The goal of this study was to examine behavioral and electrophysiological correlates of involuntary orienting toward rapidly presented angry faces in non-anxious, healthy adults using a dot-probe task in conjunction with high-density event-related potentials and a distributed source localization technique. Consistent with previous studies, participants showed hypervigilance toward angry faces, as indexed by facilitated response time for validly cued probes following angry faces and an enhanced P1 component. An opposite pattern was found for happy faces suggesting that attention was directed toward the relatively more threatening stimuli within the visual field (neutral faces). Source localization of the P1 effect for angry faces indicated increased activity within the anterior cingulate cortex, possibly reflecting conflict experienced during invalidly cued trials. No modulation of the early C1 component was found for affect or spatial attention. Furthermore, the face-sensitive N170 was not modulated by emotional expression. Results suggest that the earliest modulation of spatial attention by face stimuli is manifested in the P1 component, and provide insights about mechanisms underlying attentional orienting toward cues of threat and social disapproval.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2441935PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2007.12.013DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

angry faces
20
source localization
12
electrophysiological correlates
8
faces source
8
spatial attention
8
faces
7
angry
5
correlates spatial
4
spatial orienting
4
orienting angry
4

Similar Publications

Amygdala-centered emotional processing in Prolonged Grief Disorder: Relationship with clinical symptomatology.

Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging

December 2024

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA. Electronic address:

Background: Prolonged Grief Disorder is a multidimensional condition with adverse health consequences. We hypothesized that enhanced negative emotional bias characterizes this disorder and underlies its key clinical symptoms.

Methods: In a cross-sectional design, chronically grieving older adults (61.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Paramedics are continuously exposed to stressful events, making them liable to mental disorders. This study assesses the health of paramedics in Jeddah, focusing on their mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included fieldwork paramedics in Jeddah through an online survey distributed on social media.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In this article we explore some of the processes involved in dealing with Social Difference (SD) in coaching. Using examples from our own practice, we consider several factors, including the identity work involved in navigating the experience of SD in one-to-one coaching. Dealing with experiences of difference, including social class, gender, race, ability, and sexuality can invoke complicated and powerful feelings.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Facial expression perception is the process by which someone can interpret the emotion of another individual using their facial cues. Below-average scores on tests designed to measure facial expression recognition (FER) accuracies are associated with inappropriate behavioral responses and are often linked to mental or neurological disorders. Head-down bed rest microgravity analog studies show changes in facial emotion processing that may indicate a behavioral health risk during spaceflight.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The aim of this study was to examine whether prolonged victimization relates to differential processing of emotions. Based on the social information processing theory, it was hypothesized that prolonged victimization would modulate emotion processing, such that victimization relates to a heightened attentional focus toward negative facial expressions and increased amygdala activation in response to negative facial expressions. We targeted a unique sample of 83 children ( = 10.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!