title: Facial affect processing in social anxiety disorder with early onset: evidence of an intensity amplification bias.
abstract: The present event-related potential (ERP) study investigated for the first time whether children with early-onset social anxiety disorder (SAD) process affective facial expressions of varying intensities differently than non-anxious controls. Participants were 15 SAD patients and 15 non-anxious controls (mean age of 9 years). They were presented with schematic faces displaying anger and happiness at four intensity levels (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%), as well as with neutral faces. ERPs in early and later time windows (P100, N170, late positivity [LP]), as well as affective ratings (valence and arousal) for the faces, were recorded. SAD patients rated the faces as generally more arousing, regardless of the type of emotion and intensity. Moreover, they displayed enhanced right-parietal LP (350-650 ms). Both arousal ratings and LP reflect stimulus intensity. Therefore, this study provides first evidence of an intensity amplification bias in pediatric SAD during facial affect processing.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical Psychology , University of Graz , Graz , Austria.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schwab
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical Psychology , University of Graz , Graz , Austria.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schienle
mesh_terms: D015982:Bias; D002648:Child; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004644:Emotions; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D000072861:Phobia, Social / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: ERP; Social anxiety; emotion intensity; facial expression; late positivity