人类对情绪事件效价强度的易感性及神经机制

人类情绪无疑有强度的差异。然而, 长期以来人类情绪强度的易感性未能引起足够关注。通过系统操纵刺激材料的效价强度, 作者及研究团队分别从情绪易感性本身, 情绪影响高级认知, 以及个体差异三个层次系统探讨了人类对情绪事件效价强度的易感性及其神经机制。结果发现：1)、相比正性刺激, 人类对负性刺激的效价强度更敏感, 这一效应可能跟右侧海马/杏仁核的警觉功能有关联。2)、与上述结果相一致, 不同效价强度的负性情绪对新异性加工、目标觉察、执行控制等高级认知过程具有显著不同的影响。3)、人类情绪强度的易感性具有显著个体差异：相比男性, 女性对轻度负性情绪事件易感性更强。相比中向人群, 外倾人群对愉悦刺激的情绪易感性更强, 而对轻度负性事件的情绪易感性更弱。     

情绪对注意功能网络的调制

情绪性注意是一种对具有情绪意义的刺激进行选择和加工的注意.由于刺激的情绪效价能调制人脑的感知和注意系统,因而,与对中性刺激的注意相比,情绪性注意的神经机制更加复杂.较早的研究显示,杏仁核对感知皮层的调制对情绪性注意起关键作用.近期的证据表明,杏仁核对注意功能网络的调制可能是其重要的神经机制.本文梳理了相关领域的研究证据,主要强调情绪性刺激对注意的警觉、定向和执行控制网络的调制,发现情绪性注意加工的认知神经机制可能涉及一个以杏仁核为核心的多重功能网络.     

毒品成瘾者情绪加工及应对方式的特点:基于负性情绪的视角

负性情绪是导致个体毒品成瘾及复吸的主要心理因素。毒品成瘾者在情绪加工过程中会夸大负性刺激,产生负性化偏向,提高负性情绪的唤醒度,最终导致其产生更多负性情绪体验。而当毒品成瘾者体验到诸如焦虑、抑郁、压力等负性情绪时,他们却更倾向于使用毒品来缓解或逃避负性情绪带来的不愉快体验。研究表明,毒品成瘾者这种负性情绪加工异常的根本原因在于长期毒品滥用所导致的个体大脑情绪回路相关脑区的受损,如杏仁核、海马、额叶等。未来研究应更进一步探讨成瘾者负性情绪加工与毒品成瘾之间的关系;并对戒断者在负性情绪加工能力的恢复方面做进一步探索,开展更多的关于如何改善成瘾者及戒断者对负性情绪应对方式的研究,从而更为有效抑制个体对毒品形成的心理依赖及强迫的药物渴求行为。     

情绪记忆编码增强效应的认知神经机制

相对于中性刺激,情绪信息在记忆的准确性和细节方面都会得到显著的增强,这种增强效应在编码阶段受到情绪效价和唤醒的影响。涉及到的脑区主要包括:双侧杏仁核、海马前部、海马回和前额叶皮层。杏仁核—内侧颞叶(MTL)系统支持唤醒信息的编码增强效应,反映的是情绪对记忆自动化的影响,属于自动加工,主要受情绪唤醒的调节;前额叶网络支持消极无唤醒信息的编码增强效应,对情绪信息的加工属于控制加工,主要受情绪效价的调节。     

情绪效价及强度对词汇加工的影响

以46名大学生为被试,以不同词性（名词&动词）的汉语双字正性情绪词、负性情绪词、中性词作为刺激材料,考察情绪效价强度（极端、中等、中性）对词性判断加工的影响。结果表明：（1）动词的词性判断比名词难,且该难度会受到高强度情绪信息的影响而扩大。（2）情绪效价及强度对名词加工的影响表现在两个方面：极端正性情绪易化对名词的加工,增强名词加工的优势效应;而中等和极端负性情绪干扰对名词的词性判断,削弱名词加工的优势效应。（3）除了受到性别、性格等因素的影响外,情绪效价强度效应的具体表现还受刺激类型的调制。     

同步与否：婴儿基本面部表情识别的发展特点

面部表情是通过眼部、口部等肌肉动作传递出来的情绪信号。婴儿对面部表情的正确识别是婴儿与外界交流的重要手段,有利于情绪认知的发展。婴儿对基本面部表情识别的发展具有非同步性的特点：对正性效价表情的识别早于负性效价表情,2个月大的婴儿能辨别出正性效价表情,4～6个月大时能辨别出不同的负性效价表情;情绪感知能力的发展早于情绪理解能力,7个月大的婴儿已初步具备情绪感知能力,12个月大的婴儿还不能准确区分不同的负性效价表情所表达的情绪意义。婴儿识别表情受到环境和认知因素的双重影响,反映了基本情绪的激活到情绪图式的形成过程。     

情绪信息优先权的效价差异

采用两个实验考察不同效价的情绪信息在竞争注意资源的优先权上是否存在差异。结果表明:(1)作为干扰刺激呈现,只有负性干扰刺激诱发了Ei B,而且在lag-1条件时干扰作用最强;(2)作为靶刺激呈现,正、负性刺激在lag-1条件时对T2的干扰显著大于中性刺激。研究表明负性刺激的优先权很强;正性刺激在与任务目标相关时具有认知加工的优先权;情绪信息的优先权在刺激最初呈现时最强烈,然后迅速减弱。     

主观时间流逝速度调节情绪效价的特异性

本研究在中国情绪图片系统中随机选取200张情绪图片,并在不同的主观时间流逝速度下,对其进行效价和唤醒度评分,探讨主观时间流逝速度对不同的情绪维度(效价和唤醒度)以及情绪的不同水平的调节效应是否一致。研究结果表明,主观时间流逝速度增加时,人们对中性和正性情绪图片的评价更加积极,但主观时间流逝速度不能调节人们对负性情绪图片的评价,也不能调节人们的唤醒水平。结果提示"时间飞逝时,我更快乐"效应具有效价特异性。     

青少年负性情绪事件性质判断偏向的情绪弹性和性别效应

研究以青少年学生为被试,采用测验和实验的方法考察了情绪弹性和性别变量对青少年在四类负性情绪事件性质的判断偏向上可能产生的影响。结果表明：（1）情绪弹性对青少年加工负性情绪事件信息时的判断偏向产生一定影响,低情绪弹性个体在面对与一般生活情境相关的负性情绪事件时,更倾向于从消极方面对事件的性质加以判断。（2）性别对青少年加工负性情绪事件信息时的判断偏向不产生实质性影响。     

情绪对注意范围的影响: 动机程度的调节作用

在匹配了情绪刺激的效价和唤醒度后,检验了情绪的动机程度对注意范围的影响。研究采用Navon字母任务,通过被试对整体字母和局部字母的反应考察了注意范围的变化。结果显示,被试在中性状态下出现整体加工偏向;在低动机程度的正性和负性情绪下偏向加强,注意范围扩大;在高动机程度的正性和负性情绪下偏向减弱,注意范围缩小。因此,在同一效价内动机程度的不同仍会影响注意加工,高动机程度窄化注意范围,低动机程度反之。     

A Role for the Human Amygdala in Recognizing Emotional Arousal From Unpleasant Stimuli

Functional neuroimaging and lesion-based neuropsychological experiments have demonstrated the human amygdala's role in recognition of certain emotions signaled by sensory stimuli, notably, fear and anger in facial expressions. We examined recognition of two emotional dimensions, arousal and valence, in a rare subject with complete, bilateral damage restricted to the amygdala. Recognition of emotional arousal was impaired for facial expressions, words, and sentences that depicted unpleasant emotions, especially in regard to fear and anger. However, recognition of emotional valence was normal. The findings suggest that the amygdala plays a critical role in knowledge concerning the arousal of negative emotions, a function that may explain the impaired recognition of fear and anger in patients with bilateral amygdala damage, and one that is consistent with the amygdala's role in processing stimuli related to threat and danger.     

群体面孔情绪感知的神经机制

如何揭示情绪性面孔加工的认知神经机制一直是心理学和社会神经科学的热点课题。以往研究主要采用单独面孔表情作为情绪诱发或呈现方式, 但对群体情绪知觉与体验的关注极其缺乏, 而群体面孔表情作为群体情绪的主要表达方式, 亟待深入关注。因此, 本项目将采用群体面孔(面孔群)表情作为群体情绪刺激, 拟通过事件相关电位(ERP)、核磁共振(fMRI)以及经颅磁刺激(TMS)等技术结合行为研究, 尝试从情绪信息(效价和强度)、朝向信息(正面、侧面、倒置)、完整性(局部呈现、完整呈现)、空间频率信息(完整、高频、低频)等方面探明群体面孔表情加工的时间动态特征和大脑激活模式。这将有助于全面认识和深入了解群体情绪识别的一般规律, 对于更好地优化社会互动也具有现实意义。     

情绪作为事件性前瞻记忆的附加线索:相反效价增强效应

使用前瞻记忆双任务实验范式,同时操纵当前任务与前瞻任务包含的情绪效价以及前瞻记忆的前瞻成分和回溯成分的情绪效价,考察双任务和两成分效价一致或相反条件对事件性前瞻记忆加工的影响。结果发现,与情绪效价一致时相比,双任务的效价相反时前瞻记忆更能正确执行,两成分情绪效价相反时前瞻成分完成更好。这种相反效价增强前瞻记忆的效应表明情绪作为附加线索影响了事件性前瞻记忆加工过程。     

Catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met genotype affects neural correlates of aversive stimuli processing

It was previously shown that variation of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene modulates brain activity during the processing of stimuli with negative valence, but not for pleasant stimuli. Here, we tested whether the COMT genotype also modulates the electrophysiological correlates of emotional processing and explored whether the environmental factor of life stress influences this effect. Using the early posterior negativity (EPN) paradigm, event-related brain potentials were measured in 81 healthy individuals during the processing of pictures that evoked emotions of positive and negative valence. As was hypothesized, the COMT genotype affected the EPN amplitudes for unpleasant stimuli, but not for pleasant ones. Specifically, Met/Met carriers respond more sensitively to unpleasant stimuli, as compared with Val/Val carriers. We did not find evidence that life stress moderates the effect of the COMT genotype on emotional stimuli processing.     

积极情绪反馈对注意捕获影响的实验研究

目的：研究采用“学习-测试”范式,通过3个实验探讨积极社会情绪反馈对注意捕获的影响。方法：实验1,在学习阶段做出反应后,分别给予积极情绪和中性情绪反馈,探讨积极情绪和中性情绪捕获注意的情况;实验2,学习阶段做出反应后,没有任何情绪反馈;实验3,改变学习阶段积极情绪和中性情绪反馈图片出现的频率,探讨图片出现频率对注意捕获的影响。结果：（1）与中性情绪相比,积极情绪捕获了较多注意（实验1）;（2）无情绪反馈时,经过多次练习的刺激作为干扰刺激也捕获到了注意（实验2）;（3）积极情绪影响刺激注意优先性的过程还受到积极情绪图片出现频率的影响（实验3）。结论：积极情绪捕获注意的机制中,也有自上而下目标驱动的机制在起作用;情绪图片出现的频率也会影响社社会情绪对注意的捕获。     

Counter-regulation triggered by emotions: Positive/negative affective states elicit opposite valence biases in affective processing

The present study investigated whether counter-regulation in affective processing is triggered by emotions. Automatic attention allocation to valent stimuli was measured in the context of positive and negative affective states. Valence biases were assessed by comparing the detection of positive versus negative words in a visual search task (Experiment 1) or by comparing interference effects of positive and negative distractor words in an emotional Stroop task (Experiment 2). Imagining a hypothetical emotional situation (Experiment 1) or watching romantic versus depressing movie clips (Experiment 2) increased attention allocation to stimuli that were opposite in valence to the current emotional state. Counter-regulation is assumed to reflect a basic mechanism underlying implicit emotion regulation.     

The experience of positive emotion is associated with the automatic processing of positive emotional words

The current study examines the relationship between attention bias for positive emotional words and self-reported emotional experience. Previous research suggests that the experience of positive emotion momentarily broadens cognitive processes, potentially allowing individuals to build an array of enduring personal resources. However, it is unknown whether the experience of positive emotion also broadens emotional information processing. Participants included 60 healthy undergraduate students who completed measures of psychopathology, self-reported emotional experience, and an emotional Stroop task designed to measure attentional bias to positive and negative emotional information. Results indicate significant associations between reaction times for high-intensity happiness words and self-reported high levels of positive emotion and low levels of negative emotions. These associations were not present for low intensity happiness words. Findings suggest that individuals who experience high levels of positive emotion and low levels of negative emotion demonstrate an attention bias for positive information and, from an information processing perspective, provide insight into the manner in which positive emotions broaden cognitive processes.     

Electrophysiological indices of emotion processing during retrieval of autobiographical memories by school-age children

We used event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine emotion processing during retrieval of emotional autobiographical memories by school-age children. We initiated processing of the emotional experiences using neutral cue words. On one-third of trials, children were instructed to think of a memory of a negative event, and on another third of trials, they were instructed to think of a memory of a positive event. We then recorded ERPs from 32 electrode sites as the children processed the emotional memories again later in the testing session. The 7- to 10-year-old children generated memories appropriate to the valences specified in the instructions. Neural responses differed as a function of the emotional valence of the events associated with the cues and as a function of gender. In the sample as a whole, differential processing of positive relative to negative and neutral emotions was apparent at posterior electrode sites 1,000–1,500 ms after stimulus onset. For girls, the effect was apparent beginning at 500 ms. No differences between the neural responses to negative and neutral stimuli were observed. At frontal electrode sites, girls evidenced faster processing of positive than of negative emotion, whereas boys evidenced faster processing of negative than of positive emotion. In conclusion, we discuss the possible origins of gender-differential patterns of neural processing.     

时间间隔和情绪效价对双字词重复启动效应的影响

已有研究大多以中性刺激为材料,尚缺乏同时关注预存知识表征和情绪效价对重复启动效应影响及时间间隔对情绪材料相应效应调节机制的探究。本研究以国际情绪词库翻译而成的汉语双字词为材料并控制其效价,旨在探讨时间间隔对不同情绪效价词的重复启动效应的影响,并与转置词的结果相比较。结果显示,转置词较标准词的重复启动效应更强;立即重复较长间隔条件的重复启动效应更强;情绪效价与时间间隔交互影响词的重复启动效应。上述结果表明,情绪效价对重复启动效应的影响受时间间隔调节且支持注意资源缩减理论;该作用为材料是否具有预存知识表征所调节,支持自下而上加工的观点。     

On the dynamics of implicit emotion regulation: Counter-regulation after remembering events of high but not of low emotional intensity

Valence biases in attention allocation were assessed after remembering positive or negative personal events that were either still emotionally hot or to which the person had already adapted psychologically. Differences regarding the current state of psychological adjustment were manipulated experimentally by instructing participants to recall distant vs. recent events (Experiment 1) or affectively hot events vs. events to which the person had accommodated already (Experiment 2). Valence biases in affective processing were measured with a valence search task. Processes of emotional counter-regulation (i.e., attention allocation to stimuli of opposite valence to the emotional event) were elicited by remembering affectively hot events, whereas congruency effects (i.e., attention allocation to stimuli of the same valence as the emotional event) were obtained for events for which a final appraisal had already been established. The results of our study help to resolve conflicting findings from the literature regarding congruent vs. incongruent effects of remembering emotional events on affective processing. We discuss implications of our findings for the conception of emotions and for the dynamics of emotion regulation processes.