Abstract
Cognitive control is a key process in decision making and adequately adapting our behavior to the environment. Previous studies have provided evidence of a lower capacity for cognitive control in emotion-laden contexts in comparison with neutral contexts. The aim of the present research was to study changes in cognitive control performance as a function of emotional intelligence (EI) level in contexts involving emotional information. The study sample was composed of 2 groups of 22 participants each: the high and low EI group. Participants carried out an emotional go/no-go task while brain activity was recorded by EEG. N2 and P3 ERPs were used as indices of cognitive control processing. Participants with higher EI showed a larger N2, reflecting a greater capacity for cognitive control related to changes in conflict monitoring, and to a better detection and evaluation of the emotional stimuli. Moreover, in general, response inhibition accuracy was reduced when emotional information was involved in this process. Our findings reveal that neural mechanisms underlying tasks that engage cognitive control depend on emotional content and EI level. This study indicates the important role played by EI in the relationship between emotion and cognition. EI training may be a very useful tool for improving performance in emotion-laden contexts.
Highlights
Among the cognitive processes related to emotional intelligence (EI), cognitive control has attracted great interest due to its involvement in many aspects of decision making and behavior in general
The characteristic frontal P3 usually found in go/no-go task is a positive wave peaking at fronto-central electrodes between 300 and 500 ms post-stimulus onset. It is interpreted as a response inhibition index associated with the cognitive and motor processes implied in the cancellation of the anticipated response[22,24,25]
The aim of the present research was to study the electrophysiological basis of the changes in cognitive control performance as a function of EI level in tasks or contexts involving emotional content
Summary
Among the cognitive processes related to EI, cognitive control has attracted great interest due to its involvement in many aspects of decision making and behavior in general. Deficits in cognitive control lead to problems related to risk behavior, addictions, and aggressiveness[12,13] Many of these contexts are often emotionally charged or at least involve processing of emotional information[14,15]. Individuals with higher EI levels presented greater cognitive control (less false alarms) in an emotional go/no-go task compared with those who have lower EI levels Both groups (high and low EI) performed in the go/no-go task when the task did not involve emotional information. The characteristic frontal P3 usually found in go/no-go task is a positive wave peaking at fronto-central electrodes between 300 and 500 ms post-stimulus onset It is interpreted as a response inhibition index associated with the cognitive and motor processes implied in the cancellation of the anticipated response[22,24,25]. Exploring and clarifying this issue could help to make a significant contribution to the understanding of the emotion and cognition integration mechanisms
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