Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.A.

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Degree Granting Department

Psychology

Major Professor

Peter E. Clayson, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Edelyn Verona, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Kristen Salomon, Ph.D.

Keywords

emotion, error-related negativity, event-related potential, late positive potential

Abstract

Understanding cognitive control in response to conflict requires examining how control-related processes are modulated by affect. This study tested the negative-affective signaling hypothesis, which posits that negative affect elicited by conflict enhances cognitive control. Undergraduate participants (n=73) completed an affective-flanker task in which affective images preceded flanker stimuli. Cognitive control was indexed by the error-related negativity (ERN), conflict N2, response times (RTs), and accuracy, and late positive potential (LPP) to images indexed motivated attention. Across hypotheses, adding event-related potential (ERP) coupling terms did not improve the predictive accuracy of multilevel models, providing no evidence for the predicted trial-to-trial affect-control coupling. In a base model without ERP predictors, there was a small, credible interaction indicating faster RTs following more pleasant images for incongruent trials, which is a pattern inconsistent with the negative-affective signaling hypothesis. Exploratory analyses suggested that image valence was related to divergent patterns of N2 modulation and ERN variability across levels of self-reported anhedonia. Overall, confirmatory tests did not support the negative-affective signaling hypothesis in this affective-flanker paradigm. Exploratory findings warrant replication and may inform future hypothesis generation about affective context and individual differences in cognitive control.

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