Error monitoring during reward and avoidance learning in high‐ and low‐socialized individuals

Abstract

The error-related negativity (ERN) is a response-locked brain potential generated when individuals make mistakes during simple decision-making tasks. In the present study, we examined ERN under conditions of reward and punishment, among participants who scored extremely low or high on the socialization scale of the California Psychological Inventory (CPI). Participants completed a forced-choice task, and were rewarded for correct responses in half the trials, and punished for incorrect responses in the remaining trials. A significant interaction between socialization (SO) and condition revealed that low-SO participants produced smaller ERNs during the punishment task than during the reward task, whereas high-SO participants produced similar ERNs in both conditions. Reaction time and electromyogram data essentially bolster the interpretation that the ERN effects reflect differences in error salience for high-SO and low-SO participants, and are consistent with the avoidance-learning deficits seen in psychopathy.

Neural and Cognitive Factors Influencing the Emergence of Psychopathology: Insights From the Bucharest Early Intervention Project

“…In the internalizing domain, heightened amplitude of the ERN is associated with greater symptoms of anxiety. In contrast, reduced amplitude of the ERN is associated with more attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and externalizing behaviors (26)(27)(28)(29).…”

Uncertainty and Cognitive Control

“…Certain electrophysiological components known to be linked to cognitive control (and to conflict monitoring in particular) are thought to be generated by ACC sources. For instance, the N2 and the Error-related negativity (ERN/Ne) event-related brain potentials (ERP) components are thought to originate in the ACC (Dehaene et al, 1994; Dikman and Allen, 2000; Gehring and Knight, 2000; Debener et al, 2005) and are likely to reflect the cognitive demands of situations involving a high level of conflict between competing responses (Yeung and Nieuwenhuis, 2009). Importantly, the ACC is widely thought to be part of a network of brain structures specialized in the detection of environmental conditions signaling the need for the implementation of cognitive control, and responsible for sending “triggers” to other systems specialized in the actual implementation of control (Botvinick et al, 2001; Kerns et al, 2004; Brown and Braver, 2005).…”

“…The ERN is an early frontocentral negativity time-locked to an incorrect response (Gehring et al, 1990; Falkenstein et al, 1991) and is believed to be generated in the ACC (Dehaene et al, 1994; Dikman and Allen, 2000; Gehring and Knight, 2000). Competing theories postulate that the ERN reflects the activity of a generic error detection (Dehaene et al, 1994) or a response conflict system (Carter et al, 1998).…”

Personality and error monitoring: an update

“…Furthermore, the Ne appears to be related to negative affective experience (Hajcak et al, 2004). A reversed pattern can be observed in poorly socialized individuals, here the Ne is reduced (Dikman and Allen, 2000). …”