In this episode, we delve deep into the world of cognitive control with Dr. Fradkin as we discuss how people deal with unwanted thoughts. Although much research has been focused on external interferences, we shift the focus to internal, unwanted thoughts, examining the balance between reactive and proactive control in mitigating these. We discuss how reactive thought control entails slower response times due to the need to reject and replace recurring thoughts. Proactive thought control, on the other hand, implies a constricted search space leading to faster response times. With the help of a computational model, we delve deeper into proactive thought control mechanisms, exploring how individuals can reduce the episodic strengthening of repeated thoughts and avoid looping in a repetitive thought cycle. We also touch upon the link between the cont ...