Neural correlates of self-appraisals in the near and distant future: an event-related potential study

PLoS One. 2013 Dec 20;8(12):e84332. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084332. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

To investigate perceptual and neural correlates of future self-appraisals as a function of temporal distance, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while participants (11 women, eight men) made judgments about the applicability of trait adjectives to their near future selves (i.e., one month from now) and their distant future selves (i.e., three years from now). Behavioral results indicated people used fewer positive adjectives, more negative adjectives, recalled more specific events coming to mind and felt more psychologically connected to the near future self than the distant future self. Electrophysiological results demonstrated that negative trait adjectives elicited more positive ERP deflections than did positive trait adjectives in the interval between 550 and 800 ms (late positive component) within the near future self condition. However, within the same interval, there were no significant differences between negative and positive traits adjectives in the distant future self condition. The results suggest that negative emotional processing in future self-appraisals is modulated by temporal distance, consistent with predictions of construal level theory.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Analysis of Variance
  • Brain / physiology*
  • China
  • Diagnostic Self Evaluation*
  • Evoked Potentials / physiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Models, Psychological*
  • Time Factors
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

This study was supported by “the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities” (SWU1209469) to the first author, the Key Discipline Fund of the National 211 Project, China (NSKD11001), and the Research Team's Construction Project from the Faculty of Psychology in Southwest University (2012) "The Mechanism and Application of Range-Synthesis Model of Time” (TR201201-1) to the corresponding author and research fellow. Study design, data collection and analysis were supported by The Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (SWU1209469) and the Key Discipline Fund of the National 211 Project, China (NSKD11001). The Research Team's Construction Project from the Faculty of Psychology in Southwest University (2012) "The Mechanism and Application of Range-Synthesis Model of Time” (TR201201-1) has roles in preparation of the manuscript and, decision to publish.