Humans are remarkably efficient at being on task, and flexibly switching back and forth between different tasks. The degree to which they focus on a task, or the extent to which they remain open for switching between tasks, are often considered ‘control parameters’ that are thought to be under parametric control. Theories on cognitive control often assume that people can readily up- or downregulate these control parameters that determine the degree of task focus or switch readiness. Here, we review evidence suggesting that humans are rather inefficient at this parametric regulation of control, as if ‘turning a knob,’ through explicit cues alone. Instead, our research highlights the role of task experience, training, and reward contingencies to cultivate flexible, dynamic adaptations in control parameters.

人类在执行任务方面非常高效，并且能够在不同任务之间灵活地来回切换。他们对任务的专注程度，或者他们对任务之间切换保持开放的程度，通常被认为是处于参数控制之下的“控制参数”。认知控制理论通常假设人们可以轻松地上调或下调这些控制参数，这些参数决定了任务专注程度或转换准备程度。在这里，我们回顾了证据，表明人类在这种控制参数调节方面效率相当低，就像仅通过明确的提示“转动旋钮”一样。相反，我们的研究强调了任务经验、培训和奖励意外事件的作用，以培养控制参数的灵活、动态适应。