Tracking the temporal dynamics of updating cognitive control: an examination of error processing
Robert West1, Stephanie Travers
1Department of Psychology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA. rwest@iastate.edu
Abstract:
In 2 experiments, we used event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to examine the temporal dynamics of neural processes related to adjustments of cognitive control following errors in the counting Stroop task. The ERPs elicited by errors revealed the error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity consistent with a large body of literature. In addition, errors were associated with a frontal slow wave between 200 and 2000 ms after the response that was consistent with the activity of neural generators in the lateral frontal cortex. The ERN and frontal slow wave were correlated with posterror slowing of response time and positive affect (i.e., happiness and calmness) during task performance. These data are consistent with the idea that interactions between anterior cingulate cortex and lateral frontal cortex support adjustments of cognitive control and that this neural network is sensitive to the influence of affect experienced during task performance.
Related Concept Videos
Information Processing Approach
Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
Working Memory
Cognitivism
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process information is...
Cognitive Development During Adulthood

