Tangled up in blue: response inhibition in Problematic Facebook Use

A deficit in inhibitory control is thought to represent a core feature in individuals with Problematic Facebook Use (PFU). We investigated the modulation of Facebook-related stimuli on response inhibition in individuals with PFU by recording the event-related potentials during an emotional Go / NoGo Task. Nineteen-nine Problematic Facebook users and 22 Non-problematic users were recruited based on their score on the Problematic Facebook Use Scale. The Go / NoGo task included Facebook-related pictures and unpleasant, pleasant, and neutral pictures selected from the International Affective Picture System. The amplitude of the NoGo-N2 and the NoGo-P3 components were measured as reflecting the detection of response conflict and response inhibition, respectively. Reaction times to Go stimuli and accuracy (omissions and commissions) were also measured. Whereas the two groups did not differ in response speed, problematic users made overall more commission errors than Non-problematic users. In Problematic users only, the NoGo-N2 was significantly larger to Facebook stimuli than to all other emotional categories, whereas the NoGo-P3 was similarly reduced to Facebook-related, pleasant and neutral vs. unpleasant stimuli. These findings suggest that conflict monitoring is enhanced, and inhibitory processing is reduced, when individuals with PFU must withhold action in the presence of Facebook stimuli.