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Attentional selectivity for emotional faces: evidence from human electrophysiology

Attentional selectivity for emotional faces: evidence from human electrophysiology
Attentional selectivity for emotional faces: evidence from human electrophysiology
This study investigated the temporal course of attentional biases for threat-related (angry) and positive (happy) facial expressions. Electrophysiological (event-related potential) and behavioral (reaction time [RT]) data were recorded while participants viewed pairs of faces (e.g., angry face paired with neutral face) shown for 500 ms and followed by a probe. Behavioral results indicated that RTs were faster to probes replacing emotional versus neutral faces, consistent with an attentional bias for emotional information. Electrophysiological results revealed that attentional orienting to threatening faces emerged earlier (early N2pc time window; 180-250 ms) than orienting to positive faces (after 250 ms), and that attention was sustained toward emotional faces during the 250-500-ms time window (late N2pc and SPCN components). These findings are consistent with models of attention and emotion that posit rapid attentional prioritization of threat.
Attentional bias • Threat • Angry face • happy face • Emotional expression • N2pc • ERP
0048-5772
62-68
Holmes, A.
e76ecadd-ccc4-425e-9756-14403151764f
Bradley, B.P.
bdacaa6c-528b-4086-9448-27ebfe463514
Nielsen, K.
138901a8-4f14-4561-bf0e-784ba1247439
Mogg, K.
5f1474af-85f5-4fd3-8eb6-0371be848e30
Holmes, A.
e76ecadd-ccc4-425e-9756-14403151764f
Bradley, B.P.
bdacaa6c-528b-4086-9448-27ebfe463514
Nielsen, K.
138901a8-4f14-4561-bf0e-784ba1247439
Mogg, K.
5f1474af-85f5-4fd3-8eb6-0371be848e30

Holmes, A., Bradley, B.P., Nielsen, K. and Mogg, K. (2009) Attentional selectivity for emotional faces: evidence from human electrophysiology. Psychophysiology, 46 (1), 62-68. (doi:10.1111/j.1469-8986.2008.00750.x).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This study investigated the temporal course of attentional biases for threat-related (angry) and positive (happy) facial expressions. Electrophysiological (event-related potential) and behavioral (reaction time [RT]) data were recorded while participants viewed pairs of faces (e.g., angry face paired with neutral face) shown for 500 ms and followed by a probe. Behavioral results indicated that RTs were faster to probes replacing emotional versus neutral faces, consistent with an attentional bias for emotional information. Electrophysiological results revealed that attentional orienting to threatening faces emerged earlier (early N2pc time window; 180-250 ms) than orienting to positive faces (after 250 ms), and that attention was sustained toward emotional faces during the 250-500-ms time window (late N2pc and SPCN components). These findings are consistent with models of attention and emotion that posit rapid attentional prioritization of threat.

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Published date: January 2009
Keywords: Attentional bias • Threat • Angry face • happy face • Emotional expression • N2pc • ERP

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 51255
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/51255
ISSN: 0048-5772
PURE UUID: f7e1bd18-28a3-45a3-9cce-7d9a1b60db07
ORCID for B.P. Bradley: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2801-4271

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 15 May 2008
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:19

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Contributors

Author: A. Holmes
Author: B.P. Bradley ORCID iD
Author: K. Nielsen
Author: K. Mogg

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