We investigated the inhibitory regulation of
perceptual–motor processing streams in a task that switched
between spatially compatible and incompatible
stimulus–response mappings. Thirty male and female
college-aged participants performed a reaction time (RT) task
in which the response was either spatially compatible or not
depending on a cue immediately preceding the stimulus. The
cue-to-stimulus interval (CI) was either 50 or 500 ms. Incompatible
mapping yielded the typical slower responses than compatible
mapping at 500 ms, but not at 50 ms. Changes in cardiac interbeat
interval (IBI) and performance suggested that automatic responses
to compatible stimuli were suppressed at 50 ms. Both performance
and IBI changes as well as individual differences in these measures
suggested a precue preparatory schema or set biased toward
suppressing the compatible mapping. An alternate hypothesis
of a cue-induced suppression was questioned. The results illustrate
the operation of different supervisory processes in the
anticipatory and online control of action.