ERN is a reliable index of error-processing, evident just 50 ms after individuals make mistakes; the available evidence indicates that the ERN is generated in the ACC, and likely reflects dopaminergic activity related to the on-going evaluation of errors and response conflict (Holroyd & Coles, 2002; Yeung et al., 2004). There is increasing evidence that ERN also relates to motivational and affective variables, and might be tied to neural systems that support defensive behaviors and avoidance learning (Frank et al., 2005; Hajcak & Foti, 2008).
