title: Neurophysiological correlates of cognitive flexibility and feedback processing in violent juvenile offenders.
abstract: The persistence of aggressive criminal behavior is recurrently observed in offenders despite being previously advised on the negative consequences of their actions. One possible explanation for the continuation of aggressive behaviors could be that they are the consequence of either possible deficits in cognitive flexibility (set-shifting) or in altered feedback processing. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were used to investigate both processes in non-psychopathic violent juvenile offenders. A modified version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) was used to disentangle the ERP components associated with cognitive set-switching processes (P3) from feedback processing (Frontal-Related Negativity, FRN; P3). The results showed a reduction in the amplitude of the P3 component for the presentation of switch informative signals, related to set-switching processes, in the offender group. Interestingly, a larger amplitude of the P3 related to feedback processing as well as the FRN was observed in this population, probably indicating increased reliance on external feedback processing. At the behavioral level, the offender group presented a larger amount of issues with failures in implementing the new sorting rule. This behavioral pattern could be related to deficits in the ability to switch to another behavior and an altered pattern in processing the feedback information related to the precision of their performance. These observations highlight the possible role of cognitive set-switching and reward sensibility in the maintenance of harmful behaviors in juvenile offenders.
authors.affiliation: Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group [Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-] IDIBELL, L׳Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona 08097, Spain; Department of Basic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona 08035, Spain.
authors.forename: Adrià
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vilà-Balló
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona 08035, Spain.
authors.forename: Toni
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cunillera
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Girona, Girona 17071, Spain.
authors.forename: Carles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rostan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Girona, Girona 17071, Spain; Puig de les Basses Penitentiary, Figueres 17600, Spain.
authors.forename: Prado
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hdez-Lafuente
authors.affiliation: Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group [Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-] IDIBELL, L׳Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona 08097, Spain; Department of Basic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona 08035, Spain.
authors.forename: Lluís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fuentemilla
authors.affiliation: Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group [Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-] IDIBELL, L׳Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona 08097, Spain; Department of Basic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona 08035, Spain; Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, ICREA, Barcelona 08010, Spain. Electronic address: arfornells@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Antoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Fornells
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D057237:Criminals / Q000523:psychology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D030141:Feedback, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D014754:Violence
keywords: Cognitive flexibility; Feedback processing; Feedback-related negativity (FRN); Non-psychopathic violent juvenile offenders; P3