Sequential Compatibility Effects and Cognitive Control: Does Conflict Really Matter?

International audience ; Although it is widely accepted that control mechanisms are necessary for human behavior tobe adapted, very little is known about how such mechanisms are recruited. A suggestion tofill the gap was put forward by M. M. Botvinick, T. S. Braver, C. S. Carter, D. M. Barch, andJ. D. Cohen (2001), who proposed the conflict-loop theory. This theory has been successfulin accounting for the reduction of compatibility effects after an incompatible trial: The levelof conflict being, on average, higher during an incompatible trial, more control occurs aftersuch a trial. The authors have tested this prediction by sorting the trials on the basis of amountof conflict (quantified by the electromyographic activity) they presented. A reduction of thecompatibility effect was observed after incompatible trials, but it was independent of the levelof conflict on previous trials, suggesting that the conflict does not trigger changes in executivecontrol. Consequences for the conflict monitoring model are discussed.