Friehs, M. A., Schmalbrock, P., Merz, S., Dechant, M., Hartwigsen, G., & Frings, C. (2024). A touching advantage: cross-modal stop-signals improve reactive response inhibition. Experimental Brain Research, 242(3), 599-618.

A touching advantage: cross-modal stop-signals improve reactive response inhibition

Friehs, M. A., Schmalbrock, P., Merz, S., Dechant, M., Hartwigsen, G., & Frings, C.

The ability to inhibit an already initiated response is crucial for navigating the environment. However, it is unclear which characteristics make stop-signals more likely to be processed efficiently. In three consecutive studies, we demonstrate that stop-signal modality and location are key factors that influence reactive response inhibition. Study 1 shows that tactile stop-signals lead to better performance compared to visual stop-signals in an otherwise visual choice-reaction task. Results of Study 2 reveal that the location of the stop-signal matters. Specifically, if a visual stop-signal is presented at a different location compared to the visual go-signal, then stopping performance is enhanced. Extending these results, study 3 suggests that tactile stop-signals and location-distinct visual stop-signals retain their performance enhancing effect when visual distractors are presented at the location of the go-signal. In sum, these results confirm that stop-signal modality and location influence reactive response inhibition, even in the face of concurrent distractors. Future research may extend and generalize these findings to other cross-modal setups.