Pub Date : 2025-08-12DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109102
Milena M. Bojdo, Deni Zakriev, Maya Schipper, Maria Ciocan, Linda H. Lidborg, Holger Wiese
Face recognition models typically assume a basically serial architecture, in which (i) perceptual representations are generated and then compared to (ii) stored long-term face representations, which in turn allow access to (iii) domain-general person representations. However, recent developments seem to question this architecture. Here, we utilised the high temporal resolution of event-related brain potentials (ERP) to examine potentially separable processing stages during face and person recognition. In Experiment 1, we observed a clearly enhanced N170 for contrast negative faces, a manipulation known to disrupt face perception. Importantly, ERP familiarity effects, with more negative amplitudes for personally familiar relative to unfamiliar faces at occipito-temporal channels, were observed in a subsequent time window, starting 200 ms after stimulus onset. In Experiment 2, familiar and unfamiliar target faces were preceded by name primes of either the same or a different person. While familiarity effects were again evident from 200 ms onwards, identity-congruent names increased the effect in a subsequent 300–400 ms time window. Together, these findings demonstrate separate processing stages representing perceptual (N170), facial long-term (app. 200–300 ms), and domain-general (app. 300–400 ms) representations, in line with classic models of face recognition.
{"title":"Neural correlates of familiar face recognition: Evidence in support of a serial model","authors":"Milena M. Bojdo, Deni Zakriev, Maya Schipper, Maria Ciocan, Linda H. Lidborg, Holger Wiese","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109102","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109102","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Face recognition models typically assume a basically serial architecture, in which (i) perceptual representations are generated and then compared to (ii) stored long-term face representations, which in turn allow access to (iii) domain-general person representations. However, recent developments seem to question this architecture. Here, we utilised the high temporal resolution of event-related brain potentials (ERP) to examine potentially separable processing stages during face and person recognition. In Experiment 1, we observed a clearly enhanced N170 for contrast negative faces, a manipulation known to disrupt face perception. Importantly, ERP familiarity effects, with more negative amplitudes for personally familiar relative to unfamiliar faces at occipito-temporal channels, were observed in a subsequent time window, starting 200 ms after stimulus onset. In Experiment 2, familiar and unfamiliar target faces were preceded by name primes of either the same or a different person. While familiarity effects were again evident from 200 ms onwards, identity-congruent names increased the effect in a subsequent 300–400 ms time window. Together, these findings demonstrate separate processing stages representing perceptual (N170), facial long-term (app. 200–300 ms), and domain-general (app. 300–400 ms) representations, in line with classic models of face recognition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"200 ","pages":"Article 109102"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144831385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-11DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109104
Chen-Ya Wang , Tai-Li Chou , Yu-Chen Chan
Sex-based differences in service recovery —the actions taken by firms to address service failures —remain largely unexplored, particularly regarding their underlying neural mechanisms. This research investigates how men and women differ in mesolimbic network connectivity—specifically between the nucleus accumbens (NAc), amygdala, and midbrain—when exposed to various compensation strategies. We employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and dynamic causal modeling with parametric empirical Bayes (DCM-PEB) analysis to measure effective connectivity across four service recovery scenarios: monetary compensation with humor (MH), monetary compensation with apology (MA), humor-only (H), and apology-only (CON). The results revealed sex-specific effective connectivity, with monetary compensation engaging the NAc and non-monetary compensation involving the amygdala differently in men and women. Women exhibited stronger midbrain-to-NAc connectivity in the MH condition, suggesting that humor enhances their perception of monetary reward. In contrast, men showed stronger midbrain-to-NAc connectivity in the MA condition, indicating that apologies more effectively engage their reward-related circuits. Additionally, men displayed stronger amygdala-to-midbrain connectivity in the humor-related conditions (H, MH), while women exhibited stronger connectivity in the humor-only condition (H), reflecting sex-specific emotional processing strategies. Notably, men exhibited enhanced NAc-to-amygdala connectivity in both apology-based (MA, CON) and non-monetary conditions (H, CON), reflecting consistent integration of reward and emotional processing. These findings provide neural evidence of sex-based differences in service recovery. Future research could examine cultural and individual differences in humor perception, apology effectiveness, and compensation sensitivity to further refine personalized service recovery approaches based on sex-specific neural mechanisms.
{"title":"Sex differences in mesolimbic effective connectivity: Money versus funny compensation during service recovery","authors":"Chen-Ya Wang , Tai-Li Chou , Yu-Chen Chan","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109104","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109104","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sex-based differences in service recovery —the actions taken by firms to address service failures —remain largely unexplored, particularly regarding their underlying neural mechanisms. This research investigates how men and women differ in mesolimbic network connectivity—specifically between the nucleus accumbens (NAc), amygdala, and midbrain—when exposed to various compensation strategies. We employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and dynamic causal modeling with parametric empirical Bayes (DCM-PEB) analysis to measure effective connectivity across four service recovery scenarios: monetary compensation with humor (MH), monetary compensation with apology (MA), humor-only (H), and apology-only (CON). The results revealed sex-specific effective connectivity, with monetary compensation engaging the NAc and non-monetary compensation involving the amygdala differently in men and women. Women exhibited stronger midbrain-to-NAc connectivity in the MH condition, suggesting that humor enhances their perception of monetary reward. In contrast, men showed stronger midbrain-to-NAc connectivity in the MA condition, indicating that apologies more effectively engage their reward-related circuits. Additionally, men displayed stronger amygdala-to-midbrain connectivity in the humor-related conditions (H, MH), while women exhibited stronger connectivity in the humor-only condition (H), reflecting sex-specific emotional processing strategies. Notably, men exhibited enhanced NAc-to-amygdala connectivity in both apology-based (MA, CON) and non-monetary conditions (H, CON), reflecting consistent integration of reward and emotional processing. These findings provide neural evidence of sex-based differences in service recovery. Future research could examine cultural and individual differences in humor perception, apology effectiveness, and compensation sensitivity to further refine personalized service recovery approaches based on sex-specific neural mechanisms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"200 ","pages":"Article 109104"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144849708","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study aimed to investigate brain signal complexity associated with superior putting performance in expert golfers. Fifty expert golfers (handicap = −2.8 ± 3) each performed 60 putts at a distance of 10 feet. Putting performance was categorized as either a successful or unsuccessful putt (SP vs. UP), based on whether the ball was holed. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded during the motor preparatory period (−2 to 0 s) preceding swing onset. Multiscale Entropy (MSE) analysis was employed to quantify EEG signal complexity across six electrode sites: Fz, Cz, Pz, Oz, T3, and T4. Results revealed significantly higher neural complexity for SP compared to UP at Pz (scales 12, 15–17, 19, 21–25) and Oz (scales 20, 22, 25), but significantly lower complexity at T3 (scales 20, 23, and 24). These findings suggest that the involvement of long-timescale integrative processes of visuospatial regions, alongside reduced neural complexity in verbal-analytic regions may characterize optimal putting performance states. Supplemental cortical connectivity analyses further support the MSE findings, demonstrating that superior putting performance was associated with reduced cortical–cortical communication between T3 and midline regions (i.e., Fz, Cz, and Pz). The present findings advance previous EEG research by moving beyond traditional linear analytic methods and align with the psychomotor efficiency hypothesis, which proposes that superior cognitive-motor performance is supported by more refined neural states that enhance task-relevant processing while minimizing interference from task-irrelevant activity. This study suggests that MSE may serve as a valuable neural indicator of the mechanisms underlying optimal cognitive-motor performance in precision sports.
本研究旨在探讨专业高尔夫球手优异推杆表现与大脑信号复杂性的关系。50名专业高尔夫球手(差点= -2.8±3)每人在10英尺的距离上推杆60次。推杆成绩根据球是否进洞分为成功推杆和不成功推杆(SP vs. UP)。在摆动开始前的运动准备期(-2 ~ 0)记录脑电图(EEG)。采用多尺度熵(MSE)分析量化Fz、Cz、Pz、Oz、T3和T4六个电极位置的脑电信号复杂性。结果显示,SP在Pz(量表12、15-17、19、21-25)和Oz(量表20、22、25)的神经复杂性显著高于UP,但在T3(量表20、23和24)的神经复杂性显著低于UP。这些发现表明,视觉空间区域的长时间整合过程的参与,以及语言分析区域神经复杂性的降低,可能是最佳推杆表现状态的特征。补充的皮质连通性分析进一步支持了MSE的发现,表明优异的推杆表现与T3和中线区域(即Fz, Cz和Pz)之间的皮质-皮质通讯减少有关。目前的研究结果超越了传统的线性分析方法,并与精神运动效率假说相一致,从而推动了之前的脑电图研究。精神运动效率假说提出,卓越的认知运动表现是由更精细的神经状态支持的,这些神经状态可以增强任务相关的加工,同时最大限度地减少任务无关活动的干扰。本研究提示MSE可作为精确运动中最佳认知运动表现机制的有价值的神经指标。
{"title":"Revealing the brain signal complexity underlying superior putting performance in expert golfers: A multiscale entropy study with supplemental connectivity analyses","authors":"Ting-Yu Chueh , Jia-Hao Wu , Rodolphe J. Gentili , Tsung-Min Hung","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109098","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109098","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to investigate brain signal complexity associated with superior putting performance in expert golfers. Fifty expert golfers (handicap = −2.8 ± 3) each performed 60 putts at a distance of 10 feet. Putting performance was categorized as either a successful or unsuccessful putt (SP vs. UP), based on whether the ball was holed. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded during the motor preparatory period (−2 to 0 s) preceding swing onset. Multiscale Entropy (MSE) analysis was employed to quantify EEG signal complexity across six electrode sites: Fz, Cz, Pz, Oz, T3, and T4. Results revealed significantly higher neural complexity for SP compared to UP at Pz (scales 12, 15–17, 19, 21–25) and Oz (scales 20, 22, 25), but significantly lower complexity at T3 (scales 20, 23, and 24). These findings suggest that the involvement of long-timescale integrative processes of visuospatial regions, alongside reduced neural complexity in verbal-analytic regions may characterize optimal putting performance states. Supplemental cortical connectivity analyses further support the MSE findings, demonstrating that superior putting performance was associated with reduced cortical–cortical communication between T3 and midline regions (i.e., Fz, Cz, and Pz). The present findings advance previous EEG research by moving beyond traditional linear analytic methods and align with the psychomotor efficiency hypothesis, which proposes that superior cognitive-motor performance is supported by more refined neural states that enhance task-relevant processing while minimizing interference from task-irrelevant activity. This study suggests that MSE may serve as a valuable neural indicator of the mechanisms underlying optimal cognitive-motor performance in precision sports.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"200 ","pages":"Article 109098"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144838620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-06DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109101
Norden E. Huang , Wei-Shuai Yuan , Albert C. Yang , Terry B.J. Kuo , Wen-Xi Tang , Helen Kang , Max Wagner , Wei-Kuang Liang
Consciousness remains a multifaceted phenomenon that is difficult to be measured by traditional quantification methods. Here we propose the intrinsic probability density function (iPDF) as a quantitative method to evaluate the dynamic inter-cortical interactions that underlie conscious states. First, the method utilizes empirical mode decomposition to derive intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) from EEG signals. Then, the method generates scale-dependent probability density functions for successive partial sums of IMFs that can capture subtle variations in neural modulation patterns. We tested the iPDF analysis across various consciousness states such as general anesthesia, distinct sleep stages (wakefulness, REM, and deep sleep), sensory conditions (eyes open versus eyes closed), and between dementia patients and healthy subjects. Our findings reveal that active neural interactions or modulations during wakefulness and REM sleep are characterized by super-Gaussian iPDF patterns. By contrast, the reduced interactions observed in anesthesia and deep sleep yield near-Gaussian iPDF profiles. We also present a classification model built on iPDF features that achieved an accuracy of approximately 87 % in distinguishing dementia patients from health controls, demonstrating the iPDF as a potential biomarker in clinical screening. This study supports the idea that consciousness emerges from complex, scale-dependent neural processes and presents a robust, quantitative framework that may enhance both our theoretical understanding and practical assessment of various states of consciousness.
{"title":"Quantifying consciousness through intrinsic probability density function","authors":"Norden E. Huang , Wei-Shuai Yuan , Albert C. Yang , Terry B.J. Kuo , Wen-Xi Tang , Helen Kang , Max Wagner , Wei-Kuang Liang","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109101","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109101","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Consciousness remains a multifaceted phenomenon that is difficult to be measured by traditional quantification methods. Here we propose the intrinsic probability density function (iPDF) as a quantitative method to evaluate the dynamic inter-cortical interactions that underlie conscious states. First, the method utilizes empirical mode decomposition to derive intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) from EEG signals. Then, the method generates scale-dependent probability density functions for successive partial sums of IMFs that can capture subtle variations in neural modulation patterns. We tested the iPDF analysis across various consciousness states such as general anesthesia, distinct sleep stages (wakefulness, REM, and deep sleep), sensory conditions (eyes open versus eyes closed), and between dementia patients and healthy subjects. Our findings reveal that active neural interactions or modulations during wakefulness and REM sleep are characterized by super-Gaussian iPDF patterns. By contrast, the reduced interactions observed in anesthesia and deep sleep yield near-Gaussian iPDF profiles. We also present a classification model built on iPDF features that achieved an accuracy of approximately 87 % in distinguishing dementia patients from health controls, demonstrating the iPDF as a potential biomarker in clinical screening. This study supports the idea that consciousness emerges from complex, scale-dependent neural processes and presents a robust, quantitative framework that may enhance both our theoretical understanding and practical assessment of various states of consciousness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"200 ","pages":"Article 109101"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144805281","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The gut microbiota and its metabolites have been implicated in anxiety-like behavior in preclinical models. Recent correlational evidence in humans has linked fear learning with the abundance of specific bacterial taxa, suggesting that bacterial metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) may act as gut-brain signaling mediators. Using a human fear conditioning paradigm, we initially analyzed data from 146 healthy male participants and found that interindividual differences in the circulating SCFA butyrate—but not acetate or propionate—were associated with physiological threat-safety discrimination during fear acquisition, as measured by skin conductance responses. However, a replication analysis in an independent sample of 71 participants found no such association. A post-hoc pooled analysis across all participants (N = 217) suggested that butyrate was linked with the magnitude of threat-safety discrimination, but only in individuals with at least minimal physiological discrimination (n = 165). These preliminary correlational findings require further confirmation, including causal investigations into butyrate’s potential epigenetic role in modulating memory- and plasticity-related genes.
{"title":"Variability in threat processing is related to endogenous butyrate levels in healthy men","authors":"Boushra Dalile , Lukas Van Oudenhove , Kristin Verbeke , Bram Vervliet","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109097","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109097","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The gut microbiota and its metabolites have been implicated in anxiety-like behavior in preclinical models. Recent correlational evidence in humans has linked fear learning with the abundance of specific bacterial taxa, suggesting that bacterial metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) may act as gut-brain signaling mediators. Using a human fear conditioning paradigm, we initially analyzed data from 146 healthy male participants and found that interindividual differences in the circulating SCFA butyrate—but not acetate or propionate—were associated with physiological threat-safety discrimination during fear acquisition, as measured by skin conductance responses. However, a replication analysis in an independent sample of 71 participants found no such association. A post-hoc pooled analysis across all participants (N = 217) suggested that butyrate was linked with the magnitude of threat-safety discrimination, but only in individuals with at least minimal physiological discrimination (n = 165). These preliminary correlational findings require further confirmation, including causal investigations into butyrate’s potential epigenetic role in modulating memory- and plasticity-related genes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"200 ","pages":"Article 109097"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144786007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-05DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109099
Wen-Sheng Chang , Wei-Kuang Liang , Norden E. Huang , Kien Trong Nguyen , Chi-Hung Juan
Research of neural oscillations has shifted from studying individual frequency components to within-cycle modulation and interactions between components. Deciphering these complexities requires advanced methodological approaches capable of accurately capturing the dynamical nature of biological signals. Conventional methods such as event-related potentials and time-frequency spectral analyses assume stationarity, linearity, and additive processes, overlooking nonlinear and nonstationary features of brain activity. Cognitive insights from traditional techniques are therefore limited, potentially misrepresenting how transient oscillatory events contribute to cognition. Critical issues inherited from analytical methods include: First, predefined frequency bands obscure inter-individual and task-dependent variations, including shifts in individual alpha frequency. Second, focus on sinusoidal waveforms neglects functional relevance of nonsinusoidal oscillatory shapes encoding critical physiological information. Third, Fourier-based methods assume linear superposition of oscillations, but multiplicative interactions are prevalent in natural systems. Therefore, Fourier methods may overlook critical nonlinear interactions and misinterpret underlying mechanisms. To address these limitations, we propose Holo-Hilbert Spectral Analysis (HHSA) as a unified framework for analyzing neurophysiological signals. This approach utilizes empirical mode decomposition (EMD) to extract intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) directly from data. By applying additional EMD to envelope and instantaneous frequency functions, researchers can quantify energy from multiplicative and phase-based processes. The approach offers three advantages: First, IMF extraction provides objective signal analysis adapting to individual characteristics without predetermined frequency boundaries. Second, waveform shape and nonlinearity can be described with frequency modulation spectrum. Third, signal envelope modulation can be quantified using amplitude modulation spectrum, helping identify potential cross-frequency couplings.
{"title":"Resolving transient neurophysiological signals and their interactions with adaptive time-frequency analysis","authors":"Wen-Sheng Chang , Wei-Kuang Liang , Norden E. Huang , Kien Trong Nguyen , Chi-Hung Juan","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109099","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109099","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Research of neural oscillations has shifted from studying individual frequency components to within-cycle modulation and interactions between components. Deciphering these complexities requires advanced methodological approaches capable of accurately capturing the dynamical nature of biological signals. Conventional methods such as event-related potentials and time-frequency spectral analyses assume stationarity, linearity, and additive processes, overlooking nonlinear and nonstationary features of brain activity. Cognitive insights from traditional techniques are therefore limited, potentially misrepresenting how transient oscillatory events contribute to cognition. Critical issues inherited from analytical methods include: First, predefined frequency bands obscure inter-individual and task-dependent variations, including shifts in individual alpha frequency. Second, focus on sinusoidal waveforms neglects functional relevance of nonsinusoidal oscillatory shapes encoding critical physiological information. Third, Fourier-based methods assume linear superposition of oscillations, but multiplicative interactions are prevalent in natural systems. Therefore, Fourier methods may overlook critical nonlinear interactions and misinterpret underlying mechanisms. To address these limitations, we propose Holo-Hilbert Spectral Analysis (HHSA) as a unified framework for analyzing neurophysiological signals. This approach utilizes empirical mode decomposition (EMD) to extract intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) directly from data. By applying additional EMD to envelope and instantaneous frequency functions, researchers can quantify energy from multiplicative and phase-based processes. The approach offers three advantages: First, IMF extraction provides objective signal analysis adapting to individual characteristics without predetermined frequency boundaries. Second, waveform shape and nonlinearity can be described with frequency modulation spectrum. Third, signal envelope modulation can be quantified using amplitude modulation spectrum, helping identify potential cross-frequency couplings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"200 ","pages":"Article 109099"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144796205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study seeks to assess the applicability of EEG spectral biomarkers in application fields where cognitive characterization is required, e.g. Virtual Reality, User Experience Assessment (UXA), and Ergonomics. It aims to gauge users' cognitive states across varying task settings. We have gathered EEG data from three distinct datasets for this purpose. The first dataset encompasses EEG recordings from 36 participants under two conditions: at rest and while performing arithmetic operations. Additionally, participants were categorized as skilled or unskilled performers, making this dataset valuable for evaluating the effectiveness of different EEG features related to working memory. The second dataset comprises EEG data from 14 participants memorizing different quantities of characters (specifically, 2, 4, 6, or 8 characters) for three seconds. This dataset aims to replicate and assess how the identified biomarkers can distinguish between various levels of working memory within the same participant. The third dataset involves EEG recordings from 27 participants engaged in a 90-minute Virtual Reality (VR) driving task, wherein they needed to maintain the car within the lane amid random deviations. This dataset serves the purpose of evaluating the descriptors' capacity to differentiate between states of high and low attention, as measured by their values before lane deviations. It also facilitates an exploration of how fatigue and time-on-task impact these markers. Our findings indicate that the Theta-to-Alpha ratio (TAR) measured at midline electrodes or as the ratio of frontal theta to parietal alpha effectively characterizes cognitive effort during mental arithmetic and memory tasks. In contrast, the Theta-Alpha-to-Beta Ratio (TA2BR) measured at temporal scalp locations emerges as the most efficient descriptor for assessing heightened vigilance states, particularly in tasks requiring external attention and rapid responses, such as the VR driving task. The influence of time-on-task on descriptor reliability varied depending on participants' performance levels.
{"title":"EEG spectral power correlates across cognitive tasks: Implications for VR, UXA, and Ergonomics","authors":"Angel David Blanco , Karan Chugani , Claire Braboszcz , Eleni Kroupi , Aureli Soria-Frisch","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109084","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109084","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study seeks to assess the applicability of EEG spectral biomarkers in application fields where cognitive characterization is required, e.g. Virtual Reality, User Experience Assessment (UXA), and Ergonomics. It aims to gauge users' cognitive states across varying task settings. We have gathered EEG data from three distinct datasets for this purpose. The first dataset encompasses EEG recordings from 36 participants under two conditions: at rest and while performing arithmetic operations. Additionally, participants were categorized as skilled or unskilled performers, making this dataset valuable for evaluating the effectiveness of different EEG features related to working memory. The second dataset comprises EEG data from 14 participants memorizing different quantities of characters (specifically, 2, 4, 6, or 8 characters) for three seconds. This dataset aims to replicate and assess how the identified biomarkers can distinguish between various levels of working memory within the same participant. The third dataset involves EEG recordings from 27 participants engaged in a 90-minute Virtual Reality (VR) driving task, wherein they needed to maintain the car within the lane amid random deviations. This dataset serves the purpose of evaluating the descriptors' capacity to differentiate between states of high and low attention, as measured by their values before lane deviations. It also facilitates an exploration of how fatigue and time-on-task impact these markers. Our findings indicate that the Theta-to-Alpha ratio (TAR) measured at midline electrodes or as the ratio of frontal theta to parietal alpha effectively characterizes cognitive effort during mental arithmetic and memory tasks. In contrast, the Theta-Alpha-to-Beta Ratio (TA2BR) measured at temporal scalp locations emerges as the most efficient descriptor for assessing heightened vigilance states, particularly in tasks requiring external attention and rapid responses, such as the VR driving task. The influence of time-on-task on descriptor reliability varied depending on participants' performance levels.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"200 ","pages":"Article 109084"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144719208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-07-22DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109086
Yuhong Ou , Renlai Zhou
Using the event-related potential (ERP) method combined with the monetary incentive delay task and arrow Flanker Task, this study investigated the impact of varying punishment anticipation on inhibitory control processing in individuals with test anxiety. Results revealed that during the cue processing, compared to individuals with low test anxiety (LTA), individuals with high test anxiety (HTA) exhibited more negative cue-N2 and CNV amplitudes under high punishment conditions. In the inhibitory control processing, under high punishment conditions, HTA individuals showed more negative N2 amplitudes in incongruent trials compared to LTA individuals. Under no-punishment conditions, HTA individuals demonstrated more positive P3 and conflict SP amplitudes in incongruent trials. The study suggests that excessive punishment anticipation for failure consequences may constitute the mechanism underlying inhibitory control deficits in individuals with HTA. These findings provide a new perspective for understanding the inhibitory control deficits in HTA and offer foundations for targeted interventions.
{"title":"The influence of punishment anticipation on inhibitory control processing in individuals with test anxiety","authors":"Yuhong Ou , Renlai Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109086","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109086","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Using the event-related potential (ERP) method combined with the monetary incentive delay task and arrow Flanker Task, this study investigated the impact of varying punishment anticipation on inhibitory control processing in individuals with test anxiety. Results revealed that during the cue processing, compared to individuals with low test anxiety (LTA), individuals with high test anxiety (HTA) exhibited more negative cue-N2 and CNV amplitudes under high punishment conditions. In the inhibitory control processing, under high punishment conditions, HTA individuals showed more negative N2 amplitudes in incongruent trials compared to LTA individuals. Under no-punishment conditions, HTA individuals demonstrated more positive P3 and conflict SP amplitudes in incongruent trials. The study suggests that excessive punishment anticipation for failure consequences may constitute the mechanism underlying inhibitory control deficits in individuals with HTA. These findings provide a new perspective for understanding the inhibitory control deficits in HTA and offer foundations for targeted interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"200 ","pages":"Article 109086"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144704173","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-07-17DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109079
Carolin Dudschig, Fritz Günther, Ian Grant Mackenzie
The N400 is a central electrophysiological event-related-potential (ERP) marker thought to reflect meaning comprehension in the human brain. Typically, the N400 is larger when a word does not fit into a specific context (e.g., I drink coffee with cream and dog). Thus, one core factor determining the N400 amplitude is thought to be the predictability of a word within its context. Here, both long-term memory associations and short-term discourse context influence the N400 amplitude. In the present study, we used the N400 as a marker to investigate the cognitive plausibility of semantic similarity measures. Specifically, we compared traditional count-based measures to modern machine learning tools such as prediction-based word embeddings to assess whether prediction-based techniques potentially encapsulate learning mechanisms that align more closely with psychological plausibility. To do so, we examined the relationship between different similarity measures (LSA, HAL and word2vec) and the N400 amplitude in a large scale re-analysis of previously published EEG data. Model comparison suggested a superiority of HAL over LSA as a predictor in explaining single-trial N400 amplitudes, and also a benefit of prediction-based methods over count-based methods. This result aligns with the notion that such models might in the future provide further insights into how the brain navigates language understanding.
{"title":"Cognitive plausibility of count-based versus prediction-based word embeddings: A large-scale N400 study.","authors":"Carolin Dudschig, Fritz Günther, Ian Grant Mackenzie","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109079","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109079","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The N400 is a central electrophysiological event-related-potential (ERP) marker thought to reflect meaning comprehension in the human brain. Typically, the N400 is larger when a word does not fit into a specific context (e.g., I drink coffee with cream and dog). Thus, one core factor determining the N400 amplitude is thought to be the predictability of a word within its context. Here, both long-term memory associations and short-term discourse context influence the N400 amplitude. In the present study, we used the N400 as a marker to investigate the cognitive plausibility of semantic similarity measures. Specifically, we compared traditional count-based measures to modern machine learning tools such as prediction-based word embeddings to assess whether prediction-based techniques potentially encapsulate learning mechanisms that align more closely with psychological plausibility. To do so, we examined the relationship between different similarity measures (LSA, HAL and word2vec) and the N400 amplitude in a large scale re-analysis of previously published EEG data. Model comparison suggested a superiority of HAL over LSA as a predictor in explaining single-trial N400 amplitudes, and also a benefit of prediction-based methods over count-based methods. This result aligns with the notion that such models might in the future provide further insights into how the brain navigates language understanding.</p>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":" ","pages":"109079"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144669043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-07-16DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109088
Irena Arslanova, Polly Dalton, Manos Tsakiris
Across two experiments, we examined the role of phasic cardiac fluctuations – whether the heart contracts (systole) or relaxes (diastole) – on two attentional mechanisms: executive control (EC) and alerting. Empirical evidence for cardiac phase effects in alerting has been missing, and studies on EC have found mixed results. Thus, we disentangled how cardiac fluctuations affect alerting and EC, separately and then together, using a subset of highly validated Attentional Network Test (ANT). EC was probed by requiring participants to resolve a conflict in an incongruent flanker stimulus. The stimulus was presented either during systole or diastole (Experiment 1, n = 48). Next, in Experiment 2 (n = 45), in addition to probing EC, we also probed alerting by providing participants, on half of the trials, with a cue to warn them of the onset of the stimulus. The cue was shown either during systole or diastole. Our results demonstrated that phasic cardiac fluctuations shape the more immediate alerting response to external cues, but not the subsequent executive control over conflicting information. Specifically, a cue that was presented at a time of increased cardiac output (during systole) elicited a more pronounced alerting effect than the same cue presented during diastole. Whether the stimulus appeared during systole or diastole had no impact on EC functioning. Overall, these findings contribute to the growing body of research on the interaction between cardiac signals and cognitive processes, emphasizing the selective role of systolic and diastolic phases in influencing alerting rather than executive control.
{"title":"The heart in attention: evidence for cardiac phase effects in alerting but not executive control","authors":"Irena Arslanova, Polly Dalton, Manos Tsakiris","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109088","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109088","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Across two experiments, we examined the role of phasic cardiac fluctuations – whether the heart contracts (systole) or relaxes (diastole) – on two attentional mechanisms: executive control (EC) and alerting. Empirical evidence for cardiac phase effects in alerting has been missing, and studies on EC have found mixed results. Thus, we disentangled how cardiac fluctuations affect alerting and EC, separately and then together, using a subset of highly validated Attentional Network Test (ANT). EC was probed by requiring participants to resolve a conflict in an incongruent flanker stimulus. The stimulus was presented either during systole or diastole (Experiment 1, n = 48). Next, in Experiment 2 (n = 45), in addition to probing EC, we also probed alerting by providing participants, on half of the trials, with a cue to warn them of the onset of the stimulus. The cue was shown either during systole or diastole. Our results demonstrated that phasic cardiac fluctuations shape the more immediate alerting response to external cues, but not the subsequent executive control over conflicting information. Specifically, a cue that was presented at a time of increased cardiac output (during systole) elicited a more pronounced alerting effect than the same cue presented during diastole. Whether the stimulus appeared during systole or diastole had no impact on EC functioning. Overall, these findings contribute to the growing body of research on the interaction between cardiac signals and cognitive processes, emphasizing the selective role of systolic and diastolic phases in influencing alerting rather than executive control.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"200 ","pages":"Article 109088"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144669045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}