Affect-elicited N1 and P3b Effects Under Attentional Demands: Event-related Potentials-based Mass-univariate Analysis in Young Adolescents with Gender Implications

Abstract

Background: The interplay between emotional stimuli and cognitive control is crucial to understanding adaptive behaviour, particularly in young adolescents whose executive functioning and emotional regulation are still developing. While prior research has examined these influences, the underlying neurobehavioural correlates remain insufficiently understood.

Purpose: This study investigated the influence of attentional demands on emotional valence in young Indian adolescents through the analysis of behavioural responses and event-related potentials (ERPs) in an affect-primed flanker task.

Methods: Forty-four young adolescents (68.18% female, aged 13-14) participated in a flanker task with congruent and incongruent trials at two levels of difficulty, wherein each flanker trial was presented immediately after time-locked affective picture stimuli (positive/negative/neutral valence). Electroencephalography recordings were analysed to identify ERP components alongside an examination of the behavioural data (reaction times/accuracy). Robust statistical methods addressed gender-specific ERP and behavioural patterns.

Results: ERP-based mass-univariate analysis revealed significant differences between positive and negative stimuli at early (88-140 ms) and late (352-412 ms) time windows. Negative stimuli elicited stronger N1 amplitudes, while positive stimuli demonstrated enhanced P3b amplitudes. This differentiation aligns with dual-processing models of emotion and attention, whereby negative stimuli are processed rapidly at an early stage, while positive stimuli engage deeper cognitive processing at later stages. The absence of a typical late positive potential component highlighted the prioritisation of task demands over emotional processing, suggesting that limited attentional resources were allocated to sustained emotional evaluation. Gender differences were noted, with females demonstrating slower reaction times yet higher accuracy, as well as more positive ERP waves in fronto-temporal regions, regardless of valence.

Conclusion: The findings underscored the temporal dynamics of emotion-attention interactions during young adolescence, highlighting the salience-driven nature of early attentional processes and the role of emotional valence in cognitive engagement. Furthermore, gender differences suggested distinct strategies for emotion-cognition integration.

Keywords: Event-related potentials; adolescents; affect; flanker; gender; mass-univariate statistics.

Figure 1.. Schematic Representation of the Experimental Paradigm. The Study Began With a Practice Block (Top) Where Each Trial Began With a Fixation Cross (300 ms), Followed by Either Simple Congruent or Incongruent Flanker Stimuli (1000 ms or Until Response). The Test Block (Bottom) Included One of Three Types of Affective Images (600 ms) After the Fixation Cross (300 ms), Followed by One of Four Possible Flanker Stimuli (1,000 ms or Until Response).

Figure 2.. Affective Image Stimulus-locked Grand-averaged ERP Waveforms (Voltage in ‘µV’ on the Y-axis and Time in ‘ms’ on the X-axis) of Positive and Negative Images (Black and Red Waves, Respectively) Recorded at Representative Electrode Sites for Visual Inspection. These Waveforms Suggested Fronto-central Early Negativity (Top) and Centro-parietal Late Positivity (Bottom), Around 100–120 and 350–400 ms, Respectively, Upon Inspection.

Figure 3.. Scalp Topographic Plot of Identified Early Negativity Window (88–140 ms) Depicting 15 Significant Negative Clusters (White Dots) in Fronto-central Regions with Adjusted t Values and MUT Raster Plot for the Same Effect with Adjusted t Scores. Significant Clusters Are Identified When Testing the Null Hypothesis That Negative Minus Positive Valenced Potential Waves Have a Mean of 0 µV.

Figure 4.. Scalp Topographic Plot of Identified Late Positivity Window (352–412 ms) Depicting 11 Significant Negative Clusters (White Dots) in Centro-parietal Regions with Adjusted t Values and MUT Raster Plot for the Same Effect with Adjusted t Scores. Significant Clusters Are Identified When Testing the Null Hypothesis That Negative Minus Positive Valenced Potential Waves Have a Mean of 0 µV.

Figure 5.. Scalp Topographic Plots Depicting Gender Differences in ERP Amplitudes (in µV), with Significant Clusters (White Dots) Indicating Regions Where Females Showed Significantly Greater Positive Potentials Across the Three Valence Conditions. (A) Left Frontal and Temporal Activations in Positive Valenced Trials; (B) Symmetrical Fronto-Temporal Activations in Neutral Valenced Trials; (C) Left Lateral Frontal Activations in Negative Valenced Trials. Significant Clusters Are Identified When Testing the Null Hypothesis That the Female Group Minus the Male Group Potential Waves Have a Mean of 0 µV.