Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40866367›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Exploring semantic and executive flexibility interplay in task switching.

Giada Viviani, Irene Di Pietro, Erin M Buchanan, Annamaria Porru, Ettore Ambrosini, Maria Montefinese

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Giada Viviani *Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, Padova, 35131, IT, Italy.
Irene Di Pietro *Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Via Giuseppe Orus 2/B, 35129, Padova, Italy.
Erin M BuchananHarrisburg University of Science and Technology, 326 Market Street, 17101, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA.
Annamaria PorruDepartment of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, Padova, 35131, IT, Italy.
Ettore AmbrosiniPadova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Via Giuseppe Orus 2/B, 35129, Padova, Italy.
Maria MontefineseDepartment of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, Padova, 35131, IT, Italy. maria.montefinese@unipd.it.

Funding

Ministero della Salute GR-2019-12371166Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca 2020529PCPNextGenerationEU CHILDCONTROL
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cognitive flexibility is a fundamental component of executive control, allowing individuals to adapt behavior in response to changing task demands. While extensive research has explored executive flexibility using task-switching paradigms, the role of semantic flexibility-the ability to shift between different meanings of concepts-remains underexplored. This study introduces a novel semantic task-switching paradigm to directly compare executive and semantic flexibility, investigating their interplay. In two behavioral experiments, participants completed both a visuospatial task-switching paradigm (assessing executive flexibility) and a semantic task-switching paradigm (assessing semantic flexibility). Results revealed significant switch costs in both domains, with a moderate-to-strong correlation between executive and semantic flexibility effects, suggesting shared underlying mechanisms. Additionally, semantic performance was influenced by linguistic and semantic properties, highlighting the complexity of semantic processing. These findings contribute to our understanding of cognitive flexibility, supporting a domain-general mechanism that adapts to specific task demands while revealing unique characteristics of semantic control.

Indexed as

CognitionExecutive FunctionSemanticsAdolescentAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSpatial ProcessingYoung AdultCognitive controlCognitive flexibilityExecutive controlSemantic cognitionSemantic controlTask-switching

Identifiers

PMID40866367
PMCPMC12391367

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.