The laboratory commonly uses a standardized computerized task NVP-AUY922 web called Cyberball to probe the neural and behavioral effects of ostracism (Williams and Jarvis, 2006). In this task, participants are told they are playing with two or three players via the Internet, passing a virtual ball back and forth. Unbeknownst to the participant, his or her co-players are computer-based and programmed to move from a condition called fair play, where the ball is equally tossed among all players, to exclusion, where the participant is left out of the game (i.e. the other two `players’ pass the ball exclusively to one another). The exclusion phase has been used in event-related potential (ERP) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies to model ostracism. Studies employing fMRI to measure brain responses during a game of Cyberball reveal that the experience of social exclusion engages neural circuitry relevant to the experience of distress and self-regulation (i.e. ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), medial PFC, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, insula, posterior cingulate and medial orbitofrontal cortex) (Eisenberger et al., 2003; Masten et al., 2009; Bolling et al., 2011; Sebastian et al., 2011). ERPs have been used to probe real-time temporal brain activity during social ostracism in Cyberball (Crowley et al., 2009a,b, 2010; White et al., 2012, 2013; Sreekrishnan et al., 2014; Themanson et al., 2015). Previous ERP studies with Cyberball focused on frontal slow wave responses to exclusion events, with greater negative left frontal/central slow waves tracking greater experienced ostracism distress (Crowley et al., 2009a,b, 2010; White et al., 2013; Sreekrishnan et al., 2014). Despite a strong association between social exclusion and internalizing problems (Zadro et al., 2006; Oaten et al., 2008; Masten et al., 2011) few studies have explored this association in youth. To date, virtual paradigms used to examine ostracism in previous Cyberball ERP and fMRI studies have mainly focused on social exclusion by strangers (Eisenberger et al., 2003; van Beest and Williams, 2006; Crowley et al., 2010; Jamieson et al., 2010; Bolling et al., 2011; Sebastian et al., 2010, 2011; White et al., 2012, 2013). One exception was a recent study by Sreekrishnan et al. (2014) that examined mother hild dyads, within the Cyberball game. They observed that including family members changed the experience of the game. Exclusion by kin (mother or child) was associated with a greater frontal P2 ERP component. The frontal P2 is thought to reflect incidence detection and BX795 chemical information selective attention (Luck and Hillyard, 1994; Smith et al., 2004; Key et al. 2005; Mueller et al., 2008). Exclusion by kin was also associated with a more positive frontal slow wave response compared to exclusion by a stranger (Sreekrishnan et al., 2014). Only brain responses reflecting exclusion by kin (P2, slow wave) were associated with self-reported ostracism distress–neural responses for rejection events by a stranger in this context were unrelated to self-reported ostracism distress. These results highlight how inclusion with familiar others changes the nature of Cyberball in terms of neural responding and corresponding psychological experience. This work has yet to be extended to friendship dyads. In this study, we investigated neural correlates of exclusion in friendship dyads in a real time environment using Cyberball. Specifically, we compared the ERP neural correlates of exclusion events in.The laboratory commonly uses a standardized computerized task called Cyberball to probe the neural and behavioral effects of ostracism (Williams and Jarvis, 2006). In this task, participants are told they are playing with two or three players via the Internet, passing a virtual ball back and forth. Unbeknownst to the participant, his or her co-players are computer-based and programmed to move from a condition called fair play, where the ball is equally tossed among all players, to exclusion, where the participant is left out of the game (i.e. the other two `players’ pass the ball exclusively to one another). The exclusion phase has been used in event-related potential (ERP) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies to model ostracism. Studies employing fMRI to measure brain responses during a game of Cyberball reveal that the experience of social exclusion engages neural circuitry relevant to the experience of distress and self-regulation (i.e. ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), medial PFC, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, insula, posterior cingulate and medial orbitofrontal cortex) (Eisenberger et al., 2003; Masten et al., 2009; Bolling et al., 2011; Sebastian et al., 2011). ERPs have been used to probe real-time temporal brain activity during social ostracism in Cyberball (Crowley et al., 2009a,b, 2010; White et al., 2012, 2013; Sreekrishnan et al., 2014; Themanson et al., 2015). Previous ERP studies with Cyberball focused on frontal slow wave responses to exclusion events, with greater negative left frontal/central slow waves tracking greater experienced ostracism distress (Crowley et al., 2009a,b, 2010; White et al., 2013; Sreekrishnan et al., 2014). Despite a strong association between social exclusion and internalizing problems (Zadro et al., 2006; Oaten et al., 2008; Masten et al., 2011) few studies have explored this association in youth. To date, virtual paradigms used to examine ostracism in previous Cyberball ERP and fMRI studies have mainly focused on social exclusion by strangers (Eisenberger et al., 2003; van Beest and Williams, 2006; Crowley et al., 2010; Jamieson et al., 2010; Bolling et al., 2011; Sebastian et al., 2010, 2011; White et al., 2012, 2013). One exception was a recent study by Sreekrishnan et al. (2014) that examined mother hild dyads, within the Cyberball game. They observed that including family members changed the experience of the game. Exclusion by kin (mother or child) was associated with a greater frontal P2 ERP component. The frontal P2 is thought to reflect incidence detection and selective attention (Luck and Hillyard, 1994; Smith et al., 2004; Key et al. 2005; Mueller et al., 2008). Exclusion by kin was also associated with a more positive frontal slow wave response compared to exclusion by a stranger (Sreekrishnan et al., 2014). Only brain responses reflecting exclusion by kin (P2, slow wave) were associated with self-reported ostracism distress–neural responses for rejection events by a stranger in this context were unrelated to self-reported ostracism distress. These results highlight how inclusion with familiar others changes the nature of Cyberball in terms of neural responding and corresponding psychological experience. This work has yet to be extended to friendship dyads. In this study, we investigated neural correlates of exclusion in friendship dyads in a real time environment using Cyberball. Specifically, we compared the ERP neural correlates of exclusion events in.
