Individuals high in religious fundamentalism engage more in monitoring for conflict between outcomes of their actions and standards of correct behavior; also, may share some characteristics with OCD patients: more negative affect, uncertainty, anxiety, & distress

Religious fundamentalism is associated with hyperactive performance monitoring: ERP evidence from correct and erroneous responses. Magdalena Senderecka et al. Biological Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.12.007

Highlights
•    Religious fundamentalism correlates with response-related brain activity.
•    High religious fundamentalists show increased ERN, Pe, and CRN amplitudes.
•    Religious fundamentalism does not correlate with behavioral performance.
•    Fundamentalism is associated with increased activity of the brain’s defensive system.
•    High religious fundamentalists may share some characteristics with OCD patients.

Abstract: The aim of the current study was to examine whether action monitoring is associated with religious fundamentalism. Participants performed a stop-signal task that required response inhibition to a simple auditory tone. The level of their religious fundamentalism was measured on a scale. Analysis with mixed-effects linear models revealed significantly larger error-related negativity, correct-related negativity, and post-error positivity components in individuals scoring higher on religious fundamentalism, pointing to their increased engagement in response monitoring. However, it was not accompanied by improved behavioral performance. The electrophysiological results of our study suggest that individuals high in religious fundamentalism engage more in monitoring for conflict between outcomes of their actions and standards of correct behavior. Our findings also point to a possible association between a fundamentalist mindset and higher levels of negative affect, uncertainty, anxiety, and distress, as measured by response-related brain activity.