Negative Emotional Valence Intensity Affects Visual Target Detection in the Information Encoding Process

Yasuhiro Takeshima

doi:10.5539/ijps.v10n1p19

Abstract

Previous studies have not yet investigated sufficiently the relationship between visual processing and negative emotional valence intensity, which is the degree of a dimensional component included in emotional information. In Experiment 1, participants performed a visual search task with three valence levels: neutral (control) and high- and low-intensity negative emotional valence stimuli (both angry faces). Results indicated that response times for high-intensity negative emotional valence stimuli were shorter than low-intensity ones. In Experiment 2, participants were asked to detect a target face among successively presented faces. Facial stimuli were the same as in Experiment 1. Results revealed that accuracy was higher for angry faces than for neutral faces. However, performance did not differ as a function of negative emotional valence intensity. Overall, the task performance differences between negative emotional valence intensities were observed in visual search, but not in attentional blink. Therefore, negative emotional valence intensity likely contributes to the process of efficient visual information encoding.

Highlights

The present study examined the relationship between negative emotional valence intensity and visual target detection
Visual search time was shorter for high-intensity negative emotional valence faces than for low-intensity negative emotional valence and neutral faces
A significant difference was not observed between low-intensity negative emotional valence faces and neutral faces

Summary

Introduction

Life is replete with visual information. We extract important information efficiently from the surrounding environment by orienting our attention to objects. Some previous researches using a visual search task with emotional stimuli as targets or distractors at search display (e.g., Öhman, Flykt, & Esteves, 2001) have revealed the attentional capture effects. On the other hand, Haas, Amso, and Fox (2017) presented facial emotion as priming stimuli prior to visual search display, and they found that primed threat facial stimuli (i.e., angry, surprised and fearful faces) degraded the search efficiency of individuals of high levels of social anxiety. Schmidt, Belopolsky, and Theeuwes (2015) have revealed the attentional capture of emotional stimuli using different approach They presented neutral shape stimuli (diamonds), combined with an electrical shock for fear-conditioning, as distractors. Infants with a smaller attentional bias to fearful faces exhibited insecure attachment

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion