Neutral Photographs Research Articles

Gender differences in response to pictures of nudes: a magnetoencephalographic study

The magnetic equivalent of the contingent negative variation (CMV) and visual evoked magnetic fields (VEF) in anticipation of pictures of opposite-sex nude, same-sex nude, and neutral photographs has been recorded with whole-head MEG in 12 males and 12 females. Subjective ratings of valence indicated a strong gender effect. While females rated both male and female nudes as neutral, males rated male nudes similar to neutrals but female nudes received higher scores of pleasantness. Gender differences were also found for ratings of picture-induced arousal. While females rated male and female nudes as equally arousing, males attributed more arousal to opposite-sex nudes. The CMV instead revealed, for both male and female participants, higher amplitudes for opposite-sex nudes. VEF in response to nudes revealed two components with mean latencies of 126 and 203 ms. The amplitude of the first component was stronger in males than in females, and only in males the magnetic activity was increased in response to male and female nudes compared to neutral pictures. For the second component the mean magnetic activity was higher in response to nudes than to neutral contents for both male and female participants. The results are discussed in terms of an evolutionary view of sexual selection, which predicts a greater response in male subjects to stimuli relevant for mate choice.

Ecstasy and agony: activation of the human amygdala in positive and negative emotion.

Considerable evidence indicates that the amygdala plays a critical role in negative, aversive human emotions. Although researchers have speculated that the amygdala plays a role in positive emotion, little relevant evidence exists. We examined the neural correlates of positive and negative emotion using positron emission tomography (PET), focusing on the amygdala. Participants viewed positive and negative photographs, as well as interesting and uninteresting neutral photographs, during PET scanning. The left amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex were activated during positive emotion, and bilateral amygdala activation occurred during negative emotion. High-interest, unusual photographs also elicited left-amygdala activation, a finding consistent with suggestions that the amygdala is involved in vigilance reactions to associatively ambiguous stimuli. The current results constitute the first neuroimaging evidence for a role of the amygdala in positive emotional reactions elicited by visual stimuli. Although the amygdala appears to play a more extensive role in negative emotion, it is involved in positive emotion as well.

Memory enhancement for emotional stimuli is impaired in early Alzheimer's disease.

Emotional arousal is associated with enhanced memory in neurologically intact individuals, but it is unknown whether this effect is obtained in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The current study compared emotional memory and emotional reactions in patients with early AD and in older controls. Participants viewed emotionally arousing (both pleasant and unpleasant) and neutral photographs while cognitive and electrophysiological reactions were assessed. Memory was tested by free recall and recognition. Emotional reactions were normal in the AD group, but the emotional memory effect (enhanced memory for emotional vs. neutral stimuli) was impaired. Recall results indicated that this effect was normal for pleasant stimuli but abnormal for unpleasant stimuli. These results suggest that the neural basis for the emotional memory effect may be disrupted in AD. Findings are discussed in terms of the role of the amygdala in mediating emotional memory.

Visual avoidance in specific phobia

Cognitive models of anxiety postulate that fear and anxiety serve as programs for avoidance of threat-relevant stimuli. We hypothesized that exposure to phobia-relevant stimuli would lead to visual avoidance in specific phobics. Spider phobic, blood-injection-injury phobic, and nonphobic participants were asked to view spider, injection, and neutral photographs through a three-channel tachistoscope that measured viewing time for each picture. Despite experimenter instructions to study the pictures carefully for a subsequent recognition test, phobic subjects showed decreased viewing times for threat-relevant pictures as compared to neutral pictures. Results are discussed in terms of cognitive models of anxiety disorders and implications for exposure-based therapies.

The Effect of Associated Persons upon the Formation and Modifiability of First Impressions

Abstract This study demonstrates the powerful effect of associated persons on the formation and modifiability of first impressions. Initially 50 Ss were shown neutral photographs of 16 models and tested as to first impressions and the existence of an associated person. Subsequently, incongruous photographs were shown of selected models, and the results analyzed as to modifiability of impressions. Associated persons were reported in approximately half of all interpersonal perceptions. A stranger reminding the S of somebody else was perceived as similar to the associated person. The stronger the association, the greater the perceived similarity. Furthermore, the perceiver continued to feel toward the stranger as to the associated person, in spite of subsequent conflicting information, as long as the original strength of the association was maintained. However, once this association was even slightly weakened, first perceptions became as modifiable for association models as for models where no associated per...

Context effects in person perception as a function of dogmatism.

48 Ss each judged 6 test photographs of adult males which had been previously judged to be neutral on the tense-relaxed dimension. Four Ss were assigned to each cell of the 2 × 3 × 2 experimental design, which included sex of S, level of dogmatism (high, middle, and low), and nature of the 6 anchor photographs which preceded the test photographs (tense or relaxed anchors). The neutral photos were judged to be more relaxed when preceded by the tense anchors and were judged more tense when preceded by the relaxed anchors. Dogmatism was not a significant source of variance. Female Ss tended to respond more strongly to the tense anchor and to judge the neutral photos as being more relaxed than did the male Ss.