Shifting and inhibition in cognitive control

Shifting and inhibition are executive cognitive functions responding selectively to stimuli, so as to switch from one activity to a more compelling one or to inhibit inappropriate urges and preserve focus on the current task. In an autonomous system these cognitive skills are crucial to assess a well-regulated reactive behavior, which is of particular relevance in critical circumstances. In this paper we develop an approach to shifting and inhibition, as cost-response functions. These functions are defined within a rich probabilistic structure modelling the stimuli and the way stimuli are taken into account while the execution of a task. This is a preliminary account to task-switching in which we consider only the stimulus-response side of the task switching, although to deem for the main shifting and inhibition controls we have to introduce the concept of tasks and related actions and constraints.