Basic Reaction Time Measures of Forming, Switching, and Maintaining
Mental Set
Recent efforts to fractionate frontal, executive functions into its
elemental parts has led naturally to the use of basic measures of cognitive
function. The most basic measure of behavior that allows for multiple,
quantitative
assays of behavioral function is reaction time.
Using this approach,
reaction time measures of three basic aspects of mental set have been
devised. These particular three aspects of mental set have been derived from
recent factor analytic work with card sorting measures (Osmon & Suchy,
Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, in press). Impairments in a
geriatric rehabilitation population on the Milwaukee Card Sorting Test (a
slight variation on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test) have been interpreted
as reflecting deficits in three different aspects of executive function:
- Forming mental set-the ability to collect together the necessary
perceptual and conceptual information (posterior cortex processing) in
working memory (dorsolateral frontal region) for the purpose of developing a
mental set or intentional goal that is used to guide subsequent behavior.
- Switching mental set-the ability to respond to external social
and emotional
contingencies for the purpose of recognizing when the current mental set is
no
longer appropriate and a switch in set is needed (orbital frontal region)
- Maintaining mental set-the ability to integrate internal
perceptual, conceptual, memorial information with situationally relevant
motor stereotypes for the purpose of gating out distracting stimuli and
maintaining the current mental set (medial frontal region, including the
supplementary motor area, and cingulate gyrus motor areas).
Below are links to graphic representations to the three different reaction
time tasks:
- Forming Set Task
- Switching Set Task
- Maintaining Set Task
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