PLoS ONE (Jan 2013)

Punishment sensitivity predicts the impact of punishment on cognitive control.

  • Senne Braem,
  • Wout Duthoo,
  • Wim Notebaert

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0074106
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 9
p. e74106

Abstract

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Cognitive control theories predict enhanced conflict adaptation after punishment. However, no such effect was found in previous work. In the present study, we demonstrate in a flanker task how behavioural adjustments following punishment signals are highly dependent on punishment sensitivity (as measured by the Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS) scale): Whereas low punishment-sensitive participants do show increased conflict adaptation after punishment, high punishment-sensitive participants show no such modulation. Interestingly, participants with a high punishment-sensitivity showed an overall reaction time increase after punishments. Our results stress the role of individual differences in explaining motivational modulations of cognitive control.