Evaluation of inhibitory control and attentional bias through eye-tracking: a modified emotional stop-signal task

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by deficits in inhibitory control and attentional processes. The emotional nature of stimuli can significantly influence these cognitive processes, yet traditional paradigms assessing inhibitory responses, such as the Stop-Signal Task, typically neglect emotional stimuli. This limitation reduces their capacity to capture the cognitive impairments associated with OCD fully. To address this gap, we introduce the Modified Emotional Stop-Signal Task (MESST), a novel paradigm designed to concurrently evaluate inhibitory control and attentional biases through eye-tracking technology. MESST integrates emotionally evocative stimuli into a standard stop-signal framework, allowing simultaneous measurement of Stop-Signal Reaction Time (SSRT) and attentional metrics such as latency to first fixation and total dwell time. Additionally, participants complete validated psychological scales—the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), and Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory–Revised (OCI-R)—providing detailed characterization of impulsivity and anxiety traits. Suitable for normative and clinical populations, MESST facilitates the investigation of interactions between emotional processing, cognitive control, and attentional biases, thereby advancing our understanding of the cognitive-emotional mechanisms underlying OCD and related disorders. • Integrates emotional stimuli into a standard inhibitory control paradigm. • Measures attentional processes concurrently via high-frequency eye-tracking. • Applicable to both clinical and non-clinical populations.