Inhibitory tagging in inhibition of return is affected in schizophrenia: Evidence from stroop task

L. J. Fuentes, A. B. Vivas, and G. W. Humphreys (1999b) showed that stimulu s processing is affected when stimuli are presented to locations subject to inhibition of return. They argued that activated representations of stimul i presented at inhibited locations are disconnected from their associated r esponses through an "inhibitory tagging" mechanism occurring in inhibition of return. In the present research, the authors asked whether such a mechan ism is affected in people with schizophrenia. Healthy adults and patients w ith schizophrenia performed a Stroop task in an inhibition of return paradi gm. Healthy adults showed a reduction in the Stroop interference when stimu li were presented at inhibited locations, a result that agrees with the inh ibitory tagging mechanism hypothesis and replicates previous findings. Howe ver, patients with schizophrenia did not show such a reduction, a result su ggesting that they have a deficit in inhibitory processing occurring in inh ibition of return.