The Stroop task is a classic paradigm for assessing cognitive conflict and control, and the resulting Stroop effect has been widely used as an index of interference and control efficiency. Working memory (WM) plays a pivotal regulatory role in higher-order cognition, including attentional modulation, conflict inhibition, goal maintenance, and executive functioning. Within the Stroop paradigm, performance is shaped not only by externally induced stimulus conflict but also by internally generated interference arising from information maintained in WM, thereby increasing task complexity. The interaction between WM and the Stroop effect is a central focus in basic neuroscience and psychology. Clinical evidence indicates that individuals with various neurological and psychiatric disorders exhibit altered performance on tasks combining WM and Stroop demands, particularly in key event-related potential (ERP) components such as the N450 and P3. Dynamic alterations in these components have emerged as informative biomarkers for delineating pathological mechanisms of impaired cognitive resource allocation, conflict monitoring, and executive control in neuropsychiatric populations. Addressing the current lack of comprehensive and critical synthesis, this article presents a narrative review evaluating neural mechanisms, characteristic ERP signatures, and recent advances in applying WM–Stroop paradigms across diverse clinical groups. Beyond summarizing extant findings, the review develops a stage-specific account of how WM load and WM contents modulate conflict-related ERP components across different populations, and offers a critical appraisal of major methodological limitations, including paradigm heterogeneity, sample variability, and constraints on generalizability. The article concludes by outlining future directions and emerging trends to inform theory development and guide empirical research.

Empathy for pain is a multidimensional process determined by both affective and cognitive factors. The present study investigated whether priming faces of varying physical attractiveness modulates early empathic responses to pain, as measured by event-related potentials (ERPs). To explore these dynamics, the sandwich-masked faces paradigm was used. Fifty-three healthy adults viewed photographs of faces rated as highly attractive or unattractive (prime), followed by target images depicting either painful or nonpainful situations. Findings showed that attractive facial primes, when paired with painful target stimuli, elicited enhanced N2 amplitudes, indicative of affective conflict during early empathic processing. Additionally, P3 amplitude was higher in response to painful stimuli following unattractive primes, suggesting facilitated categorization and increased cognitive engagement. Behavioral data showed that pain intensity ratings were generally higher for unattractive models, especially when prime and target valence were congruent. These findings show that facial attractiveness and affective priming modulate both early and late stages of neural empathic processing, highlighting the complex role of unconscious affective cues in empathic processing of pain.

Physical environmental order has a profound impact on human psychological behavior; however, how ordered and disordered perception impacts conformity behavior remains unclear. By adopting the judge-advisor system (JAS) paradigm and event-related potentials (EPRs) method, three experiments systematically investigated the influence of physical environmental order on conformity behavior. In Study 1, compared to the ordered environmental pictures priming group, conformity rating in facial attractiveness decreased significantly in the disordered environmental pictures priming group. Study 2 revealed amplitudes of feedback-related negativity (FRN), P300, and late positive potential (LPP) components of the valuation judgment processing. Study 3 further demonstrated that individuals with low trait self-control exhibited a more pronounced reduction in conformity rating in the disordered environmental pictures priming condition compared to those with high trait self-control individuals. Physical environmental order perception could influence conformity, in which compared to the disordered priming, the ordered priming could make low self-control trait individuals more conformity.