Abstract
Grief after the loss of a loved one is a ubiquitous phenomenon, characterized by persistent sadness and intense longing for the deceased. The severity and course of grief has been linked to the attachment style and coping style of the bereaved, such that insecure attachment styles and avoidant coping often predict poorer outcomes. However, it is not known how priming of attachment-related emotions influences cognitive control in the bereaved. We will utilize electroencephalography (EEG) and recordings of electrodermal responses during performance of an emotional Stroop task to examine the impact of attachment-related emotional priming on cognitive control in bereaved individuals. The task will include positive non-attachment words, negative non-attachment words, and neutral words, as well as positive attachment words and negative attachment words. We expect that bereaved individuals will perceive negative non-attachment words, positive attachment words, and negative attachment words as threatening. We hypothesize that threatening words will elicit a higher amplitude of the P300 waveform compared to positive non-attachment words and neutral words. We also hypothesize that processing of threatening words will be associated with increased skin conductance and asymmetry in EEG recordings from the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Compared to those with a secure attachment style, we hypothesize that those with insecure attachment styles will demonstrate higher P300 amplitude in response to threatening words. Finally, we hypothesize that repressive coping will be associated with higher amplitude of the N100 and P200 waveforms in response to threatening words.
