MOTIVATIONAL STATE AS A MECHANISM OF COGNITIVE SELF-REGULATION

描述(由申请者提供)：本项目侧重于探索动机和认知控制相互作用的心理和神经机制，以及这种相互作用可能如何受到不同维度的个体差异的影响。动机可能为认知自我调节提供一种基本机制。这个项目检验的主要假设是，认知和行为目标是根据它们对个人的激励价值来激活、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有不同的影响。目前的研究方案为这个问题提供了一种创新的、理论驱动的认知神经科学方法，通过考察三个不同的情感/动机维度--他人导向(社会)和自我导向、内在和外在以及积极情感和基于奖励的动机--对认知控制的神经机制的影响。具体地说，在一项大样本的神经成像研究中，我们将探索这些动机状态之间的差异如何影响在执行高控制要求的认知任务(暗示任务切换)时的行为和脑活动动力学。该项目的一个关键组成部分将是全面而严格地检查理论上相关的动机特征中个体差异的调节影响。关于每个动机维度如何影响认知控制的组成部分和相关的神经回路，提供了明确的和理论指导的可测试假说。这个项目有望通过填补关于动机作为认知自我调节的基本机制的作用的知识的一个重要空白，而具有实质性的意义。因此，这项工作可能会对教育和工作实践以及治疗衰弱的临床疾病，如精神分裂症、抑郁症、多动症和药物滥用产生长期影响。 公共卫生相关性：该项目通过促进有关心理和生物学基础的科学知识，从而提高公共卫生的相关性，动机通过这些基础影响一系列领域的信息处理和行为，包括解决问题、决策、记忆和注意力。更好地了解这些影响，对于制定更好的教育和工作场所做法，以及改进包括药物滥用在内的临床和精神疾病的治疗至关重要。

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.