Neural Correlates of Social Exclusion and Belonging in Nigerian University Students: An Event-Related Potential Investigation

Social exclusion is a universally painful experience with documented neural signatures, yet the event-related potential correlates of social exclusion and belonging have not been investigated in any African population, creating a major gap in the cross-cultural neuropsychology literature. This study examines the neural correlates of social exclusion and belonging experiences among Nigerian university students using event-related potential methodology, with a focus on the N2 and P3 components as indices of social-affective conflict detection and attentional allocation. A laboratory experimental design is applied to 60 undergraduate students (30 from University of Lagos, 30 from Bayero University Kano) using the Cyberball social exclusion paradigm while 64-channel EEG is recorded. Subjective need threat ratings, ostracism threat ratings, and post-paradigm mood measures are collected alongside ERP data. ERP components are extracted and analysed using EEGLAB and ERPLAB in MATLAB. The cross-cultural comparison examines whether collectivist versus individualist cultural orientations modulate the amplitude and latency of social exclusion ERPs. Williams's Temporal Need-Threat Model of Ostracism and the Social Brain Hypothesis provide the theoretical framework. The original contribution is the first ERP study of social exclusion in an African population, providing cross-cultural neuropsychological data with implications for social exclusion theory universality claims. Findings will contribute to both theoretical neuropsychology and culturally informed social neuroscience. Keywords: social exclusion, event-related potential, EEG, social neuroscience, Nigerian university students.