Consistent with these hypotheses, the data showed that neural processes supporting conflict monitoring and performance adjustment were intact in the alcohol group following correct responses but were attenuated during and following errors. Relative to placebo and control conditions, alcohol attenuated the amplitude of the ERN and disrupted post-error behavioral adjustments, consistent with previous research (Bartholow et al., 2012; Ridderinkhof et al., 2002). Additionally and unique to this study, the N2 and FSW, reflecting neural activity in medial (i.e., ACC) and dorsolateral areas of prefrontal cortex believed to support conflict monitoring and performance adjustment, respectively (see Botvinick et al., 2004; Kerns et al., 2004; McGuire & Botvinick, 2010), were essentially absent on trials immediately following errors in the alcohol group, but returned two trials following errors. We are the first to demonstrate such a pattern, providing evidence that alcohol’s effects on cognitive control, at least at the typical laboratory dose tested here, appear largely restricted to recovery from control failures.
