Cognitive Control across domains: integrating language, pain perception and clinical applications.

This portfolio explores the central role of cognitive control in high level cognitive processes, with a focus on language and pain perception. Drawing from my published work (including case studies, and critical reviews) this portfolio demonstrates that cognitive control is a core mechanism supporting both linguistic and sensory processing. Different aspects of cognitive control, such as working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility, are shown to be essential for managing linguistic complexity and adapting to dynamic sensory inputs. Using frameworks such as the Dual Mechanisms of Control (integrating proactive and reactive cognitive control) and Predictive Coding, the research provides evidence for a domain-general model of cognitive control that supports goal-directed behaviour across contexts. Findings from studies on reading comprehension in children (Paper 2) show that deficits in proactive control, particularly semantic working memory, impact language processing, while clinical evidence from post-stroke rehabilitation (Paper 1) further illustrates the interaction between cognitive and linguistic recovery. A virtual reality study on pain prediction errors (Paper 6) illustrates how reactive cognitive control modulates perception in sensitised states, offering implications for understanding chronic pain, where predictive and sensory mechanisms interact dynamically. The adaptability of cognitive control was further demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic (Paper 3), where children maintained literacy development despite disrupted schooling, indicating that cognitive control flexibly reorganises in response to environmental challenges. This portfolio also includes two critical reviews (Papers 4 and 5) that integrate empirical and theoretical findings. Paper 4 advances a conceptual framework for cognitive control across domains, and Paper 5 critically evaluates the role of generative AI in scientific publishing, arguing that human integration of AI outputs is necessary to apply cognitive control for oversight and methodological rigour. Together, these studies advance our understanding of cognitive control’s flexibility and its clinical and technological applications, offering recommendations for rehabilitation, ethical AI use, and future research.<p></p>

Author dc:creator

• Federico Palmisani (22357108)

• Cognitive control
• Pain perception
• Language

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved

Identifier

10779/exe.32362113.v1

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:figshare.com:article/32362113