Priming the activation of fear and disgust: Evidence for semantic processing.

Abstract

Given that semantic processes mediate early processes in the elicitation of emotions, we expect that already activated emotion-specific information can influence the elicitation of an emotion. In Experiment 1, participants were exposed to masked International Affective Picture System (IAPS) pictures that elicited either disgust or fear. Following the presentation of the primes, other IAPS pictures were presented as targets that elicited either disgust or fear. The participants' task was to classify the target picture as either disgust or fear evoking. In Experiment 2, we substituted the IAPS primes with facial expressions of either disgust or fear. In Experiment 3, we substituted the IAPS primes with the words disgust or fear. In all three experiments, we found that prime-target combinations of the same emotion were responded to faster than prime-target combinations of different emotions. Our findings suggest that the influence of primes on the elicitation of emotion is mediated by activated schemata or appraisal processes.

Subliminal Face Emotion Processing: A Comparison of Fearful and Disgusted Faces

“…This generalization of the reversed priming effect to the RTs of the LSF primes is the only weak indication of a subcortical origin of the, in this case reversed, priming effect. These effects are surprising in terms of motor activation theory because prior reports would have suggested to expect an advantage in congruent as compared to incongruent conditions (e.g., Neumann and Lozo, 2012). In addition, usually, reversed priming effects in masked priming experiments are more typical of longer prime-target intervals (e.g., Eimer and Schlaghecken, 1998; for a review, see Sumner, 2007).…”

“…This was surprising because, based on the existing literature, we would have expected the opposite: better performance with congruently than incongruently primed emotional targets (e.g., Neumann and Lozo, 2012). Maybe the reversed priming effect reflected efficient avoidance and suppression of the disgusted faces–a response that seems to be reasonable in terms of the most fruitful and reinforcing behavioral consequences that should be triggered by a disgust-signaling stimulus (Oaten et al, 2009).…”

“…Typically, when comparing between the two conditions, one can expect a priming or congruence effect, with better performance in congruent than incongruent conditions (cf. Neumann and Lozo, 2012). Furthermore, one can also expect to see little or no evidence for the ability to discriminate between different primes in the same participants that show the priming effect.…”

Content and process priming: A review

“…Priming anger increases the desire for anger‐related products (Veling, Ruys, & Aarts, 2012). Fear/disgust pictures are more easily classified after experiencing fear/disgust (Neumann & Lozo, 2012). Positive events are judged more likely after a positive emotional experience (Estes, Jones, & Golonka, 2012).…”

To buy or not buy? A review of affective priming in purchase decision

“…For example, even though early accounts suggested that affective primes would have an impact based only on their valence (ie, whether the content was positive or negative, regardless of specific emotions), there is evidence now that implicit affective processing can be highly specific, facilitating categorisation of emotion in target faces according to the particular emotion elicited in the prime (eg, fear, sadness, anger), beyond a simple valence-based judgment. 19,20 Affective priming has also been shown to occur across sensory modalities. For instance, it has been shown that odors may prime target words that are affectively congruent.…”