title: Worry-inducing stimuli in an aversive Go/NoGo task enhance reactive control in individuals with lower trait-anxiety.
abstract: This study relates predictions on reactive and proactive cognitive control to findings on anxious apprehension/worry and ERN/Ne. We investigated whether worry-inducing stimuli in an aversive performance setting lead to a more pronounced increase of the ERN/Ne in individuals with lower anxious apprehension/worry. We also explored the N2 amplitude in the context of worry-inducing stimuli. Fifty-eight participants performed an extended Go/NoGo task. A neutral or fearful face was presented at the beginning of each trial, with the fearful face as a worry-inducing, distracting stimulus. In an aversive feedback condition, aversive feedback was provided for false or too slow responses. We found a more pronounced decrease of the ERN/Ne after worry-inducing stimuli compared to neutral stimuli in participants with lower anxious apprehension/worry. Moreover, less pronounced N2 amplitudes were associated with shorter reaction times in the aversive feedback condition. Implications for future research on error monitoring and trait-anxiety are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Kiel, Germany. Electronic address: leue@psychologie.uni-kiel.de.
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leue
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Carmen Cano
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Rodilla
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beauducel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D000066499:Facial Recognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anxious apprehension/worry; ERN/Ne; N2; Proactive control; Reactive control