Multiple Neural Modules Orchestrate Conflict Processing

Cognitive conflict is a ubiquitous aspect of our daily life, yet its underlying neural mechanisms remain debated. Competing theories propose that conflict processing is governed by either a domain-general system, multiple conflict-specific modules, or both types of systems, as evidenced by hybrid accounts. The aim of the current study was to settle this debate. We analyzed electroencephalogram (EEG) data from 507 participants (ages 20–70) who completed three conflict tasks: a change detection, a Simon, and a Stroop task. A novel decoding approach was adopted to distinguish between conflict and non-conflict trials. While within-task decoding showed robust effects, decoding across tasks yielded chance-level evidence. These findings support the idea that conflict processing relies on multiple conflict specific modules tailored to task-specific demands. By leveraging a large, diverse sample and a data-driven analysis, this study provides compelling evidence for conflict-specific neural mechanisms, offering new insights into the nature of conflict resolution and cognitive control.