Novelty modulates proactive and reactive cognitive control modes: Evidence from ERP and EEG data

Novelty refers to the quality of an idea or product that is new or unusual. It has been shown to influence a broad range of cognitive processes, such as increasing arousal and facilitating working memory. However, no studies have directly investigated the effects of novelty on cognitive control, particularly on the trade-off between proactive and reactive cognitive control. The present study employed an adapted AX Continuous Performance Task (AX-CPT) combined with electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate the impact of novelty on proactive and reactive control modes. The behavioral results showed that reaction times in BX trials were longer under novel conditions than common conditions, indicating that participants may rely more on reactive control and/or rely less on proactive control when influenced by novelty. The EEG results showed smaller effects of cue-P3 and cue-locked theta-ERS under novelty, suggesting that novelty might decrease proactive control, including the decreased maintenance and utilization of contextual information. Moreover, in the novel conditions, the effect of probe-locked theta-ERS was greater, while the effect of probe-P3 was smaller. This indicates that novelty may enhance reactive control, including increased conflict monitoring and reduced response inhibition cost. The findings suggest that exposure to novelty can influence how individuals balance proactive and reactive control, potentially causing a bias towards reactive control.