To start or stop an action depends on which movement we perform: An appraisal of the horse-race model.
Abstract: In order to gauge the executive processes underlying adaptive behavior, a central criterion in psychology is the extent to which experimental findings generalize across response types. The latency of two major acts of control, action initiation and inhibition, was evaluated using a stop-signal paradigm with two response types, involving either a finger key-pressing or a wrist pen-swiping response. In both conditions, 40 participants were instructed to respond quickly to a GO stimulus but to cancel their responses when a STOP signal was presented, which occurred randomly in 25% of the trials. Taken together, analyses of reaction times and of inhibition probability functions indicated that action initiation generalized across the two response types. In contrast, the finger key-pressing and the wrist pen-swiping responses involved independent inhibition processes. These results challenge a strictly top-down view for some acts of control by showing an interaction between the executive and motor levels in terms of response modality specificity.
Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2021-05-12 PubMed ID: 33991795DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2021.103332Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research focuses on the evaluation of two major actions of control, action initiation and inhibition, using different response types to understand the underlying psychological processes. The results showed that while action initiation was consistent across response types, the inhibition processes varied, challenging the purely top-down view of some control actions.
Methodology and Experimental Setup
- The researchers used a stop-signal paradigm to evaluate two major acts of control – the initiation and inhibition of action. This paradigm involves two response types: a finger key-pressing response and a wrist pen-swiping response.
- A group of 40 participants were asked to respond quickly to a ‘GO’ stimulus, but to cancel their responses upon the presentation of a ‘STOP’ signal. This STOP signal was presented randomly in 25% of the trials.
Analysis and Findings
- Analyses of reaction times and inhibition probability functions were carried out to evaluate the results of the experiment.
- Results indicated that action initiation generalized across the two response types used in the experiment — finger key-pressing and wrist pen-swiping.
- Contrary to action initiation, the processes of action inhibition were different for the two response types. In other words, the finger key-pressing and the wrist pen-swiping responses engaged different inhibition processes.
Implications and Conclusion
- The differential response to inhibition for different response types challenges a strictly top-down view of some control actions.
- This implies an interaction between the executive and motor levels, depending on the type of response. This shows that the control processes involved in stopping an action may be modality-specific and not uniform across different types of responses.
- The findings contribute to our understanding of the executive processes underlying adaptive behavior and how they can vary depending on the type of motor response involved.
Cite This Article
APA
Hervault M, Huys R, Buisson JC, Francheteau M, Siguier P, Zanone PG.
(2021).
To start or stop an action depends on which movement we perform: An appraisal of the horse-race model.
Acta Psychol (Amst), 217, 103332.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2021.103332 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, France. Electronic address: mario.hervault@cnrs.fr.
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, France.
- Institut de Recherche en Informatique de Toulouse, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, France.
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, France.
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, France.
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, France.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Cognition
- Fingers
- Horses
- Humans
- Inhibition, Psychological
- Movement
- Psychomotor Performance
- Reaction Time
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Devillers-Réolon L, Temprado JJ, Sleimen-Malkoun R. Mindfulness meditation and bimanual coordination control: study of acute effects and the mediating role of cognition.. Front Psychol 2023;14:1162390.
- Sleimen-Malkoun R, Devillers-Réolon L, Temprado JJ. Intentional maintenance of antiphase bimanual pattern at transition frequency: Is it associated with inhibition processes?. Heliyon 2023 May;9(5):e16089.
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