Set-shifting as a component process of goal-directed problem-solving

Abstract

Abstract:In two experiments, we compared secondary task interference on Tower of London performance resulting from three different secondary tasks. The secondary tasks were designed to tap three different executive functions, namely set-shifting, memory monitoring and updating, and response inhibition. Previous work using individual differences methodology suggests that, all other things being equal, the response inhibition or memory tasks should result in the greatest interference. However, this was not found to be the case. Rather, in both experiments the setshifting task resulted in significantly more interference on Tower of London performance than either of the other secondary tasks. Subsequent analyses suggest that the degree of interference could not be attributed to differences in secondary task difficulty. Results are interpreted in the light of related work which suggests that solving problems with non-transparent goal/subgoal structure requires flexible shifting between subgoals -a process that is held to be impaired by concurrent performance of a set-shifting task.

Aha! under pressure: The Aha! experience is not constrained by cognitive load

“…One way of debunking whether insight relies on cognitive resources is by assessing how WM relates to insight and non-insight problem solving (e.g., DeCaro, Van Stockum, & Wieth, 2016). WM is considered a central processing hub where information is shortly stored and updated to cope with ongoing task demands (Baddeley, 1986;Shipstead et al, 2016); executive functions associated with problem solving (e.g., Cooper & Marsh, 2015;De Neys, 2006). The capacity of WM is limited (Cowan, 2010).…”

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“…Planning is a complex set of mental and behavioral operations that brings together cognitive, emotional, and motivational resources to achieve the desired goals (Shallice, 1982 ; Friedman and Schonick, 2014 ). In past studies, planning of simple actions and action sequences in infancy and childhood has been linked to improvements in the core aspects of executive functions (Pennequin et al, 2010 ; Gottwald et al, 2016 ; Yanaoka and Saito, 2019 , 2020 ; Schröer et al, 2021 ), and planning abilities on standard tasks such as the Tower of London have argued to be related to inhibition and set-shifting (Baughman and Cooper, 2007 ; Cooper and Marsh, 2016 ), suggesting a tight link between lower- and higher-level components of EF.…”

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