Task Switching under Threat of Shock

Cognitive control (‘executive’) processes have been implicated in a broad range of psychological problems including anxiety and externalizing conditions. However, limited research has examined the effects of external stressors (i.e., threat cues or contexts) on cognitive control processes, and how such effects might relate to clinically-relevant individual difference factors such as trait fear (Kramer et al., 2012; Yancey et al., 2016). The current study sought to extend existing knowledge in this area by employing a novel experimental procedure consisting of a variant of the classic ‘task-switching’ paradigm (Pashler, 2000), in which participants’ responses to experimental stimuli are governed by two distinct rule sets performed in alternation. In the project that forms the basis for this thesis, participants performed task-switching under both threat and no-threat conditions, and negative affective state was assessed using fear potentiated startle (FPS). Major predictions were that: (1) Performance would be impaired in the shock condition relative to the no-shock condition. (2) The degree of performance impairment would be associated with variations in trait fear (i.e., fearfulness versus boldness). In addition, the study tested for incremental validity of FPS in predicting performance under threat. Thus, the current study evaluated the threat/no-threat switching paradigm as a novel method for examining effects of negative emotional activation on cognitive control, and sought to advance understanding of how a major trait dimension of relevance to clinical problems – trait fear – moderates the ability to maintain flexible control over responding under conditions of aversive cuing. As such, this work has practical applications for identifying individuals with maximal capability to perform challenging tasks in stressful environments.