Self-concept clarity and processing self-relevant information: An event-related potential study.

Self-concept clarity (SCC) refers to the extent to which self-beliefs are clearly and confidently defined, internally consistent, and stable. While there is an abundance of research showing an association between SCC, well-being, and effective self-regulation, there is little knowledge about how SCC relates to basic cognitive processes such as attention and memory. Drawing on the attentional function theory of cognitive control, we hypothesized that low SCC is associated with greater attentional control during a trait assessment task. We also expected that low SCC individuals retrieve self-related information from semantic memory less efficiently compared to high SCC individuals. Fifty participants took part in the ERP study. The P300 and N400 components were measured as electrophysiological indices of attentional and semantic processing. The results showed that individuals with low SCC had larger P300 amplitude in response to positive versus negative words, and marginally larger P300 amplitude in response to positive words compared to high SCC individuals. These results suggest greater attentional involvement in the processing of positive self-related information in people with low SCC. There were no significant differences between groups in N400 amplitude. The results are discussed in the context of the relationship of SCC to self-esteem and self-motive theory.

An Attentive Blank Stare Under Simulator-induced Spatial Disorientation Events.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the effect of the spatial disorientation (SD) events on an attentive blank stare in the cockpit scene and demonstrated how much the flight task and visual delayed discrimination task were competing for the pilots' attention. BACKGROUND: SD in flight is the leading cause of human error-related aircraft accidents in the military, general and commercial aviation, and has been an unsolved problem since the inception of flight. In-flight safety research, visually scanning cockpit instruments, and detecting changes are critical countermeasures against SD. METHOD: Thirty male military pilots were performing a dual task involving piloting a flight simulator and visual change detection, while eye movements were obtained using an eye tracker. RESULTS: Pilots made more flight errors and spent less time gazing at the area of change in SD-conflict than in non-conflict flights. The vestibular origin SD-conflict led not only to deteriorated piloting and visual scanning but also to problems coordinating overt and covert attention, resulting in lower noticeability of visual changes despite gazing at them. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that looking at a given area in space is not a sufficient condition for effective covert attention allocation and the correct response to a visual stimulus. It seems to be important to make pilots aware of this during SD training. APPLICATION: To reduce change blindness, some strategies, such as reducing the number of secondary tasks is extremely valuable. Particular efforts should also be focused on improving the design of the aircraft cockpit by increasing the conspicuousness of critical information.

Distinct FN400/N400 memory effects for perceptually fluent and disfluent words.

Recognition memory studies have shown that increased perceptual fluency results in more "old" responses and, presumably, increases familiarity. However, the exact neural mechanisms of these effects remain unresolved. We conducted two ERP experiments in which participants encoded words and performed a recognition test where fluency was manipulated by changing clarity of test words (half of them were clear or blurry). In the more demanding Experiment 1, we found a reversed effect of fluency on recognition (more hits for blurry words), which was accompanied by larger N400 and LPC old/new effects for blurry words. For high confidence responses, the topography of N400 shifted towards frontal electrodes (the FN400 for blurry words). In the less demanding Experiment 2, no behavioral differences between clear and blurry words were observed. However, there was a discrepancy in the ERP results, with the frontal FN400 for blurry words and the parietal N400 for clear words, suggesting that distinct neural pathways can support familiarity-based recognition for clear and blurry items. In both experiments, early perceptual fluency ERP effects were also observed. The results indicate that both semantic processing and familiarity can be enhanced by perceptual fluency and contribute to recognition judgments, depending on the interpretations of fluency.

Different processes in attractiveness assessments for unattractive and highly attractive faces-The role of presentation duration and rotation.

Assessing facial attractiveness is a central aspect of the human ability to process the visual properties of faces. Recent studies have demonstrated that disrupting the upright orientation of faces by rotation can lead to enhanced attractiveness ratings, especially for unattractive faces, which might indicate that attractiveness assessments are mainly based on the absence of unattractive facial characteristics. Other studies have shown that shorter exposure times can result in greater facial attractiveness ratings. In the present experiment, we tested the influence of both rotation (0°, ±90°, 180°) and presentation duration (40ms, 100ms, 250ms, 2000ms) on attractiveness ratings for faces, while also controlling for their pre-rated attractiveness (which was assessed in upright orientation during a pre-test). We found that unattractive faces were rated as most attractive when observed for 40ms, but presentation duration had no effect on ratings for highly attractive faces. Unattractive faces rotated by ±90° or inverted (rotated by 180°) were rated as more attractive than in the upright orientation and these effects were found under various presentation durations (40ms, 250ms, 2000ms). Importantly, a contrary relationship was found for highly attractive faces, which were rated as less attractive when inverted, but only under intermediate presentation durations (100ms or 250ms). Our results support the notion that facial attractiveness can be assessed on the basis of both the absence of unattractive characteristics and the presence of attractive features, depending on the initial attractiveness of the face and its exposure time.

Auditory Verbal Working Memory Load Effects on a Simulator-Induced Spatial Disorientation Event.

INTRODUCTION: Working memory is an essential executive function for flying an aircraft and its limitations may jeopardize flight safety. This function is particularly critical when pilots have to struggle with spatial disorientation (SD) cues. This research aimed to assess the combined effect of the auditory N-back task (NBT) and simulator-induced SD cues on pilots' flight performance.METHODS: Using an SD simulator, 39 male military pilots (control N = 20; age M = 31.6; SD = 8.22, experimental N = 19; age M = 26.9; SD = 8.67) were exposed to 12 flight sequences, where 6 contained an SD conflict-3 with vestibular illusions and 3 with visual illusions. Additionally, the pilots from the experimental group were asked to perform an auditory NBT involving sound stimuli (the sequential letter memory task) as they performed during oriented and disoriented flight conditions.RESULTS: Pilots' flight performance from the NBT group were significantly worse than the control group in the approach and landing profiles involving visual illusions (for both nonconflict and conflict flight), and in the profile involving the false horizon illusion (only for the conflict flight). No increase in a pilot's susceptibility to SD was observed with any other profiles.DISCUSSION: The current study provides support that pilots' cognitive workload can negatively impact flight performance. Pilots are not always aware of altered flight parameters, which may indicate that they have lost spatial orientation, mainly as a result of visual illusion. If problems occur in maintaining proper flight parameters, pilots should direct all available mental resources to regain their orientation and withdraw from any other parallel tasks.Lewkowicz R, Strózak P, Balaj B, Francuz P. Auditory verbal working memory load effects on a simulator-induced spatial disorientation event. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2019; 90(6):531-539.

The Relationship Between Mindfulness, Cognitive Intrusions, and Recollection: An ERP study.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether mindfulness and cognitive intrusions predict recollection. Using electroencephalogram methodology, we investigated 31 participants who performed a recognition task and reported situational mindfulness as well as task-irrelevant (TII) and task-relevant intrusions (TRI). We used behavioral measures (response accuracy) to analyze performance effectiveness and event-related potentials (ERP) to measure processing efficiency (compensatory processes) associated with performance of the task. Results suggest that being mindful during a task slightly improves recognition of old and new but not similar probes. Although worrying about the outcomes (i.e., TRI) facilitates improvement in true recognition of old probes, it also impairs correct rejection of new probes. Moreover, TRI predicted the strength of ERP effects associated with compensatory processes involved in recollection. We conclude that mindfulness slightly improves recognition without involvement of the compensatory effort and worrying partly increases responding accuracy at the cost of diminished processing efficiency.

Selective Auditory Attention and Spatial Disorientation Cues Effect on Flight Performance.

INTRODUCTION: The auditory system is not as heavily involved in the pilot's spatial orientation as the visual and vestibular systems; however, it plays a significant role in the cockpit for communication and warning information. The aim of this research was to investigate the combined effect of selective auditory attention and simulator-induced spatial disorientation (SD) cues on pilots' flight performance. We hypothesized that the flight performance in both disoriented and oriented flight profiles would be impaired by selective auditory attention.METHODS: Using an SD simulator, 40 male military pilots (M = 31.9; SD = 7.41) were exposed to 12 flight sequences, where 6 contained a SD-conflict, 3 with motion illusions and 3 with visual illusions. The pilots performed a duration discrimination task (DDT) involving sound stimuli while completing these profiles under SD-conflict and nonconflict conditions.RESULTS: In five flight profiles tested, the DDT and SD cues increased the pilots' cognitive workload, adversely affecting their flight performance. In the approach and landing profiles involving visual illusions, significant differences between the control and DDT groups were found for both nonconflict and SD-conflict flight sequences, whereas differences were only significant between nonconflict and SD-conflict flights for the two vestibular SD profiles.DISCUSSION: The results obtained partially support our hypothesis that performing the DDT, even in the absence of SD-conflict, significantly affects pilots' flight performance. In some cases, despite the large increase in cognitive workload, pilots did not activate the "posture first" principle. Pilots should be trained not to respond to auditory stimuli until they have recovered their spatial orientation.Lewkowicz R, Strózak P, Balaj B, Francuz P, Augustynowicz P. Selective auditory attention and spatial disorientation cues effect on flight performance. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2018; 89(11):976-984.

The Effects of Arousal and Approach Motivated Positive Affect on Cognitive Control. An ERP Study.

A growing body of research has demonstrated that affect modulates cognitive control modes such as proactive and reactive control. Several studies have suggested that positive affect decreases proactive control compared to neutral affect. However, these studies only focused on the valence of affect and often omitted two of its components: arousal and approach motivation. Therefore, we designed the present study to test the hypothesis that cognitive control modes would differ as a function of arousal and approach motivated positive affect. In our study, we used an AX-continuous performance task (AX-CPT), commonly used to examine shifts in proactive and reactive control. We also measured P3b, contingent negative variation (CNV), N2 and P3a components of event-related brain potentials (ERPs) as indicators of the use of cognitive control modes. The findings of the present study demonstrated that approach motivated positive affect modified only the P3b and the CNV without effects on the N2 and P3a components. However, arousal induced by pictures modified P3b, CNV and N2 amplitudes. Specifically, the P3b amplitude was larger, and CNV amplitude was less negative in the high than in the low-approach motivated affect. In contrast, the P3b amplitude was larger and both the CNV and N2 amplitudes more negative in low- compared with high-arousal conditions. These ERP results suggest that approach motivated positive affect enhanced proactive control with no effect on reactive control. However, arousal influenced both proactive and reactive control. High arousal decreased proactive control and increased reactive control compared to low arousal. The present study provides novel insights into the relationship between affect, specifically, arousal and approach motivated positive affect and cognitive control modes. In addition, our results help to explain discrepancies found in previous research.

Problematic Video Gaming and Problematic Internet Use Among Polish Young Adults.

Technological advancements, on the one hand, facilitate everyday activities and, on the other hand, may lead to problematic behavior. These include problematic video gaming (PVG) and problematic Internet use. The purpose of this article is to present the specificity of these behavioral addictions in a group of Polish young adults and to determine their predictors and interrelatedness. The study involved a group of 1,493 young adults, aged from 18 to 30. The intensity of problematic Internet use was measured with the Problematic Internet Use Test (the Polish version of Internet Addiction Test developed by Kimberly Young), and intensity of PVG was measured with the Problem Video Game Playing Questionnaire. Based on the results, it can be shown that in the group of Polish young adults participating in the study, 0.3 percent of the individuals present very high problematic Internet use. On the contrary, 3.6 percent of the gamers show signs of PVG. Furthermore, analysis of structural equations showed that only the model assuming a correlation between the two types of behavioral addiction correctly fits the data set. Based on the developed model, it was established that the duration of social network usage is probably a predictor of problematic Internet use, while predictors of PVG include the amount of time dedicated to playing video games as well as engagement in action games. The present findings enable better understanding of the relationship between PVG and problematic Internet use among young adults. They also support other studies which suggest that, despite similarities between them, various types of behavioral addictions may be predicted by different factors.

ERPs in an oddball task under vection-inducing visual stimulation.

The neural mechanisms underlying the vection illusion are not fully understood. A few studies have analyzed visually evoked potentials or event-related potentials (ERPs) when participants were exposed to vection-inducing stimulation. However, none of them tested how such stimulation influences the brain activity during performance of the simultaneous visual task. In the present study, ERPs were recorded while subjects (N = 19) performed a discrimination oddball task. Two stimuli (O or X) were presented on the background of central and peripheral visual fields consisting of altered black and white vertical stripes that were stationary or moving horizontally. Three different combinations of these fields were created: (1) both center and periphery stationary (control condition), (2) both center and periphery moving, (3) center stationary and periphery moving. Mean reaction times to targets were shortest in the control condition. The amplitudes of P1 and N2 at occipital locations, and the amplitude of P3 at frontal, central, and parietal locations, were attenuated, and the P3 exhibited longer peak latency when both central and peripheral visual fields were moving. These potentials reflect initial sensory processing and the degree of attention required for processing visual stimuli and performing the task. Our findings suggest that the integration of central and peripheral moving visual fields enhances the vection illusion and slows down reaction times to targets in the oddball task and disrupts the magnitude of electrophysiological responses to targets.

FN400 and LPC memory effects for concrete and abstract words.

According to dual-process models, recognition memory depends on two neurocognitive mechanisms: familiarity, which has been linked to the frontal N400 (FN400) effect in studies using ERPs, and recollection, which is reflected by changes in the late positive complex (LPC). Recently, there has been some debate over the relationship between FN400 familiarity effects and N400 semantic effects. According to one view, these effects are one and the same. Proponents of this view have suggested that the frontal distribution of the FN400 could be due to stimulus concreteness: recognition memory experiments commonly use highly imageable or concrete words (or pictures), which elicit semantic ERPs with a frontal distribution. In the present study, we tested this claim using a recognition memory paradigm in which subjects memorized concrete and abstract nouns; half of the words changed font color between study and test. FN400 and LPC old/new effects were observed for abstract as well as concrete words, and were stronger over right hemisphere electrodes for concrete words. However, there was no difference in anteriority of the FN400 effect for the two word types. These findings challenge the notion that the frontal distribution of the FN400 old/new effect is fully explained by stimulus concreteness.

Separating the FN400 and N400 potentials across recognition memory experiments.

There is a growing debate as to whether frontally distributed FN400 potentials reflect familiarity-based recognition or are functionally identical to centro-parietal N400 reflecting semantic processing. We conducted two experiments in which event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with semantic priming and recognition were recorded, either when priming was embedded within a recognition test (Experiment 1), or when these two phases were separated (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, we observed 300-500 ms differences between primed and unprimed old words as well as differences between old and new primed words, but these two effects did not differ topographically and both showed midline central maxima. In Experiment 2, the N400 for priming was recorded exclusively during encoding and again showed a midline central distribution. The ERP component of recognition was only found for unrelated words (not primed previously during encoding), and also showed a midline central maximum, but, in addition, was present in the left frontal area of the scalp. Conversely, the priming effect was absent in the left frontal cluster. This pattern of results indicate that FN400 and N400 potentials share similar neural generators; but when priming and recognition are not confounded, these potentials do not entirely overlap in terms of topographical distribution and presumably reflect functionally distinct processes.