A dual-task approach to inform the taxonomy of inhibition-related processes

Response inhibition is key to controlled behavior and is commonly investigated with the stop-signal paradigm. The authors investigated how response inhibition is situated within a taxonomy of control processes by combining multiple forms of control within dual tasks. Response inhibition, as measured by stop-signal reaction time (SSRT), was impaired when combined with shape matching, but not the flanker task, and when combined with cued task switching, but not predictable task switching, suggesting that response inhibition may be weakly or variably impaired when combined with selective attention and set shifting demands, respectively. Response inhibition was also consistently impaired when combined with the N-back or directed forgetting tasks, putative measures of working memory. Impairments of response inhibition by other control demands appeared to be primarily driven by task context, as SSRT slowing was similar for trials where control demands were either high (e.g., task switch) or low (e.g., task stay). These results demonstrate that response inhibition processes are often impaired in the context of other control demands, even on trials where direct engagement of those other control processes is not required. This suggests a taxonomy of control in which response inhibition overlaps with related control processes, especially working memory. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).