In the realm of cognitive science, the quest to understand cognitive control has persisted for decades. Traditional notions of cognitive control have focused on inhibition through the prefrontal... Show moreIn the realm of cognitive science, the quest to understand cognitive control has persisted for decades. Traditional notions of cognitive control have focused on inhibition through the prefrontal cortex, but this dissertation challenges that perspective with a more comprehensive framework: The Metacontrol State Model (MSM). The MSM proposes that cognitive control emerges from the interplay between two opposing systems – one promoting flexibility and the other promoting persistence. These systems interact to shape our cognitive processing styles, thereby influencing our ability to effectively regulate our actions. This dissertation explores questions such as why individuals exhibit differences in cognitive control capacity and how state-related changes and trait-related predispositions impact cognitive control function. The overarching goal of this dissertation is to empirically test the MSM model and shed light on the factors that influence cognitive control. Through a series of experiments, it seeks to understand how altered states of consciousness, achieved through meditation techniques or serotonergic psychedelics, affect the balance between intentional and habitual processes. Additionally, it examines the extent to which individual trait biases serve as trans-diagnostic markers in various psychopathologies. This work comprises a literature review and six empirical articles. By integrating theory and empirical research, this dissertation takes us on a journey into the intricate world of cognitive control, shaping our understanding of how it influences our lives. Show less
The studies of this thesis provide empirical evidence that creativity is not a homogeneous concept; rather it reflects the interplay of separate, dissociable processes such as convergent and... Show moreThe studies of this thesis provide empirical evidence that creativity is not a homogeneous concept; rather it reflects the interplay of separate, dissociable processes such as convergent and divergent thinking (e.g., Guilford, 1967). The cognitive mechanism of these two processes is different, but not opposite as assumed by Eysenck (1993). The results suggest that divergent and convergent thinking are both related to dopamine, but to different degrees and in different ways. It was observed that eye-blink rate was predicting creative performance, which provides strong support for approaches that relate creativity to dopamine (Ashby et al., 1999). However, the obtained dissociation calls for a more differentiated approach that distinguishes between convergent and divergent processes and allows for tapping different creativity-dopamine functions. The findings of this thesis also suggest that convergent thinking induces a control state that emphasizes the top-down biasing of creative solutions and/or local competition between them, whereas divergent thinking is associated with reduced top-down control and/or local competition. Taken together, results of four studies presented in this thesis show that convergent and divergent thinking are not necessarily opposite but they are not the same either, and optimal performance in different types of creativity tasks requires different conditions. Show less
