title: Selective inhibition of a multicomponent response can be achieved without cost.
abstract: Behavioral flexibility frequently requires the ability to modify an on-going action. In some situations, optimal performance requires modifying some components of an on-going action without interrupting other components of that action. This form of control has been studied with the selective stop-signal task, in which participants are instructed to abort only one movement of a multicomponent response. Previous studies have shown a transient disruption of the nonaborted component, suggesting limitations in our ability to use selective inhibition. This cost has been attributed to a structural limitation associated with the recruitment of a cortico-basal ganglia pathway that allows for the rapid inhibition of action but operates in a relatively generic manner. Using a model-based approach, we demonstrate that, with a modest amount of training and highly compatible stimulus-response mappings, people can perform a selective-stop task without any cost on the nonaborted component. Prior reports of behavioral costs in selective-stop tasks reflect, at least in part, a sampling bias in the method commonly used to estimate such costs. These results suggest that inhibition can be selectively controlled and present a challenge for models of inhibitory control that posit the operation of generic processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California jing.xu@jhmi.edu.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York; and Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California.
authors.forename: Zachary
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Westrick
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California.
authors.forename: Richard B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Ivry
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers; D005528:Foot; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: horse-race model; inhibition; plasticity; selective stop; stop-signal task