Year: 2025
Type: other
Abstract: Cognitive control allows us to guide our behavior in line with internal goals, but this ability is far from constant.This thesis investigates how dynamics of cognitive control are influenced by fluctuations in arousal, our internal state of alertness that varies over time and across contexts.Rather than a unitary process, cognitive control is a layered system operating across distinct stages of information processing -from perceptual input to evidence accumulation and response execution.Through five empirical studies, the thesis examines how control unfolds across these layers and how it is modulated by internal states (such as sustained, tonic and transient, phasic arousal) and by contextual relevance, specifically the value associated with competing goals or intentions.The first three papers of the thesis focus on the dynamics of arousal and their influence on cognitive control.Study 1 uses a Theory of Visual Attention-based partial report paradigm to show that phasic arousal increases visual processing speed without affecting top-down control, suggesting that arousal does not modulate control at early perceptual stages.Critically, we find that brief bursts of phasic alerting do not elevate sustained tonic levels, allowing a clean dissociation between the two.Study 2 builds on this by examining how the intensity of phasic alerting cues shapes performance in a Simon task involving response conflict.Using EEG and behavioral measures, the results reveal a hybrid profile: phasic arousal leads to faster responses but increases conflict costs, indicating a trade-off between speed and control.EEG markers of motor preparation were generally enhanced by phasic alerting but did not vary further with cue intensity, while decision-related processing decreased with stronger cues, consistent with more automatic responding.Study 3 then combines both tonic and phasic arousal in a fully crossed design.Using EEG, pupillometry, and behavioral measures, it shows that tonic arousal supports proactive control and sustained engagement, whereas phasic arousal triggers reactive adjustments.Crucially, their effects are not additive: phasic responsiveness depends on tonic arousal levels, indicating that the two modes interact in a state-dependent manner.The final two papers of the thesis turn to how control is allocated when multiple intentions compete.Study 4 introduces a multiple-cue task and demonstrates that participants preferentially select intentions associated with higher expected value.This suggests that value acts as an input to the control system, biasing intention selection by increasing the gain for high-value options.Study 5 extends this idea to the domain of
Author: Dupont, Dawa
Institution: University of Copenhagen
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7213682731