Impact of Physical and Cognitive Exertion on Cognitive Control

In a recent study, the differential effects of prolonged physiologically challenging exercise upon two executive processes (cognitive control and working memory) were investigated. However, the impact of exercise on the selective inhibition task employed was debatable and needed further analysis to dissociate the effects induced by exercise intensity from those induced by the time spent on task upon cognitive control outcomes. In this study, we propose a thorough analysis of these data, using a generalized mixed model on a trial-by-trial basis and a new measure of the strength of the automatic response based on reaction time distribution, to disentangle the effect of physical fatigue from cognitive fatigue. Despite the prolonged duration of exercise, no decline in cognitive performance was found in response to physical fatigue. The only change observed during 60-min exercise was an acceleration of the correct trials and an increase of errors for incompatible trials. This pattern, shown during low and physiologically challenging exercise, supports the occurrence of cognitive fatigue induced by the repetition of the cognitive tasks over time

Moving Sport and Exercise Science Forward: A Call for the Adoption of More Transparent Research Practices

The primary means for disseminating sport and exercise science research is currently through journal articles. However, not all studies, especially those with null findings, make it to formal publication. This publication bias towards positive findings may contribute to questionable research practices. Preregistration is a solution to prevent the publication of distorted evidence resulting from this system. This process asks authors to register their hypotheses and methods before data collection on a publicly available repository or by submitting a Registered Report. In the Registered Report format, authors submit a stage 1 manuscript to a participating journal that includes an introduction, methods, and any pilot data indicating the exploratory or confirmatory nature of the study. After a stage 1 peer review, the manuscript can then be offered in-principle acceptance, rejected, or sent back for revisions to improve the quality of the study. If accepted, the project is guaranteed publication, assuming the authors follow the data collection and analysis protocol. After data collection, authors re-submit a stage 2 manuscript that includes the results and discussion, and the study is evaluated on clarity and conformity with the planned analysis. In its final form, Registered Reports appear almost identical to a typical publication, but give readers confidence that the hypotheses and main analyses are less susceptible to bias from questionable research practices. From this perspective, we argue that inclusion of Registered Reports by researchers and journals will improve the transparency, replicability, and trust in sport and exercise science research. The preprint version of this work is available on Sport

Why are we not flooded by involuntary thoughts about the past and future? Testing the cognitive inhibition dependency hypothesis

© The Author(s) 2018In everyday life, involuntary thoughts about future plans and events occur as often as involuntary thoughts about the past. However, compared to involuntary autobiographical memories (IAMs), such episodic involuntary future thoughts (IFTs) have become a focus of study only recently. The aim of the present investigation was to examine why we are not constantly flooded by IFTs and IAMs given that they are often triggered by incidental cues while performing undemanding activities. One possibility is that activated thoughts are suppressed by the inhibitory control mechanism, and therefore depleting inhibitory control should enhance the frequency of both IFTs and IAMs. We report an experiment with a between-subjects design, in which participants in the depleted inhibition condition performed a 60-min high-conflict Stroop task before completing a laboratory vigilance task measuring the frequency of IFTs and IAMs. Participants in the intact inhibition condition performed a version of the Stroop task that did not deplete inhibitory control. To control for physical and mental fatigue resulting from performing the 60-min Stroop tasks in experimental conditions, participants in the control condition completed only the vigilance task. Contrary to predictions, the number of IFTs and IAMs reported during the vigilance task, using the probe-caught method, did not differ across conditions. However, manipulation checks showed that participants’ inhibitory resources were reduced in the depleted inhibition condition, and participants were more tired in the experimental than in the control conditions. These initial findings suggest that neither inhibitory control nor physical and mental fatigue affect the frequency of IFTs and IAMs.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Moving sport and exercise science forward: A call for the adoption of more transparent research practices

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Springer on 04/02/2020, available online: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-019-01227-1 The accepted version may differ from the final published version. For re-se please see the publisher's terms and conditions.The primary means of disseminating sport and exercise science research is currently through journal articles. However, not all studies, especially those with null findings, make it to formal publication. This publication bias towards positive findings may contribute to questionable research practices. Preregistration is a solution to prevent the publication of distorted evidence resulting from this system. This process asks authors to register their hypotheses and methods before data collection on a publicly available repository or by submitting a Registered Report. In the Registered Report format, authors submit a stage 1 manuscript to a participating journal that includes an introduction, methods, and any pilot data indicating the exploratory or confirmatory nature of the study. After a stage 1 peer review, the manuscript can then be offered in-principle acceptance, rejected, or sent back for revisions to improve the quality of the study. If accepted, the project is guaranteed publication, assuming the authors follow the data collection and analysis protocol. After data collection, authors re-submit a stage 2 manuscript that includes the results and discussion, and the study is evaluated on clarity and conformity with the planned analysis. In its final form, Registered Reports appear almost identical to a typical publication, but give readers confidence that the hypotheses and main analyses are less susceptible to bias from questionable research practices. From this perspective, we argue that inclusion of Registered Reports by researchers and journals will improve the transparency, replicability, and trust in sport and exercise science research. The preprint version of this work is available on SportRχiv: https://osf.io/preprints/sportrxiv/fxe7a/.Published versio

L'inconscient motivationnel et sa place dans la théorie de l'autodétermination.

The aim of the present dissertation is to improve knowledge on the unconscious processes in motivation. First, a review of the literature underlined two lines of research on this topic. Specifically, research on the automaticity of motivations is distinguished from research pertaining to impulsive reactions elicited by basic needs regulation. The main purpose of the present dissertation is to examine how these different types of unconscious motivations can be integrated to the postulates of a major theory of motivation : the Self-Determination Theory (SDT, Deci & Ryan, 1985). The first research program, includes three experimental studies, investigating automaticity of the motivational orientations presumed by SDT (i.e., autonomous vs. controlled). Together, the results of these studies demonstrate that 1) both major motivational orientations can be subliminal primed, 2) the unconscious priming of these motivational orientations occurs in real-life contexts with undeniable ecological implications, and 3) the observed effects are moderated by individual differences in mindfulness. A second research program including four experimental studies investigated whether deprivation of a basic need (i.e., the need for autonomy) can lead to impulsive reactions. Results from these studies demonstrated that autonomy deprivation generates an autonomy restoration process that is driven by unconscious and non controlled cognitive processes, which can affect actual behavior under specific conditions. Taken together, these findings foreshadow a dual-route model of motivation, which can integrate theoretical postulates of SDT.Ce travail doctoral vise à faire avancer les connaissances dans le domaine des processus inconscients de la motivation. Pour cela, une synthèse des recherches est d'abord proposée. Nous y différencions les recherches examinant l'automaticité des motivations (i.e., les motivations dont le guidage conscient a été progressivement désengagé), des recherches portant sur les réactions impulsives issues de la régulation des besoins fondamentaux. L'objectif de cette thèse est de voir comment ces formes de motivations inconscientes s'intègrent aux postulats de la théorie de l'autodétermination (SDT, Deci & Ryan, 1985). Un 1er programme de recherche incluant trois expériences a examiné l'automaticité des orientations motivationnelles. Les résultats font apparaître que ce phénomène 1) implique réellement des processus inconscients puisque ces motivations peuvent être activées de manière subliminale, 2) possède une valeur écologique certaine en pouvant influencer les individus dans leur contexte de vie, et 3) qu'il est modulé par des dispositions individuelles de traitement attentionnel conscient. Un 2nd programme de recherche incluant quatre expériences a examiné si la privation d'un besoin fondamental (i.e., le besoin d'autonomie) entraînait des réactions motivationnelles impulsives. Les résultats montrent que la privation de l'autonomie est suivie d'une tentative de restauration de ce besoin guidé par des processus cognitifs inconscients, affectant le comportement des individus. Ces résultats préfigurent une approche duale de la motivation capable d'intégrer les données théoriques de la SDT

Put on your (fNIRS) thinking cap: frontopolar activation during augmented state creativity

Thinking creatively requires the ability to consciously augment creative insight through processes such as analogical reasoning and relational cognition. Prior work has examined augmented states of creativity using a modified verb generation task which requires brief engagement in attempts to think creatively during MRI. In this study, we employed the verb generation task to examine augmented creative states and frontopolar cortex activation in a less-constrained setting using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Participants (n = 29) were presented with a noun and were required to think of an associated verb. In 50% of the trials, participants were instructed to ‘think creatively’ (cued condition) as opposed to stating the first or most prominent verb that came to mind (uncued condition). The task was administered in French to native speakers. Hemodynamic responses were recorded over the frontopolar cortex using fNIRS. The relatedness of the noun-verb pairs was calculated and other measures of creativity (the Alternate Uses Test, Compound Remote Associate Test and the Biographical Inventory of Creative Behaviors) were recorded. We showed that in the cued condition, semantic scores were higher (indicating more creative responses), positively associated with other measures of creativity, and changes in oxygenated hemoglobin were larger and more extensive in the left frontopolar cortex, than in the uncued condition. Our findings support the use of the verb generation task (administered in French) to augment creative states and provides further validation of the use of the task to capture creativity (i.e., processes involved in generating creative responses through distant associations). We highlight the use of fNIRS to measure associated regional changes in frontopolar cortex activity during augmented states of creativity

Evidence of Motivational Influences in Early Visual Perception

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Where are the limits of the effects of exercise intensity on cognitive control?

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate whether workload intensity modulates exercise-induced effect on reaction time (RT) performances, and more specifically to clarify whether cognitive control that plays a crucial role in rapid decision making is altered. Methods: Fourteen participants performed a Simon Task while cycling 20 min at a light (first ventilatory threshold, VT1 – 20%), moderate (VT1), or very hard (VT1 + 20%) level of exercise. Results: After 15 min of cycling, RTs are faster than during the first 5 min of exercise. This benefit does not fluctuate with the intensity of exercise and enlarges as RT lengthens. Despite a numerical difference suggesting a greater facilitation during moderate exercise (−16 ms) than during a light exercise (−10 ms), the benefit is not statistically different. Interestingly, we did not observe any signs of worsening on RT or on accuracy during very hard exercise. Conclusion: Cognitive control is extremely robust and appears not to be affected by the intensity of exercise. The selective inhibition and the between-trials adjustments are effective from the beginning to the end of exercise, regardless of the workload output