Abstract
The prioritization of processing emotional stimuli usually produces deleterious effects on task performance when it distracts from a task. One common explanation is that brain resources are consumed by emotional stimuli, diverting resources away from executing the task. Viewing unpleasant stimuli also generates defensive reactions, and these responses may be at least partially responsible for the effect of the emotional modulation observed in various reaction time (RT) paradigms. We investigated whether modulatory effects on RT vary if we presented threat stimuli to prompt different defensive responses. To trigger different responses, we manipulated threat perception by moving the direction of threatening stimuli. Threatening or neutral stimuli were presented as distractors during a bar orientation discrimination task. The results demonstrated that threat stimuli directed toward the observer produced a decrease in RT; in contrast, threat stimuli directed away from the observer produced an increase in RT, when compared to neutral stimuli. Accelerated RT during directed toward threat stimuli was attributed to increased motor preparation resulting from strong activation of the defense response cascade. In contrast, directed away threat stimuli likely activated the defense cascade, but less intensively, prompting immobility. Different threat stimuli produced varying effects, which was interpreted as evidence that the modulation of RT by emotional stimuli represents the summation of attentional and motivational effects. Additionally, participants who had been previously exposed to diverse types of violent crime were more strongly influenced by threat stimuli directed toward the observer. In sum, our data support the concept that emotions are indeed action tendencies.
Highlights
There is considerable evidence suggesting that emotion affects behavior; understanding the ways that processing emotional visual stimuli produces this effect is of great interest
We found a negative modulation index (−24 ms) in the directed toward block, which indicates that participants’ reaction time (RT) were faster for threat than neutral stimuli
The results of this study revealed that presenting different threat stimuli produces varying types of RT modulation
Summary
There is considerable evidence suggesting that emotion affects behavior; understanding the ways that processing emotional visual stimuli produces this effect is of great interest. Darwin (1872) argued that emotions are adaptive insofar as they prompt actions that are beneficial to the organism In this theoretical framework, it is expected that processing emotional items should influence motor output by preparing individuals for action. Lang et al (1997) suggests heightened perceptual processing in the context of defensive response. According to this view, motivational circuits are triggered by external (environment) or internal (memory) cues facilitating cognitive processes that enhance perception in order to select an Frontiers in Human Neuroscience www.frontiersin.org
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