Conflict-triggered goal shielding: response conflicts attenuate background monitoring for prospective memory cues.

Action control in a changing environment requires that one shield current goals from distracting information (goal shielding) and at the same time monitor the environment for potentially significant stimuli that may afford a goal switch (background monitoring). Response conflicts modulate the balance between goal shielding and background monitoring, as indicated by reduced susceptibility to interference after response conflicts. Such conflict-adaptation effects have been attributed to enhanced recruitment of cognitive control on trials following conflicts. Here we show that conflict triggers increased goal shielding on the conflict trial itself. Subjects performed a spatial compatibility task during which they had to notice rare prospective memory cues. Such cues were overlooked more often on conflict trials than on nonconflict trials, a result indicating that shielding of the current goal and inhibition of distractors were increased on the current trial when it involved a response conflict. Thus, evidence for enhanced recruitment of control following conflict may partly reflect aftereffects of goal shielding on the conflict trial itself.