Differential Impact of Methamphetamine Dependence and Social Media Overuse on Cognitive Control: Based on the Dual Mechanisms of Control Theory

Cognitive control impairments contribute to the onset and maintenance of both substance and behavioral addictions. Guided by the Dual Mechanisms of Control framework, this study examined cognitive control deficits in methamphetamine-dependent individuals and those who overuse social media, each compared to a matched control group. Across two experiments, participants completed an operational working memory span task (Experiment 1) to assess their cognitive control resources, and a modified AX-Continuous Performance Test (AX-CPT, Experiment 2) to evaluate their inhibition-based proactive and reactive control. The results indicated that while both methamphetamine-dependent individuals and social media overusers demonstrated cognitive control impairments, the severity, affected components, and overall patterns differed. Methamphetamine-dependent individuals were characterized by more pronounced, pervasive deficits and a maladaptive reliance on compromised reactive control. In contrast, social media overuse was associated with milder impairments, maintaining relatively intact proactive versus reactive control patterns. These findings underscore the distinct cognitive control profiles underlying substance versus behavioral addictions and highlight the necessity of developing tailored intervention strategies to address the specific cognitive vulnerabilities of each population.