Different faces of (un)controllability: Control restoration modulates the efficiency of task switching
Metadatos
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Springer Nature
Materia
Control deprivation Cognitive flexibility Task switching Social categories
Fecha
2018-11-26Referencia bibliográfica
Bukowski, M., de Lemus, S., Marzecová, A., Lupiáñez, J., & Gocłowska, M. A. (2019). Different faces of (un) controllability: Control restoration modulates the efficiency of task switching. Motivation and Emotion, 43(1), 12-34.
Patrocinador
This research was supported by grants financed by the Polish National Science Centre (DEC-2011/01/D/HS6/00477 and DEC-2014/15/B/HS6/03755) and by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (PSI2016-79971-P).Resumen
Uncontrollability has been often associated with impaired or rigid cognitive processing. However, perceived stability of
uncontrollable events modulated some of these detrimental effects on cognition. We investigated whether the experience of
sequential control loss and restoration can enhance cognitive flexibility. We manipulated uncontrollability using a concept
formation procedure that entailed either only unsolvable tasks (control deprivation condition), unsolvable tasks followed by
solvable ones (control restoration condition) or only solvable tasks (control condition). To assess cognitive flexibility, we
used a task-switching procedure that incorporated social categories. In Experiment 1 participants categorized people based
on gender or age, and in Experiment 2 and 3 based on gender or social roles. Participants showed more flexibility in control
restoration than in control deprivation condition. Additionally, in Experiments 2 and 3 this effect was mainly pronounced in
the condition where the task evoked more cognitive conflict. We discuss the motivational underpinnings of unstable experiences
of control loss and restoration.