PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Koslov, Seth R.
AU  - Mukerji, Arjun
AU  - Hedgpeth, Katlyn R.
AU  - Lewis-Peacock, Jarrod A.
TI  - Cognitive flexibility improves memory for delayed intentions
AID  - 10.1523/ENEURO.0250-19.2019
DP  - 2019 Oct 10
TA  - eneuro
PG  - ENEURO.0250-19.2019
4099  - http://www.eneuro.org/content/early/2019/10/10/ENEURO.0250-19.2019.short
4100  - http://www.eneuro.org/content/early/2019/10/10/ENEURO.0250-19.2019.full
AB  - The ability to delay execution of a goal until the appropriate time, prospective memory (PM), can be supported by two different cognitive control strategies: proactive control involving working memory maintenance of the goal and active monitoring of the environment, or reactive control relying on timely retrieval of goal information from episodic memory. Certain situations tend to favor each strategy, but the manner in which individuals adjust their strategy in response to changes in the environment is unknown. Across two experiments, human participants performed a delayed-recognition PM task embedded in an ongoing visual search task that fluctuated in difficulty. Control strategy was identified from moment to moment using reaction time costs and fMRI measures of goal maintenance. We found that people fluidly modified control strategies in accordance with changes in task demands (e.g., shifting towards proactive control when task difficulty decreased). This cognitive flexibility proved adaptive as it was associated with improved PM performance.Significance Statement Adapting to changes in the environment is important for achieving immediate goals, and it is also essential for remembering to perform future intentions. Using brain imaging and behavioral measures of cognitive control, we discovered that people fluidly shift between proactive and reactive control strategies, from moment to moment, in accordance with changes in ongoing task demands in order to successfully fulfill future intentions. These flexible shifts in control strategy were associated with better memory for delayed intentions, demonstrating that fine-grained control of attention and memory resources serves an adaptive role for remembering to carry out future plans.