Metacontrol on Demand: Task-induced Shifts in Metacontrol States Reflected in Aperiodic Neural Activity

Abstract

Metacontrol refers to the dynamic regulation between persistence and flexibility, enabling adaptive behavior across varying task demand. This study investigated whether metacontrol states induced by two creativity tasks, Remote Associates Test to bias persistence and Alternate Uses Task to bias flexibility, would modulate behavioral and neural responses in a global/local perceptual task. We recorded EEG and analyzed aperiodic neural activity using the FOOOF (fitting oscillations and one-over-f) exponent as a marker of neural inhibition and variability. At the behavioral level, participants responded faster and more accurately to global than to local stimuli across sessions, consistent with a global processing advantage. EEG results revealed that differences in aperiodic exponent between local and global trials emerged only after stimulus onset. This supports a reactive model of metacontrol, where control states are not maintained but are adaptively recruited in response to task demands. The results highlight the context-sensitive nature of metacontrol and support the use of aperiodic exponent as a neural index of these cognitive dynamic adjustments.