ERP markers of basic and higher order cognitive and affective Theory of Mind processing in young adulthood

Basic and higher order attribution of mental states to others (ToM) based on visual social cues was recently associated with different early and late occurring event-related potential (ERP) components. As cognitive and affective ToM in everyday life occur in unspecific order, this study included three experiments in which they were presented in different sequences to investigate possible mutual influences of these types. ERPs of first, second, and third order cognitive and affective ToM processing based on eye gaze and mimic were investigated with the Brainy-ERP task. Accuracy, response times and ERP components anterior P2 (aP2) and posterior P2 (both 210-400 ms post-stimulus [p.s.]) as well as anterior late negative slow wave (LNSW) and posterior LNSW (both 280-1000 ms p.s.) together indicate in three experiments that affective ToM processing requires more effort. However, starting with solely Cognitive ToM negates the superiority in performance of Cognitive ToM compared to Affective ToM. Affective ToM processing shows an early step in complexity between first and second order whereas a comparable step regarding cognitive ToM occurred between second and third order. While early ERPs showed higher amplitudes on the right hemisphere, late components where more pronounced on the left. Taken mutually influencing effects into account, this study offers new insights into visual-based cognitive and affective ToM including confirmation of P2 and late negative slow wave components during processing, and allowing for a more thorough interpretation of the electrophysiological activity associated with ToM processing and a solid foundation for the planning of future experimental designs.