On the regulation of cognitive control: Action orientation moderates the impact of high demands in Stroop interference tasks

N.B. Jostmann, S.L. Koole

    Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    Abstract

    Previous research has established that people vary in action orientation, a tendency toward decisiveness and initiative, versus state orientation, a tendency toward indecisiveness and hesitation (J. Kuhl & J. Beckmann, 1994b). In the present 3 studies, the authors examined whether action orientation versus state orientation regulates cognitive control under demanding conditions. Under high demands, action-oriented participants displayed better cognitive control than did state-oriented participants in a Stroop color naming task (Studies 1-3). No similar effects were found under low demands (Studies 2-3). Functional differences between action- and state-oriented participants emerged especially when the task included a high proportion of congruent Stroop trials (Study 3). These findings suggest that action-oriented individuals are better protected against goal neglect than are state-oriented individuals. © 2007 American Psychological Association.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)593-609
    JournalJournal of Experimental Psychology: General
    Volume136
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2007

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