Submit Manuscript

Neural and Behavioral Measures of Stress-induced Impairment in Error Awareness and Post-error Adjustment

 Na Hu1 · Quanshan Long2 · Xiaoxi Wang1 · Quan Li3 · Qing Li4 · Antao Chen5
1 School of Preschool and Special Education, Kunming University, Kunming 650214, China
2 Faculty of Education, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650214, China
3 College of Teacher Education, Qujing Normal University, Qujing 655099, China
4 Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality of Ministry of Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
5 School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai 200438, China

Abstract
Exposure to stress negatively affects error processing, but the impact of stress on error awareness remains to be determined. In the present study, we examined the temporal dynamics of error awareness and post-error adjustment following acute stress. Forty-nine healthy men were randomly assigned to the control (n = 26) or stress group (n = 23). After stress induction, participants completed the error awareness task, and their brain activity was assessed by electroencephalography. Compared to the control group, the stress group demonstrated lower error awareness accuracy and smaller Pe (error positivity) and ΔPe amplitudes following aware error responses, which indicated impairment of error awareness following stress. Furthermore, the stress group had lower accuracy in post-aware error responses than in post-unaware error responses and the control group, which indicated poor post-error adjustment following stress. Our results showed a stress effect on sequential stages of error processing. Stress induces impaired error identification, which further generates maladaptive post-error performance.

Keywords
Acute stress; Error awareness; Post-error adjustment; Error positivity