Emotional valence modulates arithmetic strategy execution in priming paradigm: an event-related potential study

Combined with the prime paradigm, the present study aimed to explore the influence of emotion (anger, fear, happiness, and neutral) on performing multiplication estimation. Participants were asked to complete a two-digit multiplication estimation task using the down-up strategy (e.g., doing 20 × 80 = 1600 for 24 × 79). Behavioral results showed that the reaction time for completing multiplication estimation tasks under happy conditions was shorter than for those under anger and fear, and it was shorter under neutral than under fearful conditions. The ERP results showed that about 100 ms after multiplication estimation task onset, multiplication estimation execution in the context of happiness (vs. neutral) elicited smaller P1 amplitudes; about 170 ms after multiplication estimation task onset, the N170 amplitudes elicited by multiplication estimation strategy execution under different emotional priming conditions showed no significant differences. The above results showed that the impact of emotion priming demonstrates the occurrence of a dynamic process when participants use a specified strategy to complete the multiplication estimation task. The present study revealed that emotional valence modulated arithmetic strategy execution, suggesting the role of different emotions should be fully considered in similar study.