Aggressive behaviors in pathological and healthy populations have been largely related to poor cognitive control functioning. However, few studies investigated the influence of aggressive traits (i.e., aggressiveness) on cognitive control. In the current study, we investigated the effects of aggressiveness on cognitive control abilities and particularly, on performance monitoring. Thirty-two participants performed a Simon task while electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) were recorded. Participants were classified as high and low aggressive using the BPAQ questionnaire (Buss & Perry, 1992). EMG recordings were used to reveal three response types by uncovering small incorrect muscular activations in ~15% of correct trials (i.e., partial-errors) that have to be distinguished from full-error and pure-correct responses. For these three response types, EEG recordings were used to extract fronto-central negativities indicative of performance monitoring, the error and correct (-related) negativities (ERN/Ne and CRN/Nc). Behavioral results indicated that the high aggressiveness group had a larger congruency effect compared to the low aggressiveness group, but there were no differences in accuracy. EEG results revealed a global reduction in performance-related negativities amplitudes in all the response types in the high aggressiveness group compared to the low aggressiveness group. Interestingly, the distinction between the ERN/Ne and the CRN/Nc components was preserved both in high and low aggressiveness groups. In sum, high aggressive traits did not affect the capacity to self-evaluate erroneous from correct actions but are associated with a decrease in the importance given to one’s own performance. The implication of these findings are discussed in relation to pathological aggressiveness.
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