Response conflict and perceptual fluency as affective signals for action control

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The research project focuses on the role of affective stimulus features for processes of sequential and context specific control adaptations. In the upcoming funding period, two questions will be investigated. The first part will deal with the question whether the affective valence of perceptual fluency does not only trigger sequential (as has already been shown) but also context specific processing adjustments. This would be another hint that the well documented conflict-triggered control adaptations are not restricted response conflicts. And it would further point to the idea that sequential and context specific control adaptations are triggered by aversive stimulus feature of reduced fluency in general (just as response conflicts are characterized by reduced motor fluency). In the second part of the upcoming funding period, the function of the well documented aversive quality of the conflict signal as driving force of the conflict adaptation will be investigated more directly. A specific focus will be laid on the inter- and intra-individual differences in the affective conflict experience. Taken together, the project will help to identify affective and cognitive contributions in the dynamic adjustment of cognitive control.