title: Trait anger in relation to neural and behavioral correlates of response inhibition and error-processing.
abstract: Effortful control is considered to be an important factor in explaining individual differences in trait anger. In the current study, we sought to investigate the relation between anger-primed effortful control (i.e., inhibitory control and error-processing) and trait anger using an affective Go/NoGo task. Individuals low (LTA; n=45) and high (HTA; n=49) on trait anger were selected for this study. Behavioral performance (accuracy) and Event-Related Potentials (ERPs; i.e., N2, P3, ERN, Pe) were compared between both groups. Contrary to our predictions, we found no group differences regarding inhibitory control. That is, HTA and LTA individuals made comparable numbers of commission errors on NoGo trials and no significant differences were found on the N2 and P3 amplitudes. With respect to error-processing, we found reduced Pe amplitudes following errors in HTA individuals as compared to LTA individuals, whereas the ERN amplitudes were comparable for both groups. These results indicate that high trait anger individuals show deficits in later stages of error-processing, which may explain the continuation of impulsive behaviors in HTA individuals despite their negative consequences.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: lievaart@fsw.eur.nl.
authors.forename: Marien
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lievaart
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Frederik M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: van der Veen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jorg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huijding
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lilian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Naeije
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Antes mental health care, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Johannes E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hovens
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ingmar H A
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Franken
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000786:Anger / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D018913:Event-Related Potentials, P300 / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Error related negativity; Error-processing; Inhibitory control; N2; P3; Positivity error; Trait anger