Self-positivity bias and/or other-negativity bias? A comprehensive
examination of the ERP correlates of self- and other-referential
processing in early adolescence
Abstract
Self-referential information is uniquely salient and preferentially
processed even in children. The literature has used the Self-Referent
Encoding Task (SRET) combined with ERPs to study the neural substrates
of self-referential processing and its role in development. However, no
work has implemented a data-driven, comprehensive examination of the ERP
correlates of SRET in youths by comparing a self-referential condition
with an other-referential condition. Ninety-two 10-to-14-year-old
typically developing youths completed an ERP version of the SRET
consisting of a self-referential and an other-referential condition,
following which they were unexpectedly asked to complete a recognition
task of the presented words. A data-driven Principal Components Analysis
isolated five SRET-elicited ERPs: P1, P2, N400, and anterior and
posterior late positive potential (aLPP, pLPP). Two-way ANOVAs (Referent
× Valence) demonstrated a “self-positivity” bias in aLPP, recognition,
and memory sensitivity: youths showed an enhanced aLPP, better
recognition, and higher memory sensitivity for Self-Positive versus
Self-Negative words, whereas no such differences were found between
Other-Positive and Other-negative words. Further, a (marginal)
“other-negativity” bias was found in pLPP, P2, and recognition: youths
displayed an enhanced pLPP and P2 and higher memory sensitivity in the
Other-Negative versus Other-Positive condition, whereas no such pattern
was observed in the Self conditions. We provided novel evidence on a
self-positivity bias that uniquely favored positive self-referential
words as well as an other-negativity bias that uniquely favored negative
other-referential words. These findings contribute to our mechanistic
knowledge of self-referential processing in youths and inform future
studies on the role of self-referential processing in socioemotional
development.