Identification of angry faces in the attentional blink
Identification of angry faces in the attentional blink
According to cognitive and neural theories of emotion, attentional processing of innate threat stimuli, such as angry facial expressions, is prioritised over neutral stimuli. To test this hypothesis, the present study used a modified version of the rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) paradigm to investigate the effect of emotional face stimuli on the attentional blink (AB). The target stimuli were schematic faces which depicted threatening (angry), positive or neutral facial expressions. Results showed that performance accuracy was enhanced (i.e., the AB was reduced) on trials in which the second target was an angry face, rather than a neutral face. Results extend previous research by demonstrating that angry faces reduce the AB, and that this effect is found for schematic facial expressions. These findings further support the proposal that, when there is competition for attentional resources, threat stimuli are given higher priority in processing compared with non-threatening stimuli.
1340-1352
Maratos, Frances A.
71cfaad4-255e-4d8f-a68c-1515ceda4b5d
Mogg, Karin
5f1474af-85f5-4fd3-8eb6-0371be848e30
Bradley, Brendan P.
bdacaa6c-528b-4086-9448-27ebfe463514
November 2008
Maratos, Frances A.
71cfaad4-255e-4d8f-a68c-1515ceda4b5d
Mogg, Karin
5f1474af-85f5-4fd3-8eb6-0371be848e30
Bradley, Brendan P.
bdacaa6c-528b-4086-9448-27ebfe463514
Maratos, Frances A., Mogg, Karin and Bradley, Brendan P.
(2008)
Identification of angry faces in the attentional blink.
Cognition and Emotion, 22 (7), .
(doi:10.1080/02699930701774218).
Abstract
According to cognitive and neural theories of emotion, attentional processing of innate threat stimuli, such as angry facial expressions, is prioritised over neutral stimuli. To test this hypothesis, the present study used a modified version of the rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) paradigm to investigate the effect of emotional face stimuli on the attentional blink (AB). The target stimuli were schematic faces which depicted threatening (angry), positive or neutral facial expressions. Results showed that performance accuracy was enhanced (i.e., the AB was reduced) on trials in which the second target was an angry face, rather than a neutral face. Results extend previous research by demonstrating that angry faces reduce the AB, and that this effect is found for schematic facial expressions. These findings further support the proposal that, when there is competition for attentional resources, threat stimuli are given higher priority in processing compared with non-threatening stimuli.
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Published date: November 2008
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Local EPrints ID: 145989
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/145989
ISSN: 0269-9931
PURE UUID: 6a565231-0402-48ba-9297-553b30b149cd
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Date deposited: 04 May 2010 08:19
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:45
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Author:
Frances A. Maratos
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