Despite the immense popularity of inhibition as an explanation for behaviors in a variety of domains, the definition of inhibition is murky, in that the term inhibition has been used to describe a variety of potentially different processes. This study used latent variable analysis on data from 220 college students to examine the relations between three often-postulated inhibition functions—prepotent response inhibition, resistance to distractor interference, and resistance to proactive interference—and their contributions to other cognitive functions. Confirmatory factor analysis suggested that prepotent response inhibition and resistance to distractor interference were indistinguishable at the level of latent variables, but both of these functions were unrelated to resistance to proactive interference. Further, structural equation modeling indicated that the prepotent response/distractor inhibition and resistance to proactive interference functions were differentially involved in the other cognitive abilities measured. Specifically, mental set shifting and everyday cognitive failures were related to prepotent response/distractor inhibition, thought suppression was related to resistance to proactive interference, and reading span performance was related to both prepotent response/distractor inhibition and resistance to proactive interference. Negative priming (measured with a latent variable) was not related to either inhibition function. These results suggest that the term inhibition has been overextended and, hence, that theorists and researchers may need to be more specific when discussing and measuring inhibition-related functions.
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