Cognitive control can reduce uncertainty, but few studies have investigated temporal dynamics of the flexible allocation of resources under varying levels of uncertainty. We used a revised majority function task with emotional faces and event-related potentials to investigate this process. The task incorporated different ratios of face orientation to quantify uncertainty. Participants performed slower in high uncertainty than in other levels. Under low uncertainty, participants showed greater amplitudes of frontal N200 and late frontal wave to neutral faces than fearful faces. Parietal P300 amplitudes decreased from low uncertainty to high uncertainty, and fearful faces elicited greater P300 amplitudes than neutral faces under all levels of uncertainty. These results suggest that emotion and uncertainty interacted in the frontal cortex during both early and late stages, while no interaction existed in the parietal cortex during the late stage. The interference of fearful faces is lessened by increasing cognitive control under high uncertainty in the frontal cortex, suggesting that humans possess the ability to flexibly allocate mental resources in the temporal domain. Our findings provide evidence to support the fronto-parietal network hypothesis of cognitive control in a novel perspective of uncertainty.

中文翻译：

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恐惧的面孔在不同的不确定性水平下调节认知控制：一项与事件相关的潜在研究。

认知控制可以减少不确定性，但是很少有研究调查在不确定性水平不同的情况下灵活分配资源的时间动态。我们使用了经过修改的具有情感面孔和事件相关电位的多数功能任务来调查此过程。该任务采用了不同的面部朝向比率来量化不确定性。参与者在高度不确定性方面的表现要慢于其他级别。在低不确定性的情况下，参与者显示的额叶N200振幅和晚额波向中性面孔的幅度要大于恐惧面孔。顶面P300振幅从低不确定性降低到高不确定性，在所有不确定性水平下，令人恐惧的面孔所引起的P300振幅都比中性面孔大。这些结果表明，情绪和不确定性在早期和晚期均在额叶皮层中相互作用，而在晚期则在顶叶皮层中不存在相互作用。在额叶皮质高度不确定的情况下，通过增强认知控制，可以减轻恐惧面孔的干扰，这表明人类具有在时域灵活分配智力资源的能力。我们的发现为在不确定性的新观点中支持认知控制的额顶网络假设提供了证据。这表明人类具有在时域灵活分配智力资源的能力。我们的发现为在不确定性的新观点中支持认知控制的额顶网络假设提供了证据。这表明人类具有在时域灵活分配智力资源的能力。我们的发现为在不确定性的新观点中支持认知控制的额顶网络假设提供了证据。