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Resting frontal asymmetry and behavioral activation and inhibition

Poster Session F - Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Madison Pittman¹ (), Anthony Kang¹, Madison Risner¹, Natalie Ceballos¹, Reiko Graha¹; ¹Texas State University

The Behavioral Inhibition and Activation Systems (BIS and BAS) coordinate motivational processes regulating behavior and emotions evoked by stimuli in the environment (Gray, 1987). The BIS is associated with avoidance-related tendencies; the BAS, with approach-related tendencies. Similarly, frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA), the difference in alpha power across the right and left hemispheres (RH, LH), is thought to be a marker of emotion/motivation – higher LH activity being associated with approach and RH activity with avoidance. However, studies are mixed with respect to the relationships between these two indices which may be due, in part, to methodological differences in deriving FAA. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between FAA derived from medial (F3, F4) and lateral (F5, F6) scalp locations and BIS/BAS scores. As part of a larger study, 27 undergraduate students completed the BIS/BAS, then underwent a series of EEG measurements including 2, 5-minute resting EEG recordings (one with eyes open; the other, eyes closed). Relationships between FAA (medial and lateral) and BIS/BAS scores were examined via regression. Lateral FAA was weakly associated only with BAS scores, such that higher self-reported approach tendencies were predictive of higher LH activation. Conversely, medial FAA was strongly related to BIS scores, with higher BIS associated with greater RH activation. Although preliminary, our results provide support for the relationship between the BIS/BAS and FAA. However, they also suggest that the sites used to derive FAA may be an important consideration.

Topic Area: EMOTION & SOCIAL: Other