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Inhibitory control is modulated by emotional valence and task-relevance: An ERP Study

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

Vrushali Rao Gumnur¹ (), Sandra Wiebe¹; ¹University of Alberta

Emotional stimuli have been found to impact inhibitory control, with differing effects for positive and negative valence. Pessoa’s Dual Competition Framework explains these effects as resulting from competition for shared resources, which is affected by emotional valence, intensity, and task-relevance. In this study, we used a flanker paradigm to test the effect of emotional task-relevance on inhibitory control, along with valence and role within the task (target vs. flanker). Outcomes included task performance and P1, N1 and N2 ERPs. Participants (17-25 years) completed a modified flanker task using schematic facial stimuli, where they responded to the gaze direction of the target. Both targets and flankers displayed either task-irrelevant or relevant emotional expressions. There was an interactive effect of valence, task-relevance and target/flanker location of emotion on performance and ERPs. Task-irrelevant positive targets elicited faster responses and smaller N2 only when paired with positive flankers, while task-relevant positive targets delayed responses. Furthermore, positive and negative flankers elicited faster and slower N1 latency, respectively; this may reflect speed of attention reorientation. Findings confirm that emotions influence inhibitory control but indicate that the nature of this influence changes depending on whether the emotional information is irrelevant or relevant to the task.

Topic Area: EMOTION & SOCIAL: Emotion-cognition interactions