title: Are coarse scales sufficient for fast detection of visual threat?
abstract: It has recently been suggested that low-spatial-frequency information would provide rapid visual cues to the amygdala for basic but ultrarapid behavioral responses to dangerous stimuli. The present behavioral study investigated the role of different spatial-frequency channels in visually detecting dangerous stimuli belonging to living or nonliving categories. Subjects were engaged in a visual detection task involving dangerous stimuli, and subjects' behavioral responses were assessed in association with their fear expectations (induced by an aversive 90-dB white noise). Our results showed that, despite its crudeness, low-spatial-frequency information could constitute a sufficient signal for fast recognition of visual danger in a context of fear expectation. In addition, we found that this effect tended to be specific for living entities. These results were obtained despite a strong perceptual bias toward faster recognition of high-spatial-frequency stimuli under supraliminal perception durations.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Psychologie Sociale et Cognitive, Clermont Université, Université Blaise Pascal, Clermont-Ferrand, France. martial.mermillod@univ-bpclermont.fr
authors.forename: Martial
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mermillod
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Droit-Volet
authors.forename: Damien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Devaux
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schaefer
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vermeulen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001143:Arousal; D001245:Association Learning; D003118:Color Perception; D003617:Dangerous Behavior; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time; D055815:Young Adult