Resting anterior electroencephalographic (EEG) asymmetry is a marker of temperament that predicts affective reactivity and affective traits. However, the predispositions indexed by resting anterior asymmetry (RAA) are unclear, as is its relation to the broader functions of the prefrontal cortex. Based on evidence concerning the prefrontal cortex and concerning a robust correlate of RAA (depression), it is proposed that RAA promotes differential access to cognitive processes that serve to regulate emotional responsivity. To test this overriding hypothesis, five experiments are proposed that use college-student subjects. In each experiment, resting EEG will be assessed on three occasions, after which affective reactions to emotion elicitors and cognitive processes that serve to modulate such reactions will be assessed. These experiments will assess whether RAA predicts: expectancies, goal-setting, and attributions in response to success and failure; responses to failure characterized by a ruminative """"""""state"""""""" orientation vs. a task-focused """"""""action"""""""" orientation; self-focused attentional responses to success and failure; selective attention to positive and negative information about the self; and selective memory for positive and negative affectively toned events. In addition, the proposed experiments address whether individual differences in stability as well as degree of asymmetry can be identified, and whether stability of asymmetry serves as a moderator variable. By linking RAA to the wider body of evidence concerning functions mediated by the prefrontal cortex, the present studies will promote greater understanding of the biological substrates of emotion- cognition interaction. The present studies also have implications for identifying patterns of brain activity that may be markers of risk for affective disorders.
