Abstract Adolescents’ self-identity is shaped by online feedback’s valence (positive/negative) and social Distance(near/far). This study tested their interactive effects on implicit self-identity and neural correlates.Experiment 1used an implicit association measure (D-score) to assess self-identity across ages. Participants received near (peer) or far (stranger) positive/negative feedback. Results: Distant positive feedback reduced D-scores (weaker self-identity links) vs. near positive feedback; negative feedback showed the opposite. Late adolescents had higher D-scores for near vs. far feedback—indicating heightened sensitivity to proximal social cues during identity formation.Experiment 2employed ERPs to explore neural mechanisms. Distant positive feedback elicited faster P3s (prioritized processing of socially distant positives). For near feedback, positive vs. negative stimuli showed smaller early LPP amplitudes—reflecting differential motivational attention.These findings reveal that feedback valence and social distance jointly modulate implicit self-identity. Neural markers (P3/LPP) uncover distinct processing priorities for proximal/distal positive/negative feedback—highlighting the interplay of social context and neural mechanisms in adolescent self-development.
Wang et al. (Wed,) studied this question.