Emotional Attention: Uncovering the Mechanisms of Affective Biases in Perception

ABSTRACT— The emotional significance of sensory events may influence attention in a reflexive manner, but these effects vary across paradigms and participants. Recent research indicates that specific circuits in the brain may serve to amplify neural responses to emotional stimuli, a modulation similar to attentional effects usually driven by endogenous goals. However, this modulation involves distinct sources in emotional systems such as the amygdala, and may thus operate partly independent of top-down control by attentional systems in frontoparietal cortices. It remains to be clarified to what degree these emotional effects are influenced by specific perceptual and emotional dimensions, automaticity and attentional resources, task goals or expectations, and individual personality traits.     

青少年依恋环境的情绪启动和注意恢复功能

以往研究发现自然环境能激发个体积极情绪,恢复集中注意。当个体对自然环境的依恋程度不同时,环境的情绪启动和注意恢复功能是否存在差异?研究以96名初一学生为被试考察地方依恋对环境的情绪和注意恢复作用是否产生影响。根据被试对某自然环境的依恋水平将其分为高依恋和低依恋组,并在被试参加情绪启动实验(实验1)和集中注意实验(实验2)时将其分为实验组和控制组以考察对环境依恋水平不同的被试观看该环境图片后情绪启动和注意恢复状况是否存在差异。实验1显示低依恋实验组对厌恶的反应时显著短于其他三组;实验2结果表明高依恋实验组被试在观看自然环境图片后在注意后测任务上的反应时显著短于低依恋实验组和控制组。     

情绪启动研究的实验范式

情绪启动是探讨情绪和态度自动激活的有效方法,近期其研究范式有了较大的发展,相继产生了经典情绪启动实验、阈下情绪启动实验、向后情绪启动实验以及情绪启动与其他范式相结合的实验等较有影响的研究范式。文章分别梳理了这些范式及其研究结果,并在此基础上,总结研究所采用的范式并展望今后研究的发展趋势。     

情绪评价任务中抑郁个体的分心抑制机制实验研究

本实验使用情绪负启动技术,在情绪评价任务中考察了抑郁个体和正常被试对正、负情绪词分心抑制方面的差异。结果显示,与控制条件下相比,非抑郁控制组被试在负启动条件下对探测显示中正、负性靶子词的反应时间更长;抑郁个体只表现在对探测显示中正性靶子词反应时的延长,负性靶子词未出现负启动效应。结果说明,抑郁个体对负性信息存在抑制机制障碍,对负性信息的偏向与选择性注意中的维持成分有关。这提示心理治疗家应该注重训练抑郁个体对负性信息的抑制能力,预防抑郁复发的目标应集中在注意持续的控制上。     

情绪反应时间动力性的研究现状与展望

情绪反应的时间动力性系指情绪反应在时间方面的动力性质,是情感风格、情绪调节、情绪恢复等内容的重要特征,其研究对促进身心健康、完善情绪理论具有重要的理论和实践意义。文章阐述了情绪反应时间动力性的内涵与外延、相关理论,以及情绪反应时间动力性的各个参数及其影响因素的研究现状,并就未来研究增加自主生理反应指标、文化背景等因素予以展望     

选择性注意中的客体与空间因素

注意选择理论可以分为空间选择和客体选择两大模型,文章首先介绍了这两类模型的观点,概述了客体选择和空间因素的关系与区别,也介绍了包括距离操纵和线索启动在内的客体选择和空间选择分离技术及其理论逻辑。     

The Impact of Affective States and Affective Shifts on Creative Ideation and Evaluation

This study aims to examine the impact of affective states and affective shifts on ideation and evaluation of creativity. Affects were induced by a two‐stage imagination procedure of recalling autobiographical experiences. Three periods of divergent thinking were measured to represent the participants’ creative ideation at different times. Creative evaluation was measured by estimating the originality of each response provided by the participants. The results indicate that (a) during the initial period of ideation, groups with positive affect obtain better creative ideation than the groups with neutral or negative affect. (b) The ideation in positive affect groups gradually decreases over time, while the ideation in negative affect groups gradually increases over time. (c) During the evaluation of originality, groups with negative affect have a higher proportion of over‐estimates and a lower proportion of under‐estimates than groups with positive affect. The viewpoints of cognitive tuning theory, which posit that the affective state influences creativity, are supported.     

工作记忆与选择性注意的交互关系

综述了近年来工作记忆和选择性注意交互关系的一系列研究。研究者们主要从两个方面对该领域的问题进行了探讨：（1）工作记忆在选择性注意中的作用,主要涉及工作记忆的内容在选择性注意的注意导向中的作用、在晚期反应选择中的作用以及在视觉搜索和返回抑制中的作用等方面;（2）选择性注意在工作记忆的信息维持和更新中的作用,主要涉及空间注意在空间工作记忆的复述机制中的作用、注意的分心物加工机制对工作记忆的影响以及在记忆表征中的选择性注意等方面     

选择性注意和分配性注意对多感觉整合的不同影响*

以简单图形为视觉刺激,以短纯音作为听觉刺激,通过指导被试注意不同通道（注意视觉、注意听觉、注意视听）以形成不同注意状态（选择性注意和分配性注意）,考察了注意对多感觉整合的影响,发现只有在分配性注意时被试对双通道目标的反应最快最准确。通过竞争模型分析发现,这种对双通道目标的加工优势源自于视听双通道刺激的整合。上述结果表明,只有在分配性注意状态下才会产生多感觉整合。     

重读对口语理解中时间选择性注意分配的影响

采用事件相关电位（ERP）技术来研究重读如何影响口语加工中早期的选择性注意分配。并进一步研究重读的这种注意调控作用是否受声调的影响。实验以单个句子为实验材料,结果发现重读比不重读条件下的关键词更早的引起一个早期负波（N1）,并且引起更大的N400。在两个时间窗口重读的效应都不受声调的调控。这些结果表明,在自然的口语理解过程中,重读能够快速的调控早期选择性注意的分配,并影响接下来的语义加工的深度。     

双避冲突情境中情绪对言语交际策略的影响

研究随机抽取了113名本科生,考察了情绪和冲突程度对言语交际推诿程度的影响。结果表明：1）情绪对言语推诿程度有显著影响,在积极情绪状态下个体言语推诿程度显著的低于消极情绪状态下个体的言语推诿;2）冲突程度对言语推诿程度影响差异不显著,情绪和冲突程度的交互作用对言语推诿程度的影响显著。冲突程度增强了情绪对言语推诿程度的影响。     

海洛因戒断者的阈下情绪启动研究

研究表明海洛因戒断者的情绪加工异常,但其阈下情绪加工是否异常尚无定论。本研究采用阈下情绪启动范式,考察其阈下情绪加工能力。结果：戒断组的反应时显著高于控制组;两组中,相比不一致、控制状态,一致状态反应时均显著最短;在戒断组中,不一致状态的反应时显著大于控制状态,负性图片的反应时显著大于正性图片,而在控制组中差异不显著。结论：戒断者存在阈下情绪启动效应,阈下情绪加工存在正性偏向,且能力弱于正常人。     

The Development of Selective Attention in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

The influence of age on a selective attention task was studied in a sample of children with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The impact of methylphenidate (MPH) treatment on selective attention was also investigated in the children with ADHD. Two age groups of children with ADHD and two age groups of control children were tested using a timed computer task. The task consisted of identifying visual target stimuli under various distracter conditions. Distracters varied on the basis of modality (i.e., visual, auditory, or both) and task relevance (i.e., meaningful or irrelevant). Reaction times and accuracy were measured. Children with ADHD were less efficient on the selective attention task than were children without ADHD, and older children were more efficient than younger children in both groups. Children without ADHD were influenced more by the nature of distracters than were children with ADHD. For children with ADHD, MPH improved performance overall.     

选择性注意与视觉空间工作记忆的交互作用

传统上只是从单方面讨论了选择性注意与视觉空间工作记忆之间的关系,即认为注意选择有限信息以进入工作记忆。近期的一些研究发现,视觉空间工作记忆的内容影响选择性注意的分配,注意选择工作记忆中保持的空间或物体表征,选择性注意对于正确保持空间或物体信息是必需的认知调节。文章最后指出,关于选择性注意与视觉空间工作记忆交互作用的研究为将来进一步揭示基于空间与基于物体的注意选择之间的交互作用关系提供了一个很好的途径。     

注意分配与注意选择能力的年龄差异比较

为了考察注意能力的年龄差异,分别从注意分配能力和注意选择能力两个方面对青年和老年被试的表现进行了比较。结果表明：青、老年在注意分配能力上没有显着的差异;而青、老年在注意选择能力上却有显着的差异,老年的注意选择能力有显着的衰退。因此,注意能力衰退对认知年老化的影响可能更主要的是来自于注意控制能力的衰退。     

视觉选择性注意脑机制研究进展

视觉选择性注意一直是认知心理学的研究热点之一。注意的早晚期选择问题和基于空间与基于客体的选择问题是选择性注意研究中长期争论的两大理论问题。脑成像研究不仅为解决这些争论提供了有力的证据 ,而且深化和拓展了这两大问题的研究。该文介绍了脑成像研究在上述两个领域的主要研究成果 ,并展望了今后相关问题的研究重点。     

Attention modulates saccadic inhibition magnitude

Visual transient events during ongoing eye movement tasks inhibit saccades within a precise temporal window, spanning from around 60–120 ms after the event, having maximum effect at around 90 ms. It is not yet clear to what extent this saccadic inhibition phenomenon can be modulated by attention. We studied the saccadic inhibition induced by a bright flash above or below fixation, during the preparation of a saccade to a lateralized target, under two attentional manipulations. Experiment 1 demonstrated that exogenous precueing of a distractor's location reduced saccadic inhibition, consistent with inhibition of return. Experiment 2 manipulated the relative likelihood that a distractor would be presented above or below fixation. Saccadic inhibition magnitude was relatively reduced for distractors at the more likely location, implying that observers can endogenously suppress interference from specific locations within an oculomotor map. We discuss the implications of these results for models of saccade target selection in the superior colliculus.     

视觉注意选择性的空间位置效应的研究

采用注意线索技术探讨颜色、角度和空间位置对视觉选择性注意的影响。研究结果表明 :( 1 )目标与干扰刺激颜色相同时 ,表现出明显的注意空间位置效应 ;( 2 )目标与干扰刺激颜色不同时 ,空间位置效应明显弱化 ;( 3 )整体而言 ,注意加工速度从左到右均表现出明显的“V”字形效应。     

Affective Expectations Influence Neural Responses to Stressful Images in Soldiers

In the present study, we examined how expectations about the affective valence of an event influence immediate neurocognitive responses to the event. Both neutral images and negative images displaying war photos were shown to active duty military personnel undergoing predeployment training. Expectations regarding the affective content of upcoming images were manipulated by means of abstract visual cues that were valid only 75% of the time. Besides providing greater ecological validity, inclusion of invalid cues enabled us to examine separately, effects of the expected and actual valence of the images. Neurocognitive responses within the first second after image presentation were examined using the late positive potential (LPP), a noninvasive measure of brain electrical activity known to index affective processes. Negative images evoked an enhanced LPP relative to neutral images over central-parietal and right anterior electrode sites. Both the central-parietal and anterior LPP were found, likewise, to be modulated by expected valence. Expectation of negative versus neutral images led to an enhanced central-parietal LPP and an attenuated anterior LPP over both hemispheres independent of image valence. These findings are interpreted in terms of the allocation of attention to motivationally salient events, affective interpretation of those events, and induced affective/motivational states. By helping to characterize affective responses to acute stress and the regulation of those responses by psychological context, our study contributes to a basic understanding of how such regulation may become disordered and may aid in the development of targets for therapeutic interventions.