The comparisons of inhibitory control and post-error behaviors between different types of athletes and physically inactive adults

To properly behave and correct mistakes, individuals must inhibit inappropriate actions and detect errors for future behavioral adjustment. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that athletes are superior in cognitive functions and this benefit varied dependent on the types of sport that individuals involved in, but less is known on whether athletes have a different error-related behavioral pattern. The purpose of this study was to compare the behavioral performance of inhibition and error monitoring between individuals who participated in an open-skill sport (n = 12), a closed-skill sport (n = 12), and a sedentary lifestyle (n = 16). A combined flanker/stop signal task was presented and the derived stop signal reaction time (SSRT), post-correct accuracy and reaction time (RT), as well as post-error accuracy and RT were compared across groups. Our findings indicated there was no difference in SSRT between groups. Surprisingly, significant post-error slowing (PES) was observed only in controls but not in sport groups, the controls also exhibited significantly longer post-error RT compared with the open-skill group. However, there was no difference in the post-error accuracy between groups, indicating a higher efficiency in the post-error processing among open- and closed-skill groups by requiring comparatively less time for behavioral adjustments. The present study is the first to disclose the discrepancies in PES between different types of athletes and controls. The findings suggest that sport training along with higher amounts of physical activity is associated with a more efficient behavioral pattern for error processing especially when the sport requires open skills in nature.