The Effects of Spatial Attention Focus and Visual Awareness on the Processing of Fearful Faces: An ERP Study
Previous research on the relationship between attention and emotion processing have focused essentially on consciously-viewed, supraliminal stimuli, while the attention-emotion interplay remains unexplored in situations where visual awareness is restricted. Here, we presented participants with face...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Brain Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/7/823 |
| _version_ | 1797407220396195840 |
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| author | Zeguo Qiu Stefanie I. Becker Alan J. Pegna |
| author_facet | Zeguo Qiu Stefanie I. Becker Alan J. Pegna |
| author_sort | Zeguo Qiu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Previous research on the relationship between attention and emotion processing have focused essentially on consciously-viewed, supraliminal stimuli, while the attention-emotion interplay remains unexplored in situations where visual awareness is restricted. Here, we presented participants with face pairs in a backward masking paradigm and examined the electrophysiological activity in response to fearful and neutral expressions under different conditions of attention (spatially attended vs. unattended) and stimulus visibility (subliminal vs. supraliminal). We found an enhanced N2 (visual awareness negativity -VAN-) and an enhanced P3 for supraliminal compared to subliminal faces. The VAN, indexing the early perceptual awareness, was enhanced when the faces were spatially attended compared to when they were unattended, showing that the VAN does not require spatial attention focus but can be enhanced by it. Fearful relative to neutral expressions enhanced the early neural activity (N2) regardless of spatial attention but only in the supraliminal viewing condition. However, fear-related enhancements on later neural activity (P3) were found when stimuli were both attended and presented supraliminally. These findings suggest that visual awareness is needed for emotion processing during both early and late stages. Spatial attention is required for emotion processing at the later stage but not at the early stage. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:38:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-40d2b6e2516d4ba4aa8eddc0947841f1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:38:16Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
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| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-40d2b6e2516d4ba4aa8eddc0947841f12023-12-03T14:44:45ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252022-06-0112782310.3390/brainsci12070823The Effects of Spatial Attention Focus and Visual Awareness on the Processing of Fearful Faces: An ERP StudyZeguo Qiu0Stefanie I. Becker1Alan J. Pegna2School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, AustraliaSchool of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, AustraliaSchool of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, AustraliaPrevious research on the relationship between attention and emotion processing have focused essentially on consciously-viewed, supraliminal stimuli, while the attention-emotion interplay remains unexplored in situations where visual awareness is restricted. Here, we presented participants with face pairs in a backward masking paradigm and examined the electrophysiological activity in response to fearful and neutral expressions under different conditions of attention (spatially attended vs. unattended) and stimulus visibility (subliminal vs. supraliminal). We found an enhanced N2 (visual awareness negativity -VAN-) and an enhanced P3 for supraliminal compared to subliminal faces. The VAN, indexing the early perceptual awareness, was enhanced when the faces were spatially attended compared to when they were unattended, showing that the VAN does not require spatial attention focus but can be enhanced by it. Fearful relative to neutral expressions enhanced the early neural activity (N2) regardless of spatial attention but only in the supraliminal viewing condition. However, fear-related enhancements on later neural activity (P3) were found when stimuli were both attended and presented supraliminally. These findings suggest that visual awareness is needed for emotion processing during both early and late stages. Spatial attention is required for emotion processing at the later stage but not at the early stage.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/7/823fearful facespatial attentionawarenessemotion processingERP |
| spellingShingle | Zeguo Qiu Stefanie I. Becker Alan J. Pegna The Effects of Spatial Attention Focus and Visual Awareness on the Processing of Fearful Faces: An ERP Study Brain Sciences fearful face spatial attention awareness emotion processing ERP |
| title | The Effects of Spatial Attention Focus and Visual Awareness on the Processing of Fearful Faces: An ERP Study |
| title_full | The Effects of Spatial Attention Focus and Visual Awareness on the Processing of Fearful Faces: An ERP Study |
| title_fullStr | The Effects of Spatial Attention Focus and Visual Awareness on the Processing of Fearful Faces: An ERP Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effects of Spatial Attention Focus and Visual Awareness on the Processing of Fearful Faces: An ERP Study |
| title_short | The Effects of Spatial Attention Focus and Visual Awareness on the Processing of Fearful Faces: An ERP Study |
| title_sort | effects of spatial attention focus and visual awareness on the processing of fearful faces an erp study |
| topic | fearful face spatial attention awareness emotion processing ERP |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/7/823 |
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