Sustained preferential processing of social threat cues: bias without competition?
Stimuli of high emotional significance such as social threat cues are preferentially processed in the human brain. However, there is an ongoing debate whether or not these stimuli capture attention automatically and weaken the processing of concurrent stimuli in the visual field. This study examined continuous fluctuations of electrocortical facilitation during competition of two spatially separated facial expressions in high and low socially anxious individuals. Two facial expressions were flickered for 3000 msec at different frequencies (14 and 17.5 Hz) to separate the electrocortical signals evoked by the competing stimuli ("frequency tagging"). Angry faces compared to happy and neutral expressions were associated with greater electrocortical facilitation over visual areas only in the high socially anxious individuals. This finding was independent of the respective competing stimulus. Heightened electrocortical engagement in socially anxious participants was present in the first second of stimulus viewing and was sustained for the entire presentation period. These results, based on a continuous measure of attentional resource allocation, support the view that stimuli of high personal significance are associated with early and sustained prioritized sensory processing. These cues, however, do not interfere with the electrocortical processing of a spatially separated concurrent face, suggesting that they are effective at capturing attention, but are weak competitors for resources.
Wieser
Matthias J
MJ
University of Florida, USA. wieser@psychologie.uniwuerzburg.de
McTeague
Lisa M
LM
Keil
Andreas
A
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D015982:Bias; D001931:Brain Mapping; D058256:Brain Waves / Q000502:physiology; D003463:Cues; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012919:Social Behavior; D013997:Time Factors; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology
Cogn Emot. 2002 May 1;16(3):355-379
18273395
Trends Cogn Sci. 2007 Jul;11(7):307-16
17553730
Behav Res Ther. 1997 Dec;35(12):1113-21
9465444
Neuroimage. 2006 Jun;31(2):906-19
16488159
Psychophysiology. 1986 Mar;23(2):123-45
3704069
Biol Psychol. 2007 Oct;76(3):163-9
17764810
J Abnorm Psychol. 2006 Nov;115(4):760-70
17100533
Clin Psychol Rev. 2008 Oct;28(7):1206-21
18555570
Psychol Sci. 2002 Mar;13(2):119-24
11933994
Hum Brain Mapp. 2007 Apr;28(4):323-34
16779799
Behav Res Ther. 2002 Jun;40(6):677-87
12051486
Psychophysiology. 2003 Jul;40(4):648-53
14570172
J Pers Soc Psychol. 2001 Mar;80(3):381-96
11300573
Neurosci Lett. 2003 May 22;342(3):191-5
12757897
Neuroreport. 2008 Aug 27;19(13):1339-43
18695520
Behav Neurosci. 2003 Apr;117(2):369-80
12708533
Behav Res Ther. 1997 Aug;35(8):741-56
9256517
Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2009 Sep;9(3):314-22
19679766
Emotion. 2005 Dec;5(4):379-95
16366743
Neuropsychobiology. 2005;52(3):163-8
16137995
Brain Cogn. 2005 Oct;59(1):11-22
15919145
Psychiatry Res. 2007 Jan 15;154(1):93-8
17097275
Neuroimage. 2004 Mar;21(3):954-64
15006662
Cereb Cortex. 2005 Aug;15(8):1187-97
15590910
Psychophysiology. 1998 Mar;35(2):199-210
9529946
Psychophysiology. 2000 Mar;37(2):127-52
10731765
Psychophysiology. 2010 Mar 1;47(2):271-80
20030758
Neuroscience. 2003;118(4):1099-120
12732254
Cognition. 2008 Apr;107(1):330-42
17767926
Neuroreport. 1998 Apr 20;9(6):1223-6
9601698
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1998 Aug 29;353(1373):1257-70
9770220
Vis cogn. 2005;12(1):145-158
17460752
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2002 Nov;59(11):1027-34
12418936
Nature. 2003 Jul 17;424(6946):309-12
12867981
Psychophysiology. 2009 Jan;46(1):28-33
18992071
Psychophysiology. 2006 Mar;43(2):216-26
16712592
Int J Psychophysiol. 2004 Jun;53(1):29-36
15172133
Brain Res. 2006 Nov 6;1118(1):130-41
16970928
J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2009 Jun;116(6):735-46
18784899
J Neurosci. 2009 Nov 25;29(47):14864-8
19940182
J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 1994 Mar;25(1):49-59
7962581
Brain Res Bull. 2008 Nov 25;77(5):286-92
18771714
Clin Neurophysiol. 2001 Nov;112(11):2057-68
11682344
Biol Psychiatry. 2006 Mar 1;59(5):424-9
16256956
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1998 Aug 29;353(1373):1245-55
9770219
Behav Res Ther. 2004 Oct;42(10):1183-92
15350857
Neuroimage. 2002 Dec;17(4):1684-92
12498742
Cereb Cortex. 2007 May;17(5):1085-91
16769742
Neuropsychologia. 2009 Nov;47(13):2975-80
19576234
Psychol Bull. 2007 Jan;133(1):1-24
17201568
Behav Res Ther. 1997 Apr;35(4):297-303
9134784
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1996 May 14;93(10):4770-4
8643478
Behav Neurosci. 2007 Dec;121(6):1156-62
18085868
Behav Res Ther. 2002 Dec;40(12):1403-14
12457635
Behav Res Ther. 1998 Mar;36(3):311-21
9642850
Psychol Med. 2001 Aug;31(6):1025-35
11513370
Emotion. 2007 May;7(2):336-53
17516812
Cereb Cortex. 2008 Aug;18(8):1892-9
18063562
Neurosci Lett. 2002 Aug 16;328(3):233-6
12147314
Brain Topogr. 1997 Spring;9(3):163-8
9104827
J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2009 Jun;116(6):717-23
18690409
Psychophysiology. 2008 Jul;45(4):516-23
18513365
Biol Psychol. 2008 Apr;78(1):93-103
18353522
Psychol Rev. 2001 Jul;108(3):483-522
11488376
Psychophysiology. 2000 Jul;37(4):523-32
10934911
Depress Anxiety. 2008;25(6):496-505
17595018
Emotion. 2001 Sep;1(3):276-98
12934687