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Quantitative relation between conflict and response inhibition in the Flanker task.
Tomohiro Takezawa1, Makoto Miyatani
1Graduate of School of Education, Hiroshima University, Kagamiyama 1-1-1, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8524, Japan. tt0718@hiroshima-u.ac.jp
Psychological Reports
|December 14, 2005
Summary
Cognitive control, specifically response inhibition, is influenced by the amount of conflict encountered in flanker tasks. Higher conflict levels increase response times and modulate subsequent cognitive control mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Experimental Psychology
Background:
- The conflict monitoring hypothesis suggests conflict in flanker tasks impacts cognitive control.
- Response inhibition is a key aspect of cognitive control affected by conflict.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide empirical evidence for the quantitative relationship between conflict and response inhibition.
- To investigate how the amount of conflict influences cognitive control mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed a flanker task judging target arrow direction.
- Conflict was manipulated by varying the distance between target and distractor arrows.
- Response times and accuracy were measured under different conflict conditions.
Main Results:
- Response times were longer for incongruent than congruent trials, and for smaller than larger distractor distances.
- Congruent trial response times increased with preceding trial conflict.
- Responses on incongruent trials were facilitated by preceding incongruent trials, irrespective of conflict level.
Conclusions:
- Conflict detection mechanisms modulate subsequent behaviors through two distinct control forms.
- The amount of conflict influences response inhibition differently based on the control mechanism engaged.
- Findings support the conflict monitoring hypothesis regarding conflict's impact on cognitive control.