The neural basis of implicit social cognition has been a research hotpot of social psychology. Studies that focused on implicit attitude and stereotype identified specific neural regions contributing to implicit social cognition, including amygdale, anterior cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Nevertheless, as an important area of implicit social cognition, the neural correlates of implicit self-esteem received little attention. In this project, we will employ event-related potential (ERP) and functional MRI (fMRI) techniques to determine the neural underpins of implicit self-esteem assessed by Go-NoGo Association Task. There will be two studies. Study 1 is aimed to investigate the neural activities, including the event-related potentials and the brain regions, which could index the implicit self-esteem. Study 2 will examine the sensitivity of the neural index, that is, whether the manipulation of implicit self-esteem by evaluative conditioning could manifest in the neural index. Part of the research proposal has been justified by the results of pilot study. The current project intends to explore the temporal course as well as the brain regions, particularly the prefrontal area and the amygdale, underpin the implicit self-esteem. The results will not only unveil the cognitive process and information
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