title: Be(a)ware of spider! An attentional blink study on fear detection.
abstract: We investigated whether detection of fearful stimuli is independent from attention by using an iconic version of the Attentional Blink Task in arachnophobic individuals. A colored animal icon (Target) and a black spider or butterfly icon (Probe) appeared in close temporal proximity within a stream of distractors, at one of 4 possible time lags. In one task, Probe detection was required; in another one, Target identification was also requested. In this case, competition for attentional resources produces the so-called AB effect, that is the decrease of Probe perception as a function of lag. During spider-Probe detection, arachnophobics showed a reduced AB effect with respect to the butterfly-Probe session. Their spider detection scores were also greater than ratings obtained by non-phobic controls with both Probe types. Thus, fear appears to enhance the probability of consciously perceiving the stimulus even when attention is engaged by a previous demanding event. One may assume that spider-Probe is scarcely attention demanding because detection of threat in arachnophobics is increased by rapid amygdala activation of visual areas and/or facilitated by a strong arousal-induced noradrenergic cortical input. Alternatively, an attention capturing mechanism involuntary triggered by the phobic meaning of the stimulus could be hypothesized.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Physiological Sciences, University of Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: D'Alessandro
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gemignani
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Castellani
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sebastiani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D054518:Attentional Blink / Q000502:physiology*; D002080:Butterflies; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D013112:Spiders