Neural and behavioral effects of regulating emotional responses to errors during an implicit racial bias task

Abstract

Affect regulation plays a key role in several theories of racial bias reduction. Here, we tested whether engaging in emotion regulation strategies while performing an implicit racial bias task (Weapons Identification Task; WIT) would alter neural and behavioral manifestations of bias. Participants either suppressed or reappraised in a positive light the distress associated with making errors during the WIT, while an electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. We hypothesized that engaging in emotion regulation strategies would reduce the distress associated with making errors indicative of bias, resulting in smaller error-related negativity (ERN) amplitude during errors and increased expression of racial bias. Results of within-subjects comparisons (Experiment 1) generally supported these predictions. However, when emotion regulation strategies were manipulated between subjects (Experiment 2) there was no effect of suppression or reappraisal on bias expression. Across both experiments, engaging in emotion regulation led to larger ERNs for errors occurring on Black- relative to White-primed trials. In addition, a number of significant order effects were observed, indicating important differences in the effects of engaging in emotion regulation strategies when those strategies are attempted in participants' first versus second block of trials. No such order effects were evident when a second trial block was completed with no emotion regulation instructions. Findings are discussed in terms of the need for greater specificity in experimental tests of emotion regulation on error processing and cognitive performance.

Keywords: Control; ERN; Emotion; Racial bias; Regulation.

Figure 1.

Panel A: Electrode montage used for EEG recording, highlighting electrodes (grey) included in the ERN analyses (F3, Fz, F4, FC3, FCz, FC4, C3, Cz, and C4). Panel B: Grand average, response-locked ERP waveforms elicited during errors as a function of prime race, target type, and emotion-regulation instructions. Groups of waveforms enclosed in the box are those used in between-subjects comparisons of first-block performance. “Attend (Group R)” and “Attend (Group S)” indicate the Attend blocks for participants who first completed a Reappraisal block and a Suppression block, respectively, in Experiment 2. Grand averages were weighted by the number of trials and subjects per condition. Shading indicates the time interval during which ERN amplitudes were quantified (30 – 110 ms post-response).

Figure 2.

Response accuracy as a function of emotion-regulation instructions. Groups of means enclosed in the box are those used in between-subjects comparisons of first-block performance. Reappraise and Suppress = Reappraisal and Suppression instructions, respectively. “Attend (Group R)” and “Attend (Group S)” indicate the Attend blocks for participants who first completed a Reappraisal block and a Suppression block, respectively, in Experiment 2. Capped bars indicate standard error of the mean.

Figure 3.

Process-dissociation procedure estimates of controlled (panel A) and automatic processing (panel B) as a function of prime race and emotion-regulation instructions. Groups of means enclosed in the box are those used in between-subjects comparisons of first-block performance. Reappraise and Suppress = Reappraisal and Suppression instructions, respectively. “Attend (Group R)” and “Attend (Group S)” indicate the Attend blocks for participants who first completed a Reappraisal block and a Suppression block, respectively, in Experiment 2. Capped bars indicate standard error of the mean.

Figure 4.

Mean differences in ERN amplitude (estimated marginal means) elicited by Black-primed trials and White-primed trials as a function of emotion-regulation instructions. Means enclosed in the box are from the between-subjects multilevel model (MLM) comparisons of first-block performance. Means outside the box are derived from the within-subjects MLM from Experiment 1 (i.e., the two furthest left bars; Reappraise and Suppress) and Experiment 2 (i.e., the two furthest right bars; Attend [Group R] and [Group S]). Reappraise and Suppress = Reappraisal and Suppression instructions, respectively. Capped bars indicate 95% confidence intervals.