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

Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2005 Sep;5(3):362-72. doi: 10.3758/cabn.5.3.362.

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.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Affect / physiology*
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Brain Mapping*
  • Cognition / physiology*
  • Electroencephalography / methods
  • Electrooculography / methods
  • Evoked Potentials, Visual / physiology*
  • Female
  • Functional Laterality / physiology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Memory, Short-Term / physiology
  • Monitoring, Physiologic
  • Pattern Recognition, Visual / physiology*
  • Photic Stimulation / methods
  • Psychomotor Performance / physiology
  • Reaction Time / physiology