Emotional conflict occurs at an early stage: evidence from the emotional face-word Stroop task.
The perceptual processing of emotional conflict was studied using electrophysiological techniques to measure event-related potentials (ERPs). The emotional face-word Stroop task in which emotion words are written in prominent red color across a face was use to study emotional conflict. In each trial, the emotion word and facial expression were either congruent or incongruent (in conflict). When subjects were asked to identify the expression of the face during a trial, the incongruent condition evoked a more negative N170 ERP component in posterior lateral sites than in the congruent condition. In contrast, when subjects were asked to identify the word during a trial, the incongruent condition evoked a less negative N170 component than the congruent condition. The present findings extend our understanding of the control processes involved in emotional conflict by demonstrating that differentiation of emotional congruency begins at an early perceptual processing stage.
Zhu
Xiang-ru
XR
State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China. sbws6@yahoo.com.cn
Zhang
Hui-jun
HJ
Wu
Ting-ting
TT
Luo
Wen-bo
WB
Luo
Yue-jia
YJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004585:Electrooculography; D004644:Emotions; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual; D005133:Eye Movements; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D057190:Stroop Test; D055815:Young Adult