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Stroop Task (stroop + task)
Kinds of Stroop Task Selected AbstractsAnterior cingulate activation in antipsychotic-naïve first-episode schizophreniaACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2 2007M. Yücel Objective:, Anterior cingulate (ACC) hypo -activity is commonly observed in chronically ill schizophrenia patients. However, it is unclear whether this is secondary to persistent illness and/or medication. Method:, We examined eight antipsychotic-naïve first-episode patients and matched healthy controls undergoing PET scanning while performing the Stroop task. Results:, Group-averaged and single-subject analyses showed ACC activation in both controls and patients, albeit in different sub-regions (paracingulate and cingulate respectively). A direct comparison revealed relative under-activity of the left paracingulate cortex in patients. Conclusion:, These findings suggest that the more pervasive hypo -activation observed in chronic patients may be secondary to persistent illness and/or medication. [source] A comparison of label-based review and ALE meta-analysis in the Stroop taskHUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 1 2005Angela R. Laird Abstract Meta-analysis is an important tool for interpreting results of functional neuroimaging studies and is highly influential in predicting and testing new outcomes. Although traditional label-based review can be used to search for agreement across multiple studies, a new function-location meta-analysis technique called activation likelihood estimation (ALE) offers great improvements over conventional methods. In ALE, reported foci are modeled as Gaussian functions and pooled to create a statistical whole-brain image. ALE meta-analysis and the label-based review were used to investigate the Stroop task in normal subjects, a paradigm known for its effect of producing conflict and response inhibition due to subjects' tendency to perform word reading as opposed to color naming. Both methods yielded similar activation patterns that were dominated by response in the anterior cingulate and the inferior frontal gyrus. ALE showed greater involvement of the anterior cingulate as compared to that in the label-based technique; however, this was likely due to the increased spatial level of distinction allowed with the ALE method. With ALE, further analysis of the anterior cingulate revealed evidence for somatotopic mapping within the rostral and caudal cingulate zones, an issue that has been the source of some conflict in previous reviews of the anterior cingulate cortex. Hum Brain Mapp 25:6,21, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Involvement of the inferior frontal junction in cognitive control: Meta-analyses of switching and Stroop studiesHUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 1 2005Jan Derrfuss Abstract There is growing evidence that a specific region in the posterior frontolateral cortex is involved intimately in cognitive control processes. This region, located in the vicinity of the junction of the inferior frontal sulcus and the inferior precentral sulcus, was termed the inferior frontal junction (IFJ). The IFJ was shown to be involved in the updating of task representations and to be activated commonly in a within-subject investigation of a task-switching paradigm, the Stroop task, and a verbal n-back task. Here, we investigate the involvement of the IFJ in cognitive control by employing a meta-analytic approach. Two quantitative meta-analyses of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies were conducted. One meta-analysis included frontal activations from task-switching, set-shifting, and stimulus,response (S,R) reversal studies, the other included frontal activations from color,word Stroop studies. Results showed highly significant clustering of activations in the IFJ in both analyses. These results provide strong evidence for the consistent involvement of the IFJ in both switching and Stroop paradigms. Furthermore, they support our concept of areal specialization in the frontolateral cortex, which posits that it is not only the middorsolateral part that plays an important role in cognitive control, but also the IFJ. Finally, our results demonstrate how quantitative meta-analyses can be used to test hypotheses about the involvement of specific brain regions in cognitive control. Hum Brain Mapp 25:22,34, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] ALE meta-analysis: Controlling the false discovery rate and performing statistical contrastsHUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 1 2005Angela R. Laird Abstract Activation likelihood estimation (ALE) has greatly advanced voxel-based meta-analysis research in the field of functional neuroimaging. We present two improvements to the ALE method. First, we evaluate the feasibility of two techniques for correcting for multiple comparisons: the single threshold test and a procedure that controls the false discovery rate (FDR). To test these techniques, foci from four different topics within the literature were analyzed: overt speech in stuttering subjects, the color-word Stroop task, picture-naming tasks, and painful stimulation. In addition, the performance of each thresholding method was tested on randomly generated foci. We found that the FDR method more effectively controls the rate of false positives in meta-analyses of small or large numbers of foci. Second, we propose a technique for making statistical comparisons of ALE meta-analyses and investigate its efficacy on different groups of foci divided by task or response type and random groups of similarly obtained foci. We then give an example of how comparisons of this sort may lead to advanced designs in future meta-analytic research. Hum Brain Mapp 25:155,164, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Modafinil and nicotine interactions in abstinent smokersHUMAN PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY: CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL, Issue 1 2008Mehmet Sofuoglu Abstract In this study, we examined the effects of a wakefulness-promoting medication, modafinil, alone and with the nicotine lozenge, on subjective, physiological and cognitive measures as well as on nicotine withdrawal in overnight abstinent cigarette smokers. Nineteen smokers, 13 male and 6 female, participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. In each of three experimental sessions, subjects were treated orally with a single 200,mg or 400,mg dose of modafinil or placebo. Two hours and 10 min following the medication treatment, subjects received a single 2,mg nicotine lozenge. Both doses of modafinil alone increased the rating of elated-depressed on the Profile of Mood States (POMS) subscale in the direction of depressed and increased ratings of negative affect on the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). In contrast, the 200,mg modafinil dose combined with a 2,mg nicotine lozenge, increased the rating of energetic-tired in the direction of energetic on the POMS subscale. Modafinil attenuated self-reported rating of ,drug strength' in response to the nicotine lozenge. Modafinil, alone or in combination with the nicotine lozenge, did not affect tobacco withdrawal symptoms. There was an increase in baseline heart rate and systolic blood pressure under modafinil treatment. In addition, modafinil speeded reaction times on a modified Stroop task. The clinical utility of modafinil for smoking cessation needs to be determined in future studies. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Response Inhibition Moderates the Relationship Between Implicit Associations and Drinking BehaviorALCOHOLISM, Issue 4 2009Katrijn Houben Background:, Contemporary dual-process models of alcohol abuse propose that alcohol abuse develops because of dysfunctions in the impulsive system, which generates automatic impulses to drink alcohol, and disruptions in the reflective system, which becomes unable to inhibit the influence of these automatic impulses. Based on these insights, this study investigated whether individual differences in the ability of the reflective system to exert response inhibition moderate the relationship between automatic cognitive processes and drinking behavior. Specifically, it was examined whether the interaction between implicit alcohol-related associations and response inhibition predicted drinking behavior. Methods:, Seventy-one university students completed the study online via the Internet. Implicit alcohol associations with positive affect and with arousal were assessed with variants of the Implicit Association Test. Response inhibition was measured using the original Stroop task. Participants also reported their weekly alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. Results:, As predicted, implicit associations were unrelated to drinking behavior when response inhibition was high. In contrast, when response inhibition was low, stronger implicit associations between alcohol and positive affect predicted increased alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. Conclusions:, These findings indicate that the relationship between automatic cognitive processes, originating in the impulsive system, and drinking behavior depends on individual differences in response inhibition exerted by the reflective system. As prolonged alcohol abuse is known to impair response inhibition, alcohol abusers may benefit from interventions that increase response inhibition, thereby restoring inhibitory control over automatic impulses. [source] Sleep-related attentional bias in patients with primary insomnia compared with sleep experts and healthy controlsJOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH, Issue 2 2008KAI SPIEGELHALDER Summary Sleep-related attentional bias has been proposed to be an important factor in the development and maintenance of primary insomnia. In this study, a newly introduced mixed modality (visual auditory) task and an emotional Stroop task were used to investigate attentional processes in patients with primary insomnia, sleep experts and healthy controls (n = 20 per group). The sleep expert group served as second control group to control for effects of frequency of concept usage (FOCU). The results of the emotional Stroop task showed a sleep-related attentional bias in the insomnia group in comparison with the expert group. However, no significant differences were detected in the other group comparisons and in the mixed modality task. The difference between insomnia patients and sleep experts in the emotional Stroop task indicates that FOCU is not the underlying process of sleep-related attentional bias. Insomnia patients seem to be more emotionally, cognitively or procedurally affected by sleep-related stimuli than sleep experts. The findings suggest that a desensitization of sleep-related stimuli might be used therapeutically, thus extending the current cognitive behavioral treatments for primary insomnia. [source] Empathy and error processingPSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Michael J. Larson Abstract Recent research suggests a relationship between empathy and error processing. Error processing is an evaluative control function that can be measured using post-error response time slowing and the error-related negativity (ERN) and post-error positivity (Pe) components of the event-related potential (ERP). Thirty healthy participants completed two measures of empathy, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and the Empathy Quotient (EQ), and a modified Stroop task. Post-error slowing was associated with increased empathic personal distress on the IRI. ERN amplitude was related to overall empathy score on the EQ and the fantasy subscale of the IRI. The Pe and measures of empathy were not related. Results remained consistent when negative affect was controlled via partial correlation, with an additional relationship between ERN amplitude and empathic concern on the IRI. Findings support a connection between empathy and error processing mechanisms. [source] Alpha power is influenced by performance errorsPSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Joshua Carp Abstract Error commission evokes changes in event-related potentials, autonomic nervous system activity, and behavior, presumably reflecting the operation of a cognitive control network. Here we test the hypothesis that errors lead to increased cortical arousal, measurable as changes in electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha band power. Participants performed a Stroop task while EEG was recorded. Following correct responses, alpha power increased and then decreased in a quadratic pattern, implying transient mental disengagement during the intertrial interval. This trend was absent following errors, which elicited significantly less alpha power than correct trials. Moreover, post-error alpha power was a better predictor of individual differences in post-error slowing than the error-related negativity (ERN), whereas the ERN was a better predictor of post-error accuracy than alpha power. These findings imply that changes in cortical arousal play a unique role in modulating post-error behavior. [source] Specificity of regional brain activity in anxiety types during emotion processingPSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 3 2007Anna S. Engels Abstract The present study tested the hypothesis that anxious apprehension involves more left- than right-hemisphere activity and that anxious arousal is associated with the opposite pattern. Behavioral and fMRI responses to threat stimuli in an emotional Stroop task were examined in nonpatient groups reporting anxious apprehension, anxious arousal, or neither. Reaction times were longer for negative than for neutral words. As predicted, brain activation distinguished anxious groups in a left inferior frontal region associated with speech production and in a right-hemisphere inferior temporal area. Addressing a second hypothesis about left-frontal involvement in emotion, distinct left frontal regions were associated with anxious apprehension versus processing of positive information. Results support the proposed distinction between the two types of anxiety and resolve an inconsistency about the role of left-frontal activation in emotion and psychopathology. [source] Electrophysiological correlates of threat processing in spider phobicsPSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 5 2005Iris-Tatjana Kolassa Abstract The electrocortical correlates of the processing of feared/fear-relevant and neutral stimuli were investigated in a pictorial emotional Stroop paradigm with spider phobic, social phobic, and nonphobic subjects. Subjects identified either the color of red or blue pictures of spiders, birds, or flowers (emotional Stroop task) or the object itself (identification task) by pressing different buttons. No emotional Stroop interference was found for spider phobic subjects when identifying the color of spiders as opposed to neutral stimuli. However, in the object identification task, spider phobic subjects identified spiders significantly faster than birds or flowers. Parietal P300 and P400 amplitudes were enhanced independent of task in spider phobic but not in nonphobic subjects when viewing pictures of spiders, which is consistent with previous studies showing that highly unpleasant and arousing pictures affect parietal late positive potentials. [source] Comparison of finger plethysmograph to ECG in the measurement of heart rate variabilityPSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 2 2002Nicholas D. Giardino Two experiments compared finger plethysmograph (FP) to electrocardiogram (ECG) in providing accurate heart periods for use in heart rate variability (HRV) calculations. In Experiment 1, simultaneous ECG and FP recordings were taken from 16 healthy subjects at rest. In Experiment 2, 10 additional healthy subjects were recorded at rest and during the Stroop Color-Word Test. In both studies, high correlations were found between FP-derived and ECG-derived band variance for high and low frequency HRV at rest. But, during the Stroop task, correlations were strongly diminished. In addition, under both conditions, HRV measures were significantly higher using the FP signal. Thus, FP may be adequate for determining HRV at rest, but, for experimental use, ECG may still be recommended. Nonetheless, further studies that include test,retest reliability assessment of both data collection techniques are warranted before a more certain determination can be made. [source] The Influence of Testosterone Combined with a PDE5-inhibitor on Cognitive, Affective, and Physiological Sexual Functioning in Women Suffering from Sexual DysfunctionTHE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 3 2009Flip Van Der Made MD ABSTRACT Introduction., Women with female sexual dysfunction have a reduced sensitivity to sexual stimuli. Activation of central mechanisms may open a window for phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5) to be effective; as a consequence, the combination of testosterone and a PDE5 inhibitor will restore sexual function. Aim., To demonstrate that the combination of testosterone and vardenafil will increase the sensitivity for sexual stimuli and will improve the desire and arousal components of the sexual response. Methods., In a double-blind randomly assigned placebo-controlled crossover design, 28 women with desire and/or arousal disorder underwent four different drug treatments on four separate experimental days. A masked version of the emotional Stroop task with sexual and nonsexual words was used to measure sensitivity for sexual content. Neutral and erotic film fragments were used to determine genital,physiological and subjective reactions. Main Outcome Measures., A masked version of the emotional Stroop task, vaginal pulse amplitude. For subjective measurement, responses were collected continuously with a lever and two self-report measures were used. Results., In two subgroups, which were differentiated on the basis of their initial preconscious attentional bias for sexual cues, a different sexual response profile was found. In an initially low-attention group, preconscious attentional bias for sexual cues increased under the testosterone condition. In these women, the combination of testosterone and vardenafil caused an improvement in genital response and subjective indices of sexual functioning. In the group that had initially a high attention for sexual cues, preconscious attentional bias for sexual cues decreased under the condition of testosterone. In these women, the combination of testosterone and vardenafil had no effect on any of the indices of their sexual functioning. Conclusion., In women suffering from low sexual desire,associated with low attention for sexual cues,the combination of testosterone and vardenafil may be a promising new treatment. van der Made F, Bloemers J, Yassem WE, Kleiverda G, Everaerd W, van Ham D, Olivier B, Koppeschaar H, and Tuiten A. The influence of testosterone combined with a PDE5-inhibitor on cognitive, affective, and physiological sexual functioning in women suffering from sexual dysfunction. J Sex Med 2009;6:777,790. [source] Inducing a Stroop EffectAPPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2010Emmanuel M. Pothos We examine the conditions that lead to Stroop interference for a meaningless linguistic label. Tiffany's cognitive model of drug abuse implies that individuals will respond more slowly to drug-related words compared to neutral words in an emotional Stroop task, because the former have many automatic associations (e.g. positive expectancies). To examine this proposal, we trained participants to associate a meaningless label with either one other word or several other words and examined the induced Stroop interference for these meaningless labels. In two experiments, and contrary to expectations from Tiffany's work, we observed greatest Stroop interference for the meaningless label with just one association. These results are discussed in terms of associative learning theory. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Executive dysfunction in a survival environment,APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Heather Porter Victims often respond to survival incidents with maladaptive behaviours that suggest impairment in executive function. To examine this hypothesis the authors tested sub-components of executive function during an intensive military survival exercise. Compared to a control group the survival course participants showed significant impairment in the incongruent condition of the Stroop task; the mean repetition gap and adjacent letter pair components of the random letter generation task; and the planning and action components of the Tower of London task. No impairment was found in dual-task performance nor in verbal fluency. The pattern of the data suggests that the maladaptive behaviour frequently observed in survival incidents may be explained by dysfunction in the supervisory system-contention scheduler interface. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Decreased drug-cue-induced attentional bias in individuals with treated and untreated drug dependenceACTA NEUROPSYCHIATRICA, Issue 4 2009Simona Gardini Objective: The present study investigated the attentional bias induced by drug-related stimuli in active abusers; abstinent abusers on opioid substitution therapy; and abstinent drug-dependent patients in recovery on a community-based non-pharmacological therapy programme. Drug-dependent groups included both cocaine and heroin abusers. Methods: Classical and emotional Stroop tasks were used to test all drug-dependent patients and controls with no history of addiction. Response times were recorded. An interference effect was obtained by comparing the congruent and incongruent conditions in the classical Stroop version. An attentional bias towards drug cues was derived by comparing latencies in the neutral and emotional conditions of the emotional Stroop. Results: No between-group differences were found in the classical Stroop. In the emotional Stroop, active drug-dependent patients showed higher attentional bias (i.e. longer response times to drug-related words) than any of the other three groups. Conclusion: The attentional bias induced by drug cues in patients with addiction disorder might change depending on the patients' clinical status. All treated patients, whether on opioid substitution therapy or on community therapy, showed less attentional bias towards drug-related stimuli than active drug users, although the observed smaller bias was most likely induced by therapy acting through different mechanisms. Although drug-cues response is influenced by other multiple variables, e.g. motivation, craving, classical conditioning and substance availability, these data lend support to the hypothesis that treatment might contribute to decrease the attentional bias towards drug cues, which seems to play a critical role in achieving a positive outcome in the treatment of addiction. [source] | |||||||||||||