Sensory processing sensitivity predicts performance in an emotional antisaccade paradigm

Recognition and implications of sensory differences in the college classroom from a psychological perspective.

“…This sensitivity to environmental stimuli may be taxing the emotional regulation processing center with information. This relationship is in line with past work providing evidence for sensory sensitivity links to emotion processing and regulation (e.g., Fernandez-Prieto et al, 2021; Hoffmann et al, 2022; Mazefsky & White, 2014). Emotional dysregulation could lead to higher levels of stress and inability to regulate thoughts, physiological reactions, emotions, and behavior (Charlton et al, 2020; Patriquin et al, 2019; Porges et al, 2013).…”

“…Within this sensory modality, the most highly reported challenges included speaking in front of other people unprepared, the feeling of being looked at by others, and disruptions in the lecture that were off topic. Those who are highly sensitive to environmental stimuli may notice feedback from other students in the class, particularly when it comes to eye movements and facial expressions (Hoffmann et al, 2022), thereby making unprepared speaking and others looking at them much more challenging. A link to emotion regulation issues when assessing executive function scores was also noted, suggesting that this feedback may be more difficult to process and ignore for those who are sensitive to stimuli.…”

The role of environmental sensitivity in the experience and processing of emotions: implications for well-being

“…Furthermore, in the context of two antisaccade paradigms (i.e. ability to control reflexive reaction towards different cues), one including the processing of emotional face stimuli and the other including neutral stimuli, sensitivity was related to faster responses only in the emotional face condition, suggesting a deeper perception (or potential even deeper processing) of stimuli specific to emotional cues [43]. Finally, in relation to emotion recognition, Hellwig & Roth [44] found a positive association between sensitivity and an emotion recognition task.…”