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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Online Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Protocol for Measuring Cortical Physiology Associated with Response Inhibition

Online Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Protocol for Measuring Cortical Physiology Associated with Response Inhibition

Published on: February 8, 2018

Frontal cortex mediates unconsciously triggered inhibitory control.

Simon van Gaal¹, K Richard Ridderinkhof, Johannes J Fahrenfort

¹Cognitive Neuroscience Group and Amsterdam Center for Study of Adaptive Control in Brain and Behavior, Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, 1018 WB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. s.vangaal@uva.nl

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience

|August 8, 2008

Summary

Unconscious stimuli can activate inhibitory control processes, challenging the need for awareness in cognitive control. This study demonstrates that even subliminal cues can influence task performance and response inhibition.

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Published on: September 28, 2018

Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Psychology

Background:

Understanding conscious experience requires differentiating awareness-dependent and awareness-independent cognitive processes.
Inhibitory control is traditionally linked to conscious awareness and prefrontal cortex (PFC) function.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether unconscious stimuli can trigger high-level inhibitory control processes.
To explore the neural mechanisms underlying the impact of unconscious signals on cognitive control.

Main Methods:

Combined metacontrast masking and Go/No-Go paradigms.
Utilized electroencephalography (EEG) to record neural activity.
Analyzed behavioral responses for inhibition and reaction time.

Main Results:

Unconscious No-Go signals induced response inhibition and slowed non-inhibited responses.
EEG revealed early occipital and later frontocentral neural events.
Frontal activity correlated with the behavioral impact of unconscious No-Go signals.

Conclusions:

Unconscious stimuli can exert cognitive control by influencing task execution and interruption.
Findings challenge the necessity of awareness for cognitive control mechanisms.
Demonstrates significant depth and reach of unconscious information processing.