Photography training and inhibitory control: ERP correlates and dissociable patterns from athletic training

Long‑term engagement in professional behavioral training and the resulting behavioral changes are known to influence human cognition. The present study investigates whether and how photography training is associated with individuals' inhibitory control.

Fifteen photographers, 15 athletes, and 15 controls were recruited to complete a Go/Nogo task with concurrent electroencephalogram recording.

Behavioral results showed slower response times and fewer commission errors for both photographers and athletes compared with controls, with no significant difference between the two training groups. Event‑related potential analyses revealed more negative Bereitschaftspotential amplitudes and more positive N2 amplitudes for photographers and athletes than for controls, again with no significant difference between photographers and athletes. Furthermore, a more negative prefrontal negativity amplitude was observed for athletes than for both photographers and controls, whereas no significant difference was found between photographers and controls.

Photography training was associated with a shift in the speed-accuracy trade‑off toward a greater emphasis on accuracy, as well as motor preparation and conflict monitoring-two core subprocesses of inhibitory control. Moreover, photographers and athletes showed improvements in inhibitory control through different neurocognitive pathways: while both groups showed enhanced motor preparation and conflict monitoring, athletes additionally exhibited enhanced cognitive preparation compared with photographers. This differential pattern may reflect athletes' need to respond to unpredictable, real‑time emergencies during competition.