Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by substantial biological, neural, behavioral, and social changes. Learning to navigate the complex social world requires adaptive skills. Although anticipation of social situations can serve an adaptive function, providing opportunity to adjust behavior, socially anxious individuals may engage in maladaptive anticipatory processing. Importantly, elevated social anxiety often coincides with adolescence. This study investigated cortical electroencephalogram (EEG) responses during anticipation of evaluative feedback in 106 healthy adolescents aged 12–17 years. We examined differences in anticipatory event-related potentials (i.e., stimulus preceding negativity [SPN]) in relation to social anxiety levels and pubertal maturation. As expected, the right frontal SPN was more negative during feedback anticipation, particularly for adolescents with higher social anxiety and adolescents who were at a more advanced pubertal stage. Effects for the left posterior SPN were the opposite of those for the right frontal SPN consistent with a dipole. Anticipatory reactivity in adolescence was related to social anxiety symptom severity, especially in females, and pubertal maturation in a social evaluative situation. This study provides evidence for the development of social anticipatory processes in adolescence and potential mechanisms underlying maladaptive anticipation in social anxiety.

青春期是一个以生物、神经、行为和社会变化为特征的发育时期。学习驾驭复杂的社会世界需要适应技能。尽管对社交情况的预期可以发挥适应性功能，提供调整行为的机会，但社交焦虑的个体可能会参与适应不良的预期处理。重要的是，升高的社交焦虑通常与青春期同时发生。本研究调查了 106 名 12-17 岁健康青少年在预期评价反馈期间的皮层脑电图 (EEG) 反应。我们检查了与社交焦虑水平和青春期成熟相关的预期事件相关电位（即，消极性之前的刺激[SPN]）的差异。正如预期的那样，在反馈预期期间，右侧额叶 SPN 更为负面，特别是对于社交焦虑较高的青少年和处于青春期更晚期的青少年。左后 SPN 的效果与右额 SPN 的效果相反，与偶极子一致。青春期的预期反应与社交焦虑症状的严重程度有关，尤其是在女性中，以及在社会评价情况下的青春期成熟。这项研究为青春期社会预期过程的发展以及社交焦虑中适应不良预期的潜在机制提供了证据。左后 SPN 的效果与右额 SPN 的效果相反，与偶极子一致。青春期的预期反应与社交焦虑症状的严重程度有关，尤其是在女性中，以及在社会评价情况下的青春期成熟。这项研究为青春期社会预期过程的发展以及社交焦虑中适应不良预期的潜在机制提供了证据。左后 SPN 的效果与右额 SPN 的效果相反，与偶极子一致。青春期的预期反应与社交焦虑症状的严重程度有关，尤其是在女性中，以及在社会评价情况下的青春期成熟。这项研究为青春期社会预期过程的发展以及社交焦虑中适应不良预期的潜在机制提供了证据。