Response activation in error processing: Assessing leakage into upcoming action episodes

Error commission is accompanied by a cascade of cognitive processes. In current views, these processes change the activation of all task-related responses in the same way (e.g., via generalized inhibition or a shift toward a more conservative response criterion). Using a three-choice task, we contrasted such response-general processes with putative response-specific processes, which are not sufficiently incorporated into contemporary views. We hypothesized that response-specific processes influence both the correct response and the erroneous response but not a third (i.e., neutral) response. To test this hypothesis, we assessed the activation of these three responses throughout the task using finger force and/or standard keypresses. Replicating prior findings, we observed evidence that response-specific processes attempt to cancel and correct the execution of hastily initiated errors. Crucially, analyses of performance in posterror trials showed that both the correct response and the erroneous response from the previous error trial were more active than the neutral response. These novel findings suggest that response-specific processes explain critical aspects of posterror performance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).