Error-related electromyographic activity over the corrugator supercilii is associated with neural performance monitoring

TY - JOUR

T1 - Error-related electromyographic activity over the corrugator supercilii is associated with neural performance monitoring

AU - Elkins-Brown, Nathaniel

AU - Saunders, Blair

AU - Inzlicht, Michael

N1 - This research was made possible by grants from Canada's Natural Sciences and Engineering Research and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Councils to MI

PY - 2016/2

Y1 - 2016/2

N2 - Emerging research in social and affective neuroscience has implicated a role for affect and motivation in performance monitoring and cognitive control. No study, however, has investigated whether facial electromyography (EMG) over the corrugator supercilii-a measure associated with negative affect and the exertion of effort-is related to neural performance monitoring. Here, we explored these potential relationships by simultaneously measuring the error-related negativity, error positivity (Pe), and facial EMG over the corrugator supercilii muscle during a punished, inhibitory control task. We found evidence for increased facial EMG activity over the corrugator immediately following error responses, and this activity was related to the Pe for both between- and within-subject analyses. These results are consistent with the idea that early, avoidance-motivated processes are associated with performance monitoring, and that such processes may also be related to orienting toward errors, the emergence of error awareness, or both.

AB - Emerging research in social and affective neuroscience has implicated a role for affect and motivation in performance monitoring and cognitive control. No study, however, has investigated whether facial electromyography (EMG) over the corrugator supercilii-a measure associated with negative affect and the exertion of effort-is related to neural performance monitoring. Here, we explored these potential relationships by simultaneously measuring the error-related negativity, error positivity (Pe), and facial EMG over the corrugator supercilii muscle during a punished, inhibitory control task. We found evidence for increased facial EMG activity over the corrugator immediately following error responses, and this activity was related to the Pe for both between- and within-subject analyses. These results are consistent with the idea that early, avoidance-motivated processes are associated with performance monitoring, and that such processes may also be related to orienting toward errors, the emergence of error awareness, or both.

KW - Adolescent

KW - Affect

KW - Brain

KW - Choice behavior

KW - Conflict (Psychology)

KW - Electroencephalography

KW - Electromyography

KW - Facial muscles

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Inhibition (Psychology)

KW - Male

KW - Neuropsychological Tests

KW - Reaction time

KW - Young adult

KW - Journal article

KW - Research support, Non-U.S. Gov't

U2 - 10.1111/psyp.12556

DO - 10.1111/psyp.12556

M3 - Article

C2 - 26470645

SN - 0048-5772

VL - 53

SP - 159

EP - 170

JO - Psychophysiology

JF - Psychophysiology

IS - 2

ER -