Controlled Intuition - The Influence of Cognitive Conflict on Semantic Coherence Judgments

Detection of conflict between response alternatives increases cognitive control subsequently. In congruency sequence tasks enhanced control after experiencing conflict trials reduces congruency effects in subsequent trials (conflict adaptation). As cognitive conflict has been shown to influence breadth of attention, the current study seeks to examine whether these effects also pertain to conceptual breadth. Increased domain-general cognitive control could be conducive to spreading of semantic associations in semantic coherence judgments. A competing theoretical perspective implies that cognitive control could also bias information processing in favor of a more deliberate, reflective processing style and diminish reliance on affective cues, therefore decreasing performance in semantic coherence judgments. To test this, two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1 a gender-word Stroop task was used to manipulate cognitive conflict and to induce control adaptation. Spreading of association was measured in semantic coherence judgments. Performance in semantic coherence judgment did not differ depending on previous conflict versus non-conflict trials. In a second experiment a non-semantic conflict task (a visual Simon task) was employed. The effect of Simon congruency on subsequent semantic coherence judgments was examined. Again, no significant difference could be revealed. The current experiments fail to support the notion that cognitive control influences higher order, conflict-free, associative processes involved in intuition. Limitations and implications are discussed.