Psychological Science ›› 2014, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (2): 258-264.

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The Executive Function of Temporal Distribution: Evidence from the Dual Valence Association Task

  

  • Received:2013-03-07 Revised:2013-10-11 Online:2014-03-20 Published:2014-03-20
  • Contact: Yong ZHENG

时间分配的执行功能:双重效价联合任务的证据

曹国光1,陈娟1,郑勇2   

  1. 1. 西南大学心理学部
    2. 西南大学
  • 通讯作者: 郑勇

Abstract:

Time personality, which focuses on the personality characteristics and individual differences under the temporal context, was defined as a consistent adapting tendency and character of capabilities of individuals in time-related situations. It is a multi-level hierarchical structure of personality which was composed of four second-order factors as temporal obedience, temporal programming, temporal distribution and temporal tension. In the present study, using the technique of event-related potentials (ERPs), we applied the dual valence association task to investigate the impact of temporal distribution on executive function, and explored the temporal patterns of the brain activity when polychronic and monochronic individuals were performing the conflict task. Dual valence association task measures the interference effects presented in a double associative categorization valence task, that is, congruency /incongruence between emotional information presented in facial expressions and semantic information presented in words. Participants used two emotional valence evaluative tasks and were asked to categorize the emotional valence of positive /negative words or the emotional valence of positive/negative faces. The two-way repeated-measures analyses of variances (ANOVAs) on the accuracy (ACC) showed a significant main effect of Task type, that is compatible blocks produced higher ACC than incompatible ones. On the reaction times (RTs) however, the two-way repeated-measures ANOVAs revealed a significant main effect of Task type and Group. Compatible blocks showed shorter RTs than incompatible ones and polychronics responded faster than monochronics. The EEG was recorded from 64 scalp sites using tin electrodes mounted in an elastic cap (Brain Products), with the references on the left and right mastoids. The vertical electrooculograms (EOGs) were recorded with electrode placed above and below the right eye. Horizontal EOG was recorded from the right orbital rim. EEG and EOG activity was amplified using a DC~100Hz bandpass and continuously sampled at 500Hz/channel. The EEG was band-pass filtered from 0.01 to 16 Hz. All electrode impedances were maintained below 5kΩ. ERP averages were computed off-line. Trials with EOG artifacts (mean EOG voltage exceeding ±80μV) and those contaminated with artifacts due to amplifier clipping, or peak-to-peak deflection exceeding ±80μV were excluded from averaging. ERP waveforms were time-locked to the onset of stimuli and the average epoch was 1000ms, including a 200ms pre-stimulus baseline. EEG activity only for correct responses in each condition was analyzed. The early N170 component was measured and analyzed at 130~190ms using three-way repeated measures ANOVAs on average amplitudes, with Groups (polychronicity, monochronicity) as a between-subjects factor, and Task type (congruent, incongruent) and eletrodes (P7, PO7, P8, PO8) as the within-subjects factors. The late LPP component around 500~700ms was conducted the same analysis at 5 electrode sites (F1, Fz, FCz, Cz, F2). The repeated-measures ANOVAs on mean amplitude of N170 showed a marginal interaction effect between Group and Task type [F(1,34) = 3.27, p = .08]. More specifically, a larger N170 was elicited in the incongruent condition than that in the congruent condition among the monochronics, suggesting that monochronics need to devote more attentional resources in face of the conflict task. As for the LPP component, monochronics showed higher positive amplitudes compared to polychronics, indicating the enhanced cognitive control processes of monochronics.

摘要:

采用内隐联想测验的修订版本双重效价联合任务范式,利用ERP技术探究不同时间分配倾向个体在执行冲突和转换任务时的执行功能,以揭示不同时间分配倾向个体在相容和不相容任务过程中脑内时程的动态变化。研究结果发现,多重组个体显示出更快的反应时;ERP结果表明,相比于多重组,单一组在不相容任务中比在相容任务中诱发了更大的N170,说明多重组个体可能更善于同时执行多项任务,而单一组执行冲突任务可能需要投入更多的注意资源。同时在认知加工的晚期阶段单一组比多重组诱发了更大的LPP,提示单一组需要更强的认知控制加工。