Event-Related Potential Study on the Effect of Ego Depletion on Perceptual Anticipation Under Negative Emotion

Summary

Here, we propose an investigation using event-related potential (ERP) methodology to examine the underlying mechanisms through which ego depletion influences perceptual anticipation in tennis-trained undergraduates under negative emotion.

Abstract

The present study employed a combination of behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) measures to investigate the effect of ego depletion on perceptual anticipation in tennis-trained undergraduates under negative emotion. The findings will provide a theoretical foundation for enhancing training efficacy in this specific population. Negative emotion was induced by film clips, while ego-depletion was elicited through a Stroop task. Perceptual anticipation was evaluated using temporally occluded tennis videos. Under negative emotion, participants exhibited shorter reaction time and higher accuracy either in the low ego-depletion state or at 160 ms after hitting the ball. Additionally, there was a shorter N2 peak latency at 160 ms after hitting the ball than at the moment of hitting the ball. The peak amplitudes of N2, P3, and LNC mean amplitude were significantly lower under the low ego-depletion state than those under the high ego-depletion state (p < 0.05). The peak amplitudes of N2 and P3 were higher at the moment of hitting the ball than at 160 ms after hitting the ball. Under negative emotion, tennis-trained undergraduates exhibited faster perceptual anticipation speed, higher accuracy, and a reduced allocation of cognitive resources in a low ego-depletion state. Compared to the moment of hitting the ball, tennis-trained undergraduates exhibited better speed-accuracy, earlier attention control, and reduced allocation of attentional and cognitive resources at 160 ms after hitting the ball. The findings suggest that tennis coaches should enhance players' emotional self-regulation skills, optimize training environments, and reduce ego depletion to improve their performance.

Introduction

Tennis is a sport characterized by unpredictable ball trajectories, high speeds, and a wide range of shot placements, requiring players to possess strong perceptual anticipation skills. Perceptual anticipation refers to the ability to predict the outcome of an impending event by utilizing advanced information obtained through sensory channels¹. Accumulating evidence shows that athletes demonstrate domain-specific advantages in prediction speed and accuracy compared to non-athletes². Tennis players demonstrate superior action anticipation capabilities under information-constrained conditions^3,....

Protocol

The protocol of the current experiment was approved by the Human Experiment Ethics Committee of the first author's affiliated university (Project identification code: 2024010).All participants provided informed consent for this study.

1. Experimental subjects

1. Conduct sample size estimation a priori using G*Power 3.1.9²⁸. Set parameters at α = 0.05 (two-tailed), power = 0.80, and effect size f = 0.25. Analyze the data using a 2 (ego-depletion: high versus low; between-subjects) x 2 [time-point: T1(the moment of hitting the ball) versus T2(160 ms after hitting the ball); within-subjects] mixed-desi....

Results

Effects of negative emotion and ego depletion induction

For the negative emotion induction, self-reported emotional ratings demonstratedsignificantly higher post-induction scores (6.93 ± 1.26) compared to pre-induction baseline (4.43 ± 1.19), t = -9.40, p < 0.001.The results demonstrate that the NUAN CHUN film clip effectively induced a negative emotional state in participants. On the ego-.......

Discussion

This study employed event-related potential (ERP) techniques to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the effects of ego depletion on perceptual anticipation in tennis-trained undergraduates under negative emotion. Tennis-trained undergraduates in the low ego-depletion state demonstrated significantly shorter perceptual anticipation reaction time, higher accuracy, and lower N2/P3 peak amplitudes and LNC mean amplitude compared to the high ego-depletion state under negative emotion. Compared to the moment of hittin.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Abrasive gel	Beijing Flying Star Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.	4oz	Remove keratin, dead skin cells, and oils from the scalp surface to further minimize skin-electrode impedance.
BrainAmp SN	Brain Products	AMP12081737 Standard	Acquisition of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals
Electrolyte gel	Beijing Flying Star Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.	Easy Gel 32oz	Reduce impedance and ensure high-quality signal transmission.
E-prime Professional	Psychology Software Tools	2.0.10.92	Psychology Experiment Software