Neural and behavioral measures of error-related cognitive control predict daily coping with stress.

Abstract

This study tested the hypothesis that individual differences in cognitive control can predict individual differences in emotion regulation. Participants completed color-word and emotional Stroop tasks while an electroencephalogram was recorded, and then they reported daily stressful events, affect, and coping for 14 days. Greater posterror slowing in the emotional Stroop task predicted greater negative affect in response to stressors and less use of task-focused coping as daily stressors increased. Participants whose neural activity best distinguished errors from correct responses tended to show less stress reactivity in daily self-reports. Finally, depression levels predicted daily affect and coping independent of cognitive control variables. The results offer qualified support for an integrated conception of cognitive and emotional self-regulation.

Cognitive-Adaptation Training for Improving Performance and Stress Management of Air Force Pilots

“…This is in line with the current common system view of cognitive and emotional self-regulation (Compton et al, 2011). On the whole, the results suggest that cognitive training to promote reflective or EF processes can contribute to improve conjointly cognitive-adaptation and emotion-regulation skills.…”

“…In recent years, several studies have investigated the relationship between cognitive processes and the regulation of emotions (e.g., Compton et al, 2011;Ochsner & Gross, 2005). Functional imaging studies have revealed that cognitive restructuring can reduce emotional disturbance by inhibiting automatic bottom-up processes while strengthening reflective top-down processes (Beck, 2008;Clark & Beck, 2010).…”

Cognitive vulnerability to depression: examining cognitive control and emotion regulation

“…Similar work using ERPs on an emotional Stroop task (see Table 1) showed that greater post-error slowing (i.e. longer reaction times after error trials) and diminished error-related negativity (ERN) amplitude predicted negative affect and coping in response to daily stress [41]. The ERN is A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t 9 thought to index early error detection, and its attenuation suggests difficulty with monitoring conflict, which is related to inhibition of prepotent responses.…”

Counting to ten milliseconds: Low-anger, but not high-anger, individuals pause following negative evaluations

“…Further, tendencies to slow down following errors are predictive of more accurate subsequent processing, effects implicating the functional value of such slow-down effects (Rabbitt, 1966;Robinson, Ode, Wilkowski, & Amodio, 2007). Finally, neural markers of anterior cingulate activation have been linked to better emotion regulation in everyday life (Compton et al, , 2011. We therefore regard the present findings as important and suggestive of an emotion-regulation process that should be more fully examined in future studies.…”

“…For example, Ochsner and Gross (2005) have shown that activation of this system occurs in relation to generally successful attempts to reduce distress in response to negative emotional inductions. Compton et al (2008) further showed that individual differences in an ERP component generated by the anterior cingulate cortex (van Veen & Carter, 2002) were more capable of self-regulating their emotional reactions to stressors in daily life, results that have been conceptually replicated since then (Compton et al, 2011). Robinson, Schmeichel, and Inzlicht (2010) have made a more general case for the importance of this system in emotion regulation.…”