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Precise individual measures of inhibitory control

Author

Listed:
  • Hyejin J. Lee

    (Florida State University
    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

  • Derek M. Smith

    (The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Northwestern University)

  • Clifford E. Hauenstein

    (The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Georgia Institute of Technology)

  • Ally Dworetsky

    (Florida State University
    Northwestern University)

  • Brian T. Kraus

    (Northwestern University)

  • Megan Dorn

    (Northwestern University)

  • Derek Evan Nee

    (Florida State University)

  • Caterina Gratton

    (Florida State University
    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    Northwestern University)

Abstract

Inhibitory control is essential to daily function and is a key factor in numerous psychiatric disorders. One popular measure of inhibitory control is the congruency effect, but recent research has highlighted its low reliability, limiting its use for clinical and basic research questions. Here we asked whether it is possible to obtain precise individual estimates of the congruency effect. We sampled more than 5,000 trials from nine participants across four inhibitory control tasks. This dataset, made public for the community, demonstrates that precise individual estimates are achievable but with higher numbers of trials than typically collected with common tools. Using a combination of datasets and simulations, we show that extensive sampling is necessary to reveal true individual differences and improve observations from alternative modelling approaches. We share our dataset as a resource to further understand sources of variation in inhibitory control, ultimately advancing research in this critical field.

Suggested Citation

  • Hyejin J. Lee & Derek M. Smith & Clifford E. Hauenstein & Ally Dworetsky & Brian T. Kraus & Megan Dorn & Derek Evan Nee & Caterina Gratton, 2025. "Precise individual measures of inhibitory control," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 9(8), pages 1613-1630, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nathum:v:9:y:2025:i:8:d:10.1038_s41562-025-02198-2
    DOI: 10.1038/s41562-025-02198-2
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