Emotional interference under low versus high executive control

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that task‐irrelevant emotional distractors interfere with task performance especially under low phasic executive control (i.e., in nonconflict trials). In the present study, we measured medio‐frontal ERPs (N2 and correct‐related negativity, CRN) to elucidate which aspects of task performance are affected by emotional interference in a flanker task. To create emotional interference, negative and neutral pictures were presented during the flanker stimuli. N2 and CRN were reduced after negative pictures, indicating that conflict processing and performance monitoring are both affected by emotional interference. On the behavioral level, prolonged response times after negative pictures were observed under low phasic executive control (i.e., in compatible trials). Additionally, we explored whether emotional interference is modulated not only by phasic changes in executive control (i.e., conflict vs. nonconflict trials) but also by tonic changes in executive control (i.e., low vs. high overall conflict frequency). To this end, the flanker task consisted of two blocks with 25% versus 75% incompatible trials. Prolonged response times after negative pictures in compatible trials were observed only under low tonic executive control but not under high executive control.

Cognitive control is quickly adapted to actual task requirements despite misleading context cues—Evidence from the N2, CRN, and ERN

“…In the present study, we investigated whether conflict frequency adaptations would behave similarly. First of all, we expected to replicate previous results of tonic conflict adaptation on the behavioral and ERP level (i.e., Bartholow et al., 2005; Grutzmann et al., 2019; Grützmann, Riesel, et al., 2014). Specifically, a higher conflict frequency should be associated with increased stimulus‐locked cognitive control as indexed by the following effects for incompatible trials in the training phase: (a) reduced response times, (b) increased accuracy, (c) increased N2 amplitudes, and (d) decreased CRN amplitudes.…”

“…Adaptation of cognitive control is present on a trial‐to‐trial and a block level and detectable in changes of behavioral interference (response times and error rates) and medio‐frontal negativities (N2, CRN, and ERN). Blockwise increase of conflict frequency results in reduced response times and error rates in incompatible trials in combination with increased N2 and reduced CRN amplitudes, indicating increased implementation of proactive stimulus‐locked cognitive control (Bartholow et al., 2005; Corballis & Gratton, 2003; Grutzmann et al., 2019; Grützmann, Riesel, et al., 2014; Jiang et al., 2013; Kalanthroff et al., 2014; Wendt et al., 2008; Wendt & Luna‐Rodriguez, 2009). Previous studies have demonstrated that error monitoring can be influenced by context cues (Meyer & Gawlowska, 2017; Riesel, Kathmann, Wullhorst, et al., 2019; Riesel et al., 2012).…”

“…Previous studies have shown that the monitoring processes are flexibly adapted to situational requirements in healthy individuals. In conflict tasks, a higher proportion of conflict stimuli results in improved conflict resolution as reflected in decreased response time and enhanced accuracy for incompatible trials (Bartholow et al., 2005; Corballis & Gratton, 2003; Grutzmann et al., 2019; Grützmann, Riesel, et al., 2014; Jiang et al., 2013; Kalanthroff et al., 2014; Wendt et al., 2008; Wendt & Luna‐Rodriguez, 2009). In‐depth analysis of behavioral data by response time distributional analysis (van den Wildenberg et al., 2010) indicates that this proportion congruency effect is caused by an increase in interference inhibition (Grützmann, Riesel, et al., 2014).…”

Moving towards dynamics: Emotional modulation of cognitive and emotional control

“…It has, thus, been suggested that negative emotional stimuli of high motivational intensity might heighten attentional focusing and facilitate cognitive attentional performance Harmon-Jones, 2008, 2010;Kanske and Kotz, 2011b, c;Kanske, 2012). Grützmann et al (2019) presented participants with a Flanker task on top of task-irrelevant negative and neutral background images. As a result, the authors found that negative relative to neutral pictures resulted in prolonged responses in congruent, but not in incongruent Flanker trials (i.e., the conflict effect was reduced in negative condition).…”

“…), they differed significantly in how they timed the presentation of negative emotion information. The majority of studies that reported emotion-related enhancement of cognitive control presented negative images (or videos and sounds) together with task-relevant information (Grützmann et al, 2019;Kanske andKotz, 2010, 2011a, b;Zinchenko et al, 2015). Studies that found emotion-related reduction of cognitive control either induced negative emotion or mood prior to the experiment or shortly before the conflict trial (Hart et al, 2010;Sommer et al, 2008).…”