Effects of performance feedback on cardiovascular reactivity and frontal EEG asymmetry

The process of goal-setting may be captured by psychophysiological variables, such as cardiovascular reactivity (representative of effort mobilisation) and frontal EEG asymmetry (motivational disposition). The current study exposed 32 participants to false performance feedback in order to manipulate goal-setting and mental effort investment. Participants performed five consecutive blocks of the n-back task and received false performance feedback. One group received repeated positive feedback (i.e. performance steadily improved over the five blocks) whilst a second group were exposed to repeated negative feedback (i.e. performance deterioration over five blocks). Blood pressure, power in the mid-frequency and high-frequency component of Heart Rate Variability (HRV), heart rate, frontal EEG asymmetry and subjective self-assessment data were collected. Sustained and repeated positive feedback led to increased systolic blood pressure reactivity and a suppression of the 0.1Hz component of HRV. Increased relative left hemisphere activation was observed at F3/F4 and FC1/FC2 over successive task blocks in the presence of feedback regardless of positive or negative direction. It is argued that upward goal adjustment accounted for the psychophysiological changes observed in the positive feedback condition.