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Show 224 Adam Tuero We are looking for individual differences in executive function otherwise known as cognitive con-trol. Cognitive control being defined as the ability to stay on task in the face of distractors. We are especially interested in cognitive control in young adults. We measure cognitive control through a test called the OSPAN, which the subjects take first. The OSPAN measures individual differ-ences in cognitive control by presenting the subject with a series of letters separated by basic math equations that they must solve. The subjects must then recall the series of letters in correct sequence, while maintaining at least 85% correct on the math problems. The math serving as a distraction to the primary goal of memorizing the letters. The second test the participants take is titled the "Stop It" test. In this test subjects are presented with stimuli of either a circle or square on the screen. They have two keys on the keyboard which represent the circle and square which they push with their left and right index fingers as the stimuli appear. However, when an audi-tory tone or "stop" signal is presented through headphones, they must refrain from responding. The struggle in this experiment is finding the optimal time between waiting long enough so you don't start your response if there is a "stop" signal while also going fast enough to maintain the other task of responding quickly. The task shifting is a large part of what drive individual varia-tion. Opponent processes require a greater control in cognitive function to respond correctly. We hypothesize that the higher the subjects score on the OSPAN, having a higher mental flexibility between tasks, they will be able to go longer between stimulus appearing and the stop signal coming on. We look to understand more completely where differences in cognitive ability come into play by finding the threshold of cognitive ability. IDENTIFYING BEHAVIORAL AND NEURAL MARKERS OF COGNITIVE RESERVE Adam Tuero (Jason Watson) Department of Psychology University of Utah Health sciences leap program spring 2012 Jason Watson |