The Effect of Odour Valence and Odour Detection Threshold on the Withholding and Cancellation of Reach-to-Press Responses

Abstract Introduction Withholding uninitiated actions and cancelling ongoing ones are two main components of response inhibition, a key element the executive control. Inhibitory performance is sensitive to emotional contexts elicited by subliminal supraliminal visual material. However, whether stimuli from other sensory modalities, such as odours, would equally modulate inhibition remains unclear. Here, we aimed assess effect task-irrelevant odours function their valence threshold on both action withholding cancellation reach-to-press movements. Method Thirty-two healthy participants performed Go/No-Go task that included presentation pleasant (orange) unpleasant (trimethyloxazole) odour primes at supra- sub-threshold levels; clean air was control condition. The responses were composed an initial release phase subsequent reaching phase. Results Only supra-threshold (vs. control) impaired withholding. Moreover, odour—presented sub- levels—elicited more accurate Go responses, whereas triggered faster in Additionally, only unpleasant) Furthermore, slower following odour. Conclusions Our findings extend sparse literature impact goal-directed behaviour, highlighting role modulation inhibition. Implications Determining mechanisms which lays foundations for research odour-triggered disinhibition.