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Cognitive process From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Inhibitory control, also known as response inhibition, is a cognitive process – and, more specifically, an executive function – that permits an individual to inhibit their impulses and natural, habitual, or dominant behavioral responses to stimuli (a.k.a. prepotent responses) in order to select a more appropriate behavior that is consistent with completing their goals.[1][2] Self-control is an important aspect of inhibitory control.[1][2][3][4][5] For example, successfully suppressing the natural behavioral response to eat cake when one is craving it while dieting requires the use of inhibitory control.[2]
The prefrontal cortex, caudate nucleus, and subthalamic nucleus are known to regulate inhibitory control cognition.[2][3] Inhibitory control is impaired in both addiction and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.[2][3][6] In healthy adults and ADHD individuals, inhibitory control improves over the short term with low (therapeutic) doses of methylphenidate or amphetamine.[1][7] Inhibitory control may also be improved over the long-term via consistent aerobic exercise.[2][4][5]
An inhibitory control test is a neuropsychological test that measures an individual's ability to override their natural, habitual, or dominant behavioral response to a stimulus in order to implement more adaptive goal-oriented behaviors.[1][2][3] Some of the neuropsychological tests that measure inhibitory control include the Stroop task, go/no-go task, Simon task, Flanker task, antisaccade tasks, delay of gratification tasks, and stop-signal tasks.[2]
Females tend to have a greater basal capacity to exert inhibitory control over undesired or habitual behaviors and respond differently to modulatory environmental contextual factors relative to males.[8][9] For example, listening to music tends to significantly improve the rate of response inhibition in females, but reduces the rate of response inhibition in males.[8]
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