MOTIVATIONAL STATE AS A MECHANISM OF COGNITIVE SELF-REGULATION

项目描述（申请人提供）：本项目重点探讨动机和认知控制相互作用的心理和神经机制，以及个体差异的不同维度如何影响这种相互作用。动机可能提供了认知自我调节的基本机制。在这个项目中测试的主要假设是，认知和行为目标是根据它们对个体的激励价值来激活、优先排序和维持的。此外，不同的情感状态和动机状态可能对认知加工和认知控制产生不同的影响。目前的建议提供了一个创新的和理论驱动的认知神经科学方法来解决这个问题，通过检查三个不同的情感/动机维度-他人导向（社会）与自我导向，内在与外在，积极影响与奖励为基础的动机-在他们对认知控制的神经机制的影响方面。具体来说，在一项大样本神经成像研究中，我们将探索这些动机状态之间的差异如何影响行为和大脑活动动态，在执行具有高控制要求的认知任务（提示任务切换）期间。该项目的一个关键组成部分将是全面和严格地检查个体差异对理论相关动机特征的调节影响。关于每个动机维度如何影响认知控制的组成部分以及相关的神经回路，提供了明确的和理论指导的可测试假设。该项目填补了关于动机作为认知自我调节基本机制的重要知识空白，有望具有实质性的意义。因此，这项工作可能会对教育和工作实践以及对精神分裂症、抑郁症、多动症和药物滥用等使人衰弱的临床疾病的治疗产生长期影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project focuses on exploring the psychological and neural mechanisms that underlie the interaction of motivation and cognitive control, and how this interaction might be influenced by different dimensions of individual difference. Motivation may provide a basic mechanism of cognitive self-regulation. The primary hypothesis tested in this project is that cognitive and behavioral goals are activated, prioritized, and maintained according to their motivational value to the individual. Moreover, different affective and motivational states may have distinct influences on cognitive processing and cognitive control. The current proposal provides an innovative and theoretically-driven cognitive neuroscience approach towards this question, by examining three different affective/motivational dimensions - other-oriented (social) vs. self-oriented, intrinsic vs. extrinsic, and positive affect vs. reward-based motivation - in terms of their influence on the neural mechanisms of cognitive control. Specifically, in a large-sample neuroimaging study we will explore how differences between these motivational states impact behavior and brain activity dynamics during performance of a cognitive task with high control demands (cued task-switching). A key component of the project will be to comprehensively and rigorously examine the moderating influence of individual differences in theoretically relevant motivational traits. Clear-cut and theoretically-guided testable hypotheses are provided regarding how each motivational dimension might impact components of cognitive control, and the associated neural circuitry. This project promises to have substantial significance by filling an important gap in knowledge regarding the role of motivation as a basic mechanism of cognitive self-regulation. As such, this work may have long-term impact on educational and workplace practices, and treatments for debilitating clinical disorders, such as schizophrenia, depression, ADHD, and substance abuse. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project has high relevance for public health by advancing scientific knowledge regarding the psychological and biological basis by which motivation influences information processing and behavior in a range of areas, including problem-solving, decision-making, memory and attention. An improved understanding of these influences will be of critical importance for developing better educational and workplace practices, and improving treatments of clinical and psychiatric disorders, including substance abuse.