Neural Correlates of Emotional Memory Biases in Adult Attachment: An Event-Related Potential Study

Attachment-related defences are theorized to systematically distort emotional information processing, yet the temporal dynamics of these biases remain poorly understood. The present study elucidated the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying implicit and explicit memory biases in attachment anxiety and avoidance using event-related potentials (ERPs). University students completed both implicit and explicit memory tasks involving attachment-relevant stimuli (threat and positive). Behavioural data revealed a double dissociation; the anxious group exhibited heightened memory sensitivity to threat, whereas the avoidant group showed memory bias toward positive stimuli. ERP findings indicated that avoidant individuals exhibited elevated P200 amplitudes early in processing, followed by a significant inhibition of the late parietal component (LPC). Conversely, attachment anxiety was characterized by elevated FN400 and sustained LPC amplitudes across all emotional stimuli. These results indicate that attachment dimensions differentially modulate distinct stages of neural processing, suggesting that defensive strategies are activated at specific temporal points to either amplify or inhibit specific emotional information.