Optimizing assessments of post-error slowing: A neurobehavioral investigation of a flanker task

Appropriately adjusting to errors is essential for adaptive behavior. Post-error slowing (PES) refers to the increased reaction times on trials following incorrect relative to correct responses. PES has been used as a metric of cognitive control in basic cognitive neuroscience research as well as clinical contexts. However, calculation of PES varies widely among studies and has not yet been standardized, despite recent calls to optimize its measurement. Here, using behavioral and electrophysiological data from a modified flanker task, we considered different methods of calculating PES, assessed their internal consistency, examined their convergent correlations with behavioral performance and error-related event-related brain potentials (ERPs), and evaluated their sensitivity to task demands (e.g., presence of trial-to-trial feedback). Results indicated that the so-called robust measure of PES, calculated using only error-surrounding trials, provided an estimate of PES that was three times larger in magnitude than the traditional calculation. This robust PES correlated with the amplitude of the error positivity (Pe), an index of attention allocation to errors, just as well as the traditional method. However, all PES estimates had very weak internal consistency. Implications for measurement are discussed.