The current study aimed to find neural evidence that trait anxiety interferes with one’s shifting function processing efficiency. Twenty-five high trait-anxiety (HTA) and twenty-five low trait-anxiety (LTA) participants were instructed to complete a cue-based Stroop task-switching assessment of shifting function. No group difference in behavioral performance was shown, though event-related potential (ERP) results in the cue-locked period showed that only the LTA group had a general switch benefit in contingent negative variation (CNV) amplitude, indicating the LTA group exerted less task preparation effort. In the subsequent target-locked period, compared to the LTA group, the local switch cost of target-P3 was higher in the HTA group in incompatible trials, suggesting inefficient attentional resource allocation in the HTA group in incompatible trials. These ERP findings indicated that the HTA group ultimately achieved comparable behavioral performance with the LTA group at the expense of using more compensatory strategies at the neural level.

目前的研究旨在寻找神经证据，证明特质焦虑会干扰一个人的转换功能处理效率。25 名高特质焦虑 (HTA) 和 25 名低特质焦虑 (LTA) 参与者被指示完成基于线索的 Stroop 任务转换评估转换功能。尽管提示锁定期的事件相关电位 (ERP) 结果显示，只有 LTA 组在偶然负变化 (CNV) 幅度方面具有普遍的转换益处，但未显示行为表现的组间差异，表明 LTA 组发挥较少任务准备工作。在随后的目标锁定期，与 LTA 组相比，在不相容试验中，HTA 组中目标-P3 的局部转换成本更高，在不相容的试验中，HTA 组的注意力资源分配效率低下。这些 ERP 研究结果表明，HTA 组最终实现了与 LTA 组相当的行为表现，但代价是在神经层面使用了更多的补偿策略。