In many situations, social comparison calls for the evaluation of one´s own performance in relative terms by taking into account the performances of other people. Here, we investigated the effects of social comparison on performance monitoring with the help of ERPs. Two participants performed two identical experiments at the same time and in the same room. Instructions created a social context of cooperation by suggesting that participants were performing the same task for the maximization of a shared bonus. The experiment was a response‐choice task with two feedback signals presented in sequence after each response: one feedback described the personal performance (personal feedback) and one reflected the other participant's performance (nonpersonal feedback). In the present experiment, social comparison should induce interpretations of the second feedback in relative terms (e.g., “I performed better”) according to the quality of the first feedback. ERP results showed that the first nonpersonal feedback affected the fronto‐central P3 component (P3a) evoked by the second personal feedback but did not modulate the feedback‐related negativity (FRN). The P3a component evoked by the personal feedback was larger when the comparison against the preceding nonpersonal feedback signaled that the personal performance was worse than the other participant's performance. Interestingly, the effect was prominent over bilateral fronto‐central electrodes (FC3, FC4). The observed P3a effect might indicate the recruitment of attentional resources when the comparison between personal and nonpersonal performance shows that the personal performance was not as good as the performance of others.

Background The first years of life are a significant period for child development, when children are particularly sensitive and prone to crises. This early phase lays the foundation for healthy growth. Clinical assessment of psychological symptoms in early infancy and adequate treatment are both important in improving the diagnostic outcome and preventing later long-term developmental consequences. The most common psychological problems in the first 3 years of life are regulatory disorders. The aim of this trial is to investigate the efficacy of Parent-Infant Psychotherapy (PIP) for infants and young children (aged 0–36 months, diagnosed with at least one regulatory disorder) and their mothers, compared to care as usual (CAU). Methods In this open multicentre randomised controlled trial, 160 mother-infant dyads are randomised to receive PIP or CAU for 6 weeks of intervention in clinical or outpatient (including home treatment) settings. The primary outcome is the maternal sensitivity (sensitivity scale of the Emotional Availability Scales (EAS)) after 6 weeks. Secondary outcomes include assessment of interaction, mental health problems, attachment, development, psychological factors, treatment adherence, health care system utilisation, and costs, after 6 weeks and 12 months. Discussion This study will evaluate whether a manualised focus-based short-term psychodynamic psychotherapeutic intervention in mother-child dyads improves the care situation for families of children diagnosed with regulatory disorders, and helps prevent long-term psychopathologies. Assessment of the intervention in different settings will support the development of more tailored interventions for affected infants and their mothers. Trial registration German Clinical Trial Register, ID: DRKS00017008. Registered 03/20/2019.

The present study explored the relevance of internal signals for the dynamics of personal and nonpersonal feedback processing. To this end, pairs of participants performed concurrently a choice-response task and received external signals in four feedback contexts. In two contexts, feedback was informative about the personal performance (personal/private and personal/public); in the other two contexts, instructions suggested that feedback was informative about the other participant's performance (nonpersonal/other) or that it was random (nonpersonal/random). Since personal feedback was contingent on performance, the two contexts with personal feedback allowed a reference between internal and external signals. This reference significantly affected personal feedback processing. On the one hand, in the processing of personal feedback, the feedback-related negativities (FRNs) evoked by feedback associated with distinctively fast or slow responses were less negative than the FRN elicited by feedback related to responses made with average speed. On the other hand, feedback signals evoked FRNs with similar amplitudes in the two contexts with nonpersonal feedback. Furthermore, personal and nonpersonal feedback elicited ERPs with different strength. Starting with the P2 potential, personal feedback evoked a more positive electrophysiological response than nonpersonal feedback. Based on these results, we conclude that a link between internal and external signals, as for personal feedback, is a key factor influencing the dynamics of feedback processing.

No abstract

Maternal capacity to mentalize (= reflective functioning, RF), secure attachment and emotional available parenting has an impact on the child’s development. The transmission of past attachment experiences of mother’s made with both her caregivers in her own childhood and the impact on current mother-child interaction is part of the ‘transmission gap’. This study explores the transgenerational transmission mechanisms and the potential moderating effect of RF in a clinical sample of 113 mother-child dyads suffering from mental health problems. In a cross-sectional study the associations between maternal attachment experiences, RF (coded based on Adult Attachment Interviews) and current mother-child interaction (Emotional Availability Scales) were examined with univariate correlation-, moderator analyses, and structural equation models. We found relationships between attachment experiences and mother-child interaction, but RF had no moderating effect. Past loving experiences and perceived neglection particularly with the own father in childhood were predictors for the present mother-child interaction. There seems to be an intergenerational transmission of attachment experiences to the ongoing generation. Particularly past adverse childhood experiences with the own father seem to explain currently disruptive interactions with the child. Trial Registration IDs: DRKS00017008 & DRKS00016353