Attentional bias during emotional processing: evidence from an emotional flanker task using IAPS

Abstract

Attention is biased towards threat-related stimuli. In three experiments, we investigated the mechanisms, processes, and time course of this processing bias. An emotional flanker task simultaneously presented affective or neutral pictures from the international affective picture system database either as central response-relevant stimuli or surrounding response-uninformative flankers. Participants' response times to central stimuli was measured. The attentional bias was observed when stimuli were presented either for 1500 ms (Experiment 1) or 500 ms (Experiment 2). The threat-related attentional bias held regardless of the stimuli competing for attention even when presentation time was further reduced to 200 ms (Experiment 3). The results indicate that automatic and controlled mechanisms may interact to modulate the orientation of attention to threat. The data presented here shed new light on the mechanisms, processes, and time course of this long investigated by still largely unknown processing bias.

Attentional bias during emotional processing: Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence from an Emotional Flanker Task

“…Such a proposal has been recently supported by a study designed to address this hypothesis [27]. Parra et al [27] demonstrated the constancy of the threat-related attentional bias in three experiments that manipulated temporal and perceptual aspects of the task.…”

“…Such a proposal has been recently supported by a study designed to address this hypothesis [27]. Parra et al [27] demonstrated the constancy of the threat-related attentional bias in three experiments that manipulated temporal and perceptual aspects of the task. They consisted of varying the stimulus presentation time and presenting IAPS images as targets and flankers The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.…”

“…However, reducing perceptual interference by making the stimuli competing for attention more distinct (Experiment 3) allowed assessing the threat-related attentional bias under less conflicting conditions, therefore demonstrating the existence of this response beyond the classical congruency paradigms (IAPS images vs IAPS images). Following this observation, we chose Parra et al's [27] Experiment 3 for the present study, as we are interested in the threat-related attentional bias uncontaminated by congruency effects. Using the Emotional Flanker Task, Parra and collaborators [27] demonstrated that when emotional and non-emotional stimuli compete for attention, the former attracts more resources (yielding faster responses) when presented as a response-relevant target and slows-down responses to non-IAPS targets (i.e., objects) when presented as a response-irrelevant flanker.…”

“…Following this observation, we chose Parra et al's [27] Experiment 3 for the present study, as we are interested in the threat-related attentional bias uncontaminated by congruency effects. Using the Emotional Flanker Task, Parra and collaborators [27] demonstrated that when emotional and non-emotional stimuli compete for attention, the former attracts more resources (yielding faster responses) when presented as a response-relevant target and slows-down responses to non-IAPS targets (i.e., objects) when presented as a response-irrelevant flanker. Although this evidence provides support to the above-mentioned hypothesis, it still holds limited value to unveil the temporal dynamics supporting the attentional mechanisms associated to the threat-related attentional bias.…”

“…By presenting two simultaneous stimuli and therefore in direct competition, such tasks can provide evidence of attentional bias towards response relevant or irrelevant information [13,16]. The methodology used by the Flanker Task [27] seems appropriate to investigate such hypotheses [28,29]. This task is sensitive to evaluate attentional mechanisms (e.g.…”