Is Inhibition Dependent on Working Memory Capacity

Single page posterThe ability to stop initiated actions is a critical component of effective self-regulation, such as resisting the urge for ‘sex, drugs, and rock and roll.’ The current dominant theory in cognitive control assumes that maintaining task relevant information in working memory is necessary for the effective implementation of inhibitory control. In this study, we addressed the interplay of inhibitory control and working memory maintenance processes using a dual-task paradigm in which both inhibitory control demands and working memory load were manipulated. Because the standard theory predicts mutual interference between the two processes, we hypothesized that if inhibition interferes with working memory maintenance, working memory performance will be lower when participants successfully employ inhibitory control in response to a stop signal, versus when they fail to inhibit their action. Further, this interference in performance should be greatest when working memory load is high. Participants completed a combined working memory and stopping task in which stopping behavior occurred during the working memory maintenance interval. Our results showed no evidence of mutual interference between working memory load and stopping behavior on working memory performance. This result is inconsistent with the dominant view of working memory capacity as the primary constraining factor in inhibitory control. Rather, distinct processing resources may underlie these two different aspects of self-regulation