TY - JOUR

T1 - Last in, first out

T2 - Experimental Psychology Society meeting

AU - Sunram-Lea, Sandra-Ilona

PY - 2017/9/1

Y1 - 2017/9/1

N2 - It has been argued that cognitive abilities that developed last ontogenetically are likely the first to become impaired when cognitive and/or physiological resources are compromised. In phylogeny as in ontogeny, the prefrontal cortex is a late developing region of the cortex. Late maturing areas of the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex are primarily involved in higher executive functions. One crucial function of executive control is to enable self-control, i.e. the ability to inhibit automatic or habitual responses. Self-control requires effort and completing two successive self-control tasks, typically, produces a temporary drop in performance in the second task. It has been suggested that self-control requires an extensive amount of energy and when this energy is depleted, later self-control ability is adversely affected. In this talk, a series of experiments exploring the relationship between glucose availability and self-control performance using a neuro-cognitive approach will be presented. The data suggest that although frontal cortical areas are susceptible to limitations in fuel supply, level of motivation to perform a task can moderate the effect of impaired self-control performance following prior exertion. The results suggest that allocation of resources to limited-capacity systems is moderated by motivational factors. Putative underlying mechanisms regulating allocation of resources will be discussed.

AB - It has been argued that cognitive abilities that developed last ontogenetically are likely the first to become impaired when cognitive and/or physiological resources are compromised. In phylogeny as in ontogeny, the prefrontal cortex is a late developing region of the cortex. Late maturing areas of the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex are primarily involved in higher executive functions. One crucial function of executive control is to enable self-control, i.e. the ability to inhibit automatic or habitual responses. Self-control requires effort and completing two successive self-control tasks, typically, produces a temporary drop in performance in the second task. It has been suggested that self-control requires an extensive amount of energy and when this energy is depleted, later self-control ability is adversely affected. In this talk, a series of experiments exploring the relationship between glucose availability and self-control performance using a neuro-cognitive approach will be presented. The data suggest that although frontal cortical areas are susceptible to limitations in fuel supply, level of motivation to perform a task can moderate the effect of impaired self-control performance following prior exertion. The results suggest that allocation of resources to limited-capacity systems is moderated by motivational factors. Putative underlying mechanisms regulating allocation of resources will be discussed.

U2 - 10.1080/17470218.2017.1365417

DO - 10.1080/17470218.2017.1365417

M3 - Meeting abstract

VL - 17

SP - 2586

EP - 2596

JO - The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology

JF - The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology

SN - 1747-0218

IS - 12

Y2 - 12 July 2017 through 14 July 2017

ER -