next, we discuss examples of seemingly automatic, resource-free processing that challenge the resource view but can be easily understood from the functional perspective of monitoring cognitive procedures. Finally, we suggest that neurophysiological data supporting resource limitations might actually reflect mechanisms of how procedural control is implemented in the brain.

Time-Based Binding as a Solution to and a Limitation for Flexible Cognition

“…The early selection-for-action theory, for example, held that working memory must subserve action in the world (discussed in Hommel et al, 2001 ); and because action must be integrated (one cannot, for example, prepare a gratin dauphinois and play a video game at the same time), some environmental features must be selected, and others ignored. A generalization of the selection-for-action theory is the selection-for-procedures theory proposed by Ansorge et al (2021) . These authors argued that the bottleneck for actions (i.e., very few and typically just one action can be carried out at the same time), also applies to the execution of procedures.…”

The Influence of Hatha Yoga on Stress, Anxiety, and Suppression: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…This is also supported by the fact that the different executive functions are partly independent from one another, meaning that not all of them must be influenced by the same manipulations or independent variables. Viewed from the perspective of theories that put monitoring of control or steering values at center stage of top-down or strategic psychological processing (e.g., Anderson et al, 1997;Ansorge et al, 2021), for example, the executive function of shifting (between tasks, modalities, or stimuli) could be subject to more interference by upholding of (unsuited) anxiety-and stress-supporting strategies (or other stress-and anxietysupporting processes) and, thus, also benefit more from a stress-or anxiety-relieving intervention such as Hatha yoga (cf. Gothe et al, 2016).…”