title: Social identity-based motivation modulates attention bias toward negative information: an event-related brain potential study.
abstract: Research has demonstrated that people readily pay more attention to negative than to positive and/or neutral stimuli. However, evidence from recent studies indicated that such an attention bias to negative information is not obligatory but sensitive to various factors. Two experiments using intergroup evaluative tasks (Study 1: a gender-related groups evaluative task and Study 2: a minimal-related groups evaluative task) was conducted to determine whether motivation to strive for a positive social identity - a part of one's self-concept - drives attention toward affective stimuli. Using the P1 component of event-related brain potentials (ERPs) as a neural index of attention, we confirmed that attention bias toward negative stimuli is not mandatory but it can depend on a motivational focus on affective outcomes. Results showed that social identity-based motivation is likely to bias attention toward affectively incongruent information. Thereby, early onset processes - reflected by the P1 component - appeared susceptible to top-down attentional influences induced by the individual's motivation to strive for a positive social identity.
authors.affiliation: Université de Rouen, Faculté des Sciences, Laboratoire de Psychologie et Neurosciences de la Cognition et de l'Affectivité (PSY.NCA EA-4306), France.
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Montalan
authors.affiliation: Université de Rouen, Faculté des Sciences, Laboratoire de Psychologie et Neurosciences de la Cognition et de l'Affectivité (PSY.NCA EA-4306), France.
authors.forename: Alexis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boitout
authors.affiliation: Université de Rouen, Faculté des Sciences, Laboratoire de Psychologie et Neurosciences de la Cognition et de l'Affectivité (PSY.NCA EA-4306), France.
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Veujoz
authors.affiliation: Université de Rouen, Faculté des Sciences, Laboratoire de Psychologie et Neurosciences de la Cognition et de l'Affectivité (PSY.NCA EA-4306), France.
authors.forename: Arnaud
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leleu
authors.affiliation: Université de Rouen, Faculté des Sciences, Laboratoire de Psychologie et Neurosciences de la Cognition et de l'Affectivité (PSY.NCA EA-4306), France.
authors.forename: Raymonde
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Germain
authors.affiliation: CNRS & EHESS, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Personnaz
authors.affiliation: Université de Rouen, Faculté des Sciences, Département de Psychologie, France.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lalonde
authors.affiliation: Université de Rouen, Faculté des Sciences, Laboratoire de Psychologie et Neurosciences de la Cognition et de l'Affectivité (PSY.NCA EA-4306), France.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rebaï
keywords: Intergroup relations; P1 component; affective stimuli; attention bias; motivation; social identity theory