Affective and cognitive modulation of performance monitoring: Behavioral and ERP evidence

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of negative affect on performance monitoring. EEG was acquired during a lateralized, numeric Stroop working memory task that featured task-irrelevant aversive and neutral pictures between stimuli. Performance accuracy showed a right-hemisphere advantage for stimuli that followed aversive pictures. Response-locked event-related potentials (ERPs) from accurate trials showed an early negative component (CRN; correct response/conflict-related negativity) followed by a positive wave comparable to the Pe (error positivity). The CRN was bi-peaked with an earlier peak that was sensitive to aversive pictures during early portions of the experiment and a later peak that increased with error likelihood later in the experiment. Pe amplitude was increased with aversive pictures early in the experiment and was sensitive to picture type, Stroop interference, and hemisphere of stimulus delivery during later trials. This suggests that ERP indices of performance monitoring, the CRN and Pe, are dynamically modulated by both affective and cognitive demands.

Distinction between Externally vs. Internally Guided Decision-Making: Operational Differences, Meta-Analytical Comparisons and Their Theoretical Implications

“…The amplitudes of correct and conflict-related negativity (CRN; Simon-Thomas and Knight, 2005; Masaki et al, 2007; Nakao et al, 2010a) and N2 components (Yeung et al, 2004; Bartholow et al, 2005) are known to reflect the amount of conflict. Nakao et al (2010a) reported that the amount of conflict during internally guided decision-making (occupational choice in their case) is also reflected in the amplitude of the CRN.…”

Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Cognitive Regulation

“…Nakao, Takezawa, Shiraishi, and Miyatani (in press) showed that activation of self-knowledge reduces conflict during an occupational choice task (e.g., Which occupation do you think you could do better?-dancer or chemist) which has two possible answers. Conflict was measured via conflict-related negativity (CRN), the amplitude of which reflects strength of conflict (Simon-Thomas & Knight, 2005). To evaluate the effects of self-knowledge related to conflict during the occupational choice task, they used blocks of two types: one for the self-knowledge task and the occupational choice task, and another for the otherknowledge task, which requires judgment of an unfamiliar other person (e.g.…”

Resting-state EEG power predicts conflict-related brain activity in internally guided but not in externally guided decision-making

“…These studies have revealed that a key regulatory process in externally guided decisionmaking is the ability to monitor and resolve conflict between correct responses and erroneous responses (Bland and Schaefer, 2011;Botvinick, 2007;Botvinick et al, 2001;Mennes et al, 2008;Smith et al, 2009;Smoski et al, 2009). Especially, event-related brain potential (ERP) reports have described that the strength of conflict between correct and error response is reflected in the amplitudes of fronto-central stimulus-locked N2 (Bartholow et al, 2005;Fritzsche et al, 2010;van Veen and Carter, 2002b;Yeung et al, 2004) and response-locked correct/conflict-related negativity (CRN) (Bartholow et al, 2005;Fritzsche et al, 2010;Masaki et al, 2007;Simon-Thomas and Knight, 2005;Vidal et al, 2003) as well as reaction times (RTs) (Fritzsche et al, 2010;Masaki et al, 2007;Takezawa and Miyatani, 2005). Both of these negative ERP components are known to originate from the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), which is thought to play a role in conflict-monitoring (Ridderinkhof et al, 2004;van Veen and Carter, 2002a;Vlamings et al, 2008;Yeung and Nieuwenhuis, 2009).…”