There is no consensus on the relationship between working memory resources and mind wandering. The purpose of the current study is to investigate whether mind wandering requires working memory resources to be sustained. The resource-demanding view is that mind wandering requires working memory resources to sustain an internal train of thought (Smallwood, 2010). The resource-free view is that mind wandering is a result of executive control failures and this internal train of thought proceeds in a resource-free manner (McVay & Kane, 2010). Participants were presented with thought probes while they performed a Simon task in single and dual task conditions. From the resource-demanding view, individuals with high WMC should experience more Task unrelated thought (TUT) in single and dual task conditions compared to those with low WMC. From the resource-free view, individuals with high WMC should experience fewer TUT compared to low WMC individuals. Results indicated that, WML eliminated the Simon effect for high WMC and reduced it for low WMC group. Mind wandering was decreased in dual task conditions however there was no effect of working memory capacity on mind wandering. Also, mind wandering correlated with task performance measures for the low WMC but not high WMC group. The results of the current study do not provide strong support for either a resource-demanding or resource-free view and are discussed in terms of a context dependent relationship between WMC and mind wandering

Le contrôle cognitif de l’action est un processus permettant de supprimer un comportement inapproprié au profit d’une action dirigée par l’intention. Il est particulièrement important en situation de conflit où l’expression de comportements alternatifs entre en compétition. Ce processus est largement soutenu par des réseaux cortico-sous-corticaux frontaux dont le bon fonctionnement est impacté par la maladie de Parkinson. Nous nous sommes intéressés au rôle de ces différentes structures cérébrales dans le contrôle cognitif de l’action en s’appuyant sur l’impact de la maladie de Parkinson et de ses traitements. Plus précisément, nous avons discuté des aspects dynamiques de sélection et de suppression des réponses impulsives tel que proposé par le modèle d’activation-suppression dans le cas de réponses oculaires. Nous avons donc adapté une tâche expérimentale de conflit classique, la Simon task, utilisant les mouvements oculaires, et validé son utilisation de notre dans le cadre de ce modèle. Les travaux suivant ont porté sur l’impact de divers facteurs sur ce processus. Nous avons montré que le vieillissement normal exacerbe la sélection impulsive des actions qui pourrait être compensée par la mise en place d’une inhibition sélective plus efficace. Ces résultats sont en accord avec de récentes théories proposant le recrutement plus important des structures préfrontales afin de pallier aux déficits cognitifs entrainés par le vieillissement. Nos résultats ont également indiqué que la maladie de Parkinson entraine une augmentation très importante de la sélection impulsive des actions ce que nous attribuons au dysfonctionnement des boucles cortico-sous-corticales causé par la maladie. Finalement, nous nous sommes intéressés à l’impact de la stimulation cérébrale profonde du noyau subthalamique. Nos résultats préliminaires n’ont pas montré d’effet de ce traitement sur les capacités de contrôle cognitif de l’action. Nous discutons l’ensemble de nos résultats à la lumière des travaux majeurs portant sur les structures cérébrales impliquées dans le contrôle cognitif de l’action et proposons plusieurs perspectives de recherches pouvant avoir un impact fondamental ou clinique. / Cognitive action control is a process that allows suppressing an inappropriate behavior to the benefit of an intentionally-guided action. It is particularly important in situations of conflict when alternative behaviors compete for their expression. This process relies mostly on cortical-subcortical networks which functioning is impaired by Parkinson’s disease. We were interested in the role of these different brain structures in cognitive action control by focusing on the impact of Parkinson’s diseases and its treatments. More precisely, we addressed the dynamic aspects of impulsive action selection and suppression as proposed by the recent activation-suppression model regarding oculomotor responses. We thus adapted a classical experimental conflict task, the Simon task, using eye movements, and validated its use within the context of the activation-suppression model. Our further work focused on the impact of several factors on cognitive action control. We showed that normal aging enhances impulsive action selection that could be compensated for by the set-up of a more efficient selective inhibition. These results are in accordance with recent theories proposing that age-related cognitive deficits are compensated for by an increased recruitment of prefrontal structures. Our results also revealed that Parkinson’s disease results in a strong increase in impulsive action selection which we attribute to the impairment of the cortical-basal ganglia loops. Finally, we were interested by the impact of deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus. Our preliminary results revealed no effect of this treatment on cognitive action control. We discuss all of our results according to previous researches on the brain structures involved in cognitive action control and we propose several perspective that can have a fundamental or clinical impact.

No description available.

La symptomatologie non motrice de la maladie de Parkinson s’accompagne fréquemment d’un défaut de contrôle cognitif. Le contrôle cognitif faisant référence à un ensemble de processus facilitant le traitement de l’information et la production de comportements adaptés, son altération impactera de très nombreuses capacités cognitives. Parmi ces capacités, nous nous intéresserons plus spécifiquement, d’une part, à la production orale de mots évaluée à travers les tests de fluences verbales et, d’autre part, aux processus favorisant la production d’actions intentionnelles en situation motivée comme évaluée par la Simon Task motivée. Par notre première étude nous remettrons en question l’hypothèse d’un défaut de contrôle cognitif comme origine principale de la réduction des performances aux tests de fluences verbales à la suite de la stimulation cérébrale profonde du noyau subthalamique. En effet, nous n’avons pas mis en évidence de relation entre cette altération et une modification de l’activité métabolique des régions frontales supportant le contrôle cognitif, ou une modification des performances à d’autres tests nécessitant un contrôle cognitif efficient. Les travaux suivant, portant sur le contrôle des actions motivées démontrent, d’une part, que la production d’actions guidées, non pas par des tendances d’actions impulsives, mais par des tendances d’actions en accord avec les intentions, est plus ardue lorsqu’une récompense financière est mise en jeu. D’autre part, le traitement de la maladie de Parkinson, aussi bien par dopathérapie que par stimulation cérébrale profonde du noyau sous-thalamique module le fonctionnement des processus impliqués, suggérant un rôle particulier des noyaux gris centraux. Nous discuterons des processus cognitifs et neuronaux impliqués et proposerons des perspectives de recherche aussi bien neuroscientifiques que cliniques. / The nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease frequently include a cognitive control deficit. Cognitive control refers to a set of processes that promote information processing and the production of appropriate behaviours, so its impairment can have an impact on a wide range of cognitive abilities. We focused on just two of these abilities: oral word production, as assessed with phonemic and semantic verbal fluency tests; and cognitive action control in an incentive context, as assessed with a rewarded Simon Task. In our first study, we questioned the hypothesis that the reduction in verbal fluency performances observed following surgery for subthalamic nucleus deep-brain stimulation is mainly due to a cognitive control deficit. Results failed to reveal a relationship between this reduction and either modified metabolic activity in the frontal regions subtending cognitive control or modified performances on other tests requiring efficient cognitive control. In our second and third studies, investigating cognitive action control in an incentive context, we showed that the production of intention-driven actions, as opposed to impulsive ones, is more difficult when a monetary reward is at stake. We also demonstrated that treatment for Parkinson’s disease, whether it takes the form of dopaminergic medication or subthalamic stimulation, modulates the functioning of these processes, suggesting that the basal ganglia have a role in them. We discuss the cognitive and neural processes involved and outline future avenues for both neuroscientific and clinical research.

The joint Simon task is a cognitive reaction time task used to assess shared representations and self-other integration when performing a collaborative task with a partner. However, it is unclear if the underlying mechanisms are specific to representing spatial information or are more general. The objective of the current study was to assess a nonspatial joint Simon compatibility effect. Participants completed the joint Simon task with a partner while seated side-by-side, face-to-face, back-to-back, or with their partner not in the room. They completed the task three times, once with horizontal stimuli (left/right of center), once with vertical stimuli (above/below center), and once with central stimuli (at center). In the central task, compatibility was in color where participant responses (assigned red or green response buttons and gloves) were compatible or incompatible to the stimuli (colored red or green). Results showed no significant compatibility effect for any task in any response orientation condition, indicating no evidence of a nonspatial compatibility effect. Results even failed to replicate the standard joint Simon effect of a spatial compatibility effect in the horizontal task when seated side-by-side. However, exploratory analyses showed a significant nonspatial color compatibility effect in the central task for those assigned green in the side-by-side condition only, indicating that the presence of color in the participants' response (i.e., colored responses button and gloves) may have interfered with representing spatial information. This finding has implications for both theory and application of the joint Simon task, indicating it is sensitive to small changes, occurs for features besides location, and may be most effective when seated side-by-side. Additionally, the broader implications for the cognitive and practical study of joint action show the importance of how different features influence shared representations, how different colors are perceived and represented, and how different response orientations influence performance.

La présence des congénères constitue l’élément de base du contexte social, dont la psychologie sociale expérimentale tente depuis un siècle de comprendre les influences (positives et négatives) et autres mécanismes sous-jacents. Chez l’homme, ces influences repérables sur la cognition dépendent souvent de la capacité évaluative de la personne présente. À l’interface de la psychologie sociale, de la psychologie cognitive et des neurosciences intégratives, notre thèse est que la présence évaluative d’autrui (la présence de l’expérimentateur) affaiblit de manière transitoire le contrôle exécutif, avec une double influence : néfaste dans les activités complexes impliquant un conflit de réponses, et bénéfique dans les activités dont la réussite n’implique que l’émission de réponses automatiques. Nos résultats (quatre études) soutiennent la thèse défendue à partir du couplage de la tâche de Simon (permettant une mesure du contrôle exécutif) ou de son adaptation récente en version partagée (présence d’un coacteur) avec des enregistrements électromyographiques. Ces résultats confortent ainsi notre approche intégrative des influences attachées à la présence d’autrui, dont les implications pratiques sont fortes s’agissant notamment de l’étude des processus cognitifs en laboratoire. / The presence of conspecifics is the basic element of the social context, whose experimental social psychology has been trying for a century to understand the influences (positive and negative) and underlying mechanisms. In humans, these influences on cognition often depend on the evaluative capacity of the person present. At the interface of social psychology, cognitive psychology, and integrative neuroscience, our thesis is that the presence of evaluative others (experimenter presence) temporarily weakens executive control, with a negative influence in complex activities involving response conflict, and a beneficial influence in activities requiring only the emission of automatic responses to succeed. Our results (four studies) support our thesis based on the coupling of the Simon task (measuring executive control) or its recent adaptation (shared version implying the presence of a coactor) with electromyographic recordings. Our findings confirm our integrative approach of social presence effects, whose practical implications are strong, particularly with regard to the study of cognitive processes in the laboratory.

Le contrôle de l’interférence permet de sélectionner les actions pertinentes pour la réalisation d'un but dans un environnement saturé. La question de savoir si ce processus nécessite des ressources attentionnelles reste posée. Ce travail de thèse a été organisé en deux parties, la première basée sur une approche comportementale s'intéresse au contrôle de l'interférence en situation de restriction attentionnelle et la deuxième sur une approche neuropsychologique étudie ce même contrôle chez des individus présentant un TDAH. L'ensemble du travail expérimental regroupe 3 études et est centré essentiellement sur la réalisation d'une tâche de Simon. La première contribution expérimentale, composée de 4 expériences comportementales réalisées en double-tâche, a apporté des arguments en faveur de l'idée que les mécanismes responsables de l'inhibition sont sous la dépendance de ressources attentionnelles spécifiques. La contribution 2, concernant une étude realisée chez des adultes avec un TDA/H a révélé plusieurs aspects du contrôle de l'interférence. Premièrement, on peut observer un effet d’interférence aggravé sans un déficit d’impulsivité ou d’inhibition, deuxièmement, celui-ci pourrait être secondaire d'un ralentissement général dû à un défaut de vigilance, et troisièmement, ce déficit de vigilance n’affecterait pas la capacité d'inhibition. Finalement, la contribution expérimentale 3 ont non seulement permis de suggérer que les adultes avec un TDA/H ne présentaient pas de trouble de l’attention sélective, au moins dans le domaine temporel, mais ils ont permis de proposer que ces patients ont un déficit de la vigilance, confirmant ainsi l'hypothèse de la contribution 2. / Controlling interference allows the selection of appropriate from irrelevant actions in order to achieve a goal. However, the question as to whether this process requires attentional resources remains. To clarify this issue, this thesis has been organized into two parts. The first part is based on a behavioral approach and focuses on the control of interference in situations of attentional restriction. The second part focuses on a neuropsychological approach examining the same control in individuals AD/HD.The thesis encompasses three studies based on the conflict paradigm. Additionally, methodological tools and analysis and distribution of electromyographic activity were used to separate the two components of interference i.e. the automatic triggering of inappropriate response and its inhibition.The first experimental contribution, consisting of four dual-task behavioral experiments, supported the idea that the mechanisms of inhibition are dependent on specific attentional resources. The second contribution highlights several interesting aspects of interference control in ADHD: a decline in interference control without a deficit in impulsivity or inhibition; that the interference effect could be a secondary manifestation of a general slowdown due to a lack of vigilance; and that the deficit of vigilance does not affect the ability to inhibit (unlike selective attention, as evidenced in the first part of the study). The third contribution demonstrates that adults with ADHD show no disorder of selective attention at least in the time domain but also that these individuals manifested a deficiency in alertness, thus confirming the hypothesis of the preceding contributions.

Nous avons étudié les effets de la baisse de la vigilance sur les mécanismes de contrôle de l'erreur lors d'une tâche de temps de réaction de choix (TR). Lors de la première expérience, la baisse de vigilance a été obtenue par un éveil prolongé de 26 heures. Dans les expériences deux et trois, on a diminué le niveau de vigilance par voie pharmacologique en choisissant de n'affecter qu'une des voies neurochimiques impliquées dans l'éveil (voie histaminergique puis voie dopaminergique) pour déterminer si les indices du contrôle de l'erreur seraient ou non affectés de la même façon qu'après un éveil prolongé. Si oui, cela supposerait un effet redondant des systèmes neurochimiques impliqués dans l'éveil sur le contrôle de l'erreur, dans le cas contraire, cela supposerait une influence spécifique de ces différents systèmes sur le contrôle de l'erreur. Le contrôle de l'erreur peut être décomposé en contrôle proactif et contrôle réactif. Ce contrôle de l'erreur est dit en ligne s'il opère au cours d'un essai, hors-ligne s'il s'opère d'un essai sur l'autre.La privation de sommeil affecte le contrôle de l'erreur proactif en ligne et le contrôle de l'erreur réactif. La baisse de l'activité histaminergique n'affecte que le contrôle de l'erreur réactif et on n'a pas mis en évidence d'effets de la déplétion dopaminergique sur le contrôle de l'erreur. Les effets observés sur le contrôle de l'erreur par la baisse de vigilance induite par la privation de sommeil n'étaient pas reproduits par la baisse de vigilance induite par les déplétions des activités dopaminergiques et histaminergiques, suggérant des influences spécifiques de ces deux voies sur le contrôle de l'erreur. / To study the impact of a vigilance decrease on error monitoring mechanisms in healthy participants, electromyogram and electroencephalogram were recorded during a choice reaction time task. The aim of experiment one was to decipher which indices of error monitoring at the behavioral and electrophysiological levels, were altered by sleep deprivation. In experiments two and three, decreases in vigilance were obtained through pharmacological treatments. We attempted to selectively inhibit one arousal system (either by acting on the histaminergic or on the dopaminergic pathway), so as to determine whether indices of error monitoring would be affected in the same way than after extended wakefulness. Proactive (implemented before an error execution) and reactive modes (implemented after an error execution) of error monitoring were distinguished. Within each mode, we further distinguished on-line (implemented within-trial) and off-line (between-trials) processes.Proactive off-line monitoring was unaffected by the decrease in vigilance, whether this caused by extended wakefulness, histaminergic depeltion or dopaminergic depletion). Sleep deprivation affected proactive on-line and off-line monitoring and reactive control. Histaminergic depletion affected only reactive control and reactive control seemed insensitive to dopaminergic depletion.As sleep deprivation, both histaminergic and dopaminergic depletion induced decrease in vigilance. However, effects of sleep deprivation on error monitoring were entirely reproduced neither by histaminergic nor by dopaminergic depletion, suggesting specific influences of the corresponding systems on error monitoring.

To study of cognitive fear networks and associations, indirect experimental paradigms like the Implicit Association Test (IAT, Greenwald et al., 1998) or the Extrinsic Affective Simon Task (EAST, De Houwer, 2003) may be helpful, as they promise to assess the structure of specific associations using a performance based approach without having to ask the participant for a verbal report. Three studies investigated the usefulness and characteristics of IAT and EAST. The aim of the first study was to measure fear associations towards spiders among spider phobic and non-phobic participants as well as in a group of spider enthusiasts. Results indicate that the IAT paradigm is sensitive to the strength of fear relevant associations and able to predict anxious behavior beyond the predictions of direct measures such as questionnaires. The second study focused on some of the mechanisms that underlie IAT effects. With a newly developed masked IAT, these experiments investigated the influences of individual stimuli and superordinate categories on IAT performance. Besides theoretical implications, the results also provide practical, relevant applications for the use of IAT experiments. A third study applied the EAST to investigate how different context conditions lead to differential activation of cognitive schemata in fear of spiders. One can conclude that the impact of automatic threat associations depends on the activated context, and that the EAST is suitable for the assessment of fear associations and their current activation level. This dissertation leads to the conclusion that the performance based methodology of the IAT and EAST is a useful and practical approach to reflect fear associations in phobia indirectly. At this point, the use of indirect measures is still at its beginning, and requires intensive methodological and theoretical efforts. These paradigms, however, may become useful for possible implications in psychopathology and other fields of psychology.

To study of cognitive fear networks and associations, indirect experimental paradigms like the Implicit Association Test (IAT, Greenwald et al., 1998) or the Extrinsic Affective Simon Task (EAST, De Houwer, 2003) may be helpful, as they promise to assess the structure of specific associations using a performance based approach without having to ask the participant for a verbal report. Three studies investigated the usefulness and characteristics of IAT and EAST. The aim of the first study was to measure fear associations towards spiders among spider phobic and non-phobic participants as well as in a group of spider enthusiasts. Results indicate that the IAT paradigm is sensitive to the strength of fear relevant associations and able to predict anxious behavior beyond the predictions of direct measures such as questionnaires. The second study focused on some of the mechanisms that underlie IAT effects. With a newly developed masked IAT, these experiments investigated the influences of individual stimuli and superordinate categories on IAT performance. Besides theoretical implications, the results also provide practical, relevant applications for the use of IAT experiments. A third study applied the EAST to investigate how different context conditions lead to differential activation of cognitive schemata in fear of spiders. One can conclude that the impact of automatic threat associations depends on the activated context, and that the EAST is suitable for the assessment of fear associations and their current activation level. This dissertation leads to the conclusion that the performance based methodology of the IAT and EAST is a useful and practical approach to reflect fear associations in phobia indirectly. At this point, the use of indirect measures is still at its beginning, and requires intensive methodological and theoretical efforts. These paradigms, however, may become useful for possible implications in psychopathology and other fields of psychology.