Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 25, 2025

A Prediction Error-driven Retrieval Procedure for Destabilizing and Rewriting Maladaptive Reward Memories in Hazardous Drinkers
Published on: January 5, 2018
Better safe than sorry: Divergent error-related negativity and error positivity in shame-prone adolescents
Franziska Martin1, Martin Holtmann1, Tanja Legenbauer1
1Ruhr University Bochum, LWL-University Hospital for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Germany.
Background:
The present study examines whether adolescents who are prone to shame show intense performance monitoring in order to avoid mistakes. Higher amplitudes of error-related negativity (ERN) or error positivity (Pe) are potential proxies to measure performance monitoring from a neurophysiological perspective. Depressive symptom severity has been found to correlate with increased ERN and Pe amplitudes. However, research on the influence of shame proneness on this correlation is lacking, although it is known that depression comes with greater shame proneness.
Methods:
A total of 112 adolescent participants (61 inpatients with a clinical diagnosis of depression and 51 healthy volunteers) performed two rounds of the Eriksen flanker task. In one round, incorrect responses led to derogatory feedback, in the other round, correct responses led to encouraging feedback. ERN and Pe after incorrect responses were measured.
Results:
Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed that after derogatory feedback, ERN-latencies were longer, also when controlling for shame-proneness. Shame-proneness and ERN-amplitudes correlated.
Limitations:
Despite the methodological soundness of the present study, its strongest limitation lies in the lack of insight into the subjective level of shame after derogatory feedback.
Conclusion:
The results are discussed in light of punishment sensitivity of shame-prone adolescents. Future research is needed to gain greater insight into the relationship between shame proneness and punishment sensitivity.
More Related Videos
13:08Measurement of Fronto-limbic Activity Using an Emotional Oddball Task in Children with Familial High Risk for Schizophrenia
Published on: December 2, 2015
08:09Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies
Fundamental Attribution Error
Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...