In line with dual system models, it is often hypothesized that overeating occurs in tandem with lowered inhibitory control. Although there are some merits to this theory, the way (food) cues are represented, and how they influence inhibitory control, are not yet understood. Here, participants who fasted 12+ hours, or who ate within the previous 2 hours completed a stop-signal task with modal (pictures) and amodal (words) stimuli. In Study 1, there was a significant Group × Modality interaction which indicated that satiated, but not fasted individuals show better inhibitory capacity for modal relative to amodal stimuli. In line with previous theories, we also found evidence for better inhibitory control for satiated compared to fasted individuals, albeit for modal stimuli only. In Study 2, we additionally used non-food stimuli to test whether these effects were food-specific. While we were able to replicate the group by modality interaction, we did not find evidence for food specificity. Furthermore, the inhibitory advantage of satiated individuals compared to fasted individuals was not replicated. In all, we were able to show that metabolic state and stimulus type interact in their effect on inhibitory control in two pre-registered studies. These findings suggest that information of particular modalities is processed in distinct ways, depending on state factors.

Restrained eaters (RE) show behaviorally unregulated food intake, which is often explained by a deficit in inhibitory control. Despite evidence for general inhibitory deficits, we do not yet have a good grasp of how the variety of (food) cues in our environment can influence cognitive control. In this re-analysis, we explored the inhibitory capacity of RE and unrestrained eaters (URE) on a stop-signal task with modal (pictures) and amodal (word) food and non-food stimuli. Although we did not find the expected inhibitory deficits in RE compared to URE, we found a significant Group × Modality × Stimulus Type interaction. This indicated that RE have a relatively good inhibitory control for food, compared to non-food modal cues, and that this relationship is reversed for amodal cues. Hence, we showed differential processing of information based on food-specificity and presentational format in RE. The format of food cues is thus an important new avenue to understand how the food environment impedes those struggling with regulation of their eating behavior.