Abstract
Prior reports suggest that affective effects in visual word processing cannot be fully explained by a dimensional perspective of emotions based on valence and arousal. In the current study, we focused on the contribution of approach and avoidance motivational systems that are related to different action components to the processing of emotional words. To this aim, we compared frontal alpha asymmetries and brain oscillations elicited by anger words associated with approach (fighting) motivational tendencies, and fear words that may trigger either avoidance (escaping), approach (fighting) or no (freezing) action tendencies. The participants’ task was to make decisions about approaching or distancing from the concepts represented by words. The results of cluster-based and beamforming analyses revealed increased gamma power band synchronization for fear words relative to anger words between 725 and 750 ms, with an estimated neural origin in the temporal pole. These findings were interpreted to reflect a conflict between different action tendencies underlying the representation of fear words in semantic and emotional memories, when trying to achieve task requirements. These results are in line with the predictions made by the fear-hinders-action hypothesis. Additionally, current data highlights the contribution of motivational features to the representation and processing of emotional words.
Highlights
Language plays a pivotal role in communicating feelings and regulating social interactions
Beamforming analysis to estimate the neural origin of gamma band effects for fear words relative to anger words in the significant clusters yielded a peak maximum in the left temporal pole (BA 38; MNI coordinates x = −42, y = 17, z = −34)
In this study we further investigated the contribution of approach and avoidance motivational directions to the processing of emotional words
Summary
Language plays a pivotal role in communicating feelings and regulating social interactions. Research on the oscillatory neural activations associated with the processing of emotional words is very scarce, and has mainly relied on the assumptions of dimensional models of emotion (Russell, 2003). According to this view, valence (ranging from feeling unpleasant/negative to pleasant/positive) and arousal (ranging from feeling quiet to active) are the fundamental dimensions of affect. In the study by Hirata et al (2007), the authors observed a power decrease in the beta and gamma bands for both positive and negative words compared to neutral words that were associated with facilitated language processing during emotional word reading. Wang and Bastiaansen (2014) reported an alpha power decrease for emotional words relative to neutral words that was interpreted in terms of attentional engagement during the processing of negative and positive high-arousing words
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