Uncertainty is associated with increased selective attention and sustained stimulus processing

Abstract

Uncertainty about future threat has been found to be associated with an overestimation of threat probability and is hypothesized to elicit additional allocation of attention. We used event-related potentials to examine uncertainty-related dynamics in attentional allocation, exploiting brain potentials' high temporal resolution and sensitivity to attention. Thirty participants performed a picture-viewing task in which cues indicated the subsequent picture valence. A certain-neutral and a certain-aversive cue accurately predicted subsequent picture valence, whereas an uncertain cue did not. Participants overestimated the effective frequency of aversive pictures following the uncertain cue, both during and after the task, signifying expectancy and covariation biases, and they tended to express lower subjective valences for aversive pictures presented after the uncertain cue. Pictures elicited increased P2 and LPP amplitudes when their valence could not be predicted from the cue. For the LPP, this effect was more pronounced in response to neutral pictures. Uncertainty appears to enhance the engagement of early phasic and sustained attention for uncertainly cued targets. Thus, defensive motivation related to uncertainty about future threat elicits specific attentional dynamics implicating prioritization at various processing stages, especially for nonthreatening stimuli that tend to violate expectations.

Defensive motivation and attention in anticipation of different types of predictable and unpredictable threat: A startle and event‐related potential investigation

“…Specifically, the P300 to the shocks and unpleasant pictures were enhanced when presented with unpredictable, relative to predictable, timing. This finding is consistent with previous investigations demonstrating that the P300 is larger for unexpected stimuli (Donchin, ) and a broader literature on the impact of unpredictability on enhanced sensory and attentional processing of aversive stimuli (Carlsson et al, ; Dieterich et al, ). Together, the startle probe and aversive stimulus ERP results suggest that unpredictability heightens motivated attention both in anticipation and during processing of threat.…”

“…For example, one study found that aversive pictures that were preceded by an uncertain valence cue, relative to a certain valence cue, elicited greater skin conductance response and self-reported negative mood (Grupe & Nitschke, 2011). Similarly, a recent study found that neutral and aversive pictures that were preceded by an uncertain valence cue, relative to a certain neutral or certain aversive cue, produced a greater P2 and late positive potential (LPP) response (Dieterich, Endrass, & Kathmann, 2016). To further investigate the impact of predictability on emotional reactivity to the actual aversive stimulus, the current study also measured ERP responses elicited by shocks and unpleasant pictures during the NPU-threat task.…”

Uncertainty increases neural indices of attention in obsessive-compulsive disorder

“…Its early (<1,000 ms) and late (>1,000 ms) portions may reflect partially distinct attentional processes, that is, obligatory attentional allocation (Weinberg, & Hajcak, 2010) and deliberate elaboration (Foti, & Hajcak, 2008), respectively. Similarly, stimuli with unpredictable valence elicited enhanced P2 and N2 amplitudes (Dieterich et al, 2016;Lin et al, 2015). The early LPP increases in response to cues for threat of shock (Bublatzky, & Schupp, 2012) and during resolution of uncertainty (Dieterich, Endrass, & Kathmann, 2016), and decreases to signify uncertainty-related avoidance (Gole, Schäfer, & Schienle, 2012).…”

“…Importantly, postsensory components reportedly capture uncertainty-related modulations in attention. The early LPP increases in response to cues for threat of shock (Bublatzky, & Schupp, 2012) and during resolution of uncertainty (Dieterich, Endrass, & Kathmann, 2016), and decreases to signify uncertainty-related avoidance (Gole, Schäfer, & Schienle, 2012). Similarly, stimuli with unpredictable valence elicited enhanced P2 and N2 amplitudes (Dieterich et al, 2016;Lin et al, 2015).…”

“…The late positive potential (LPP) is a broad, parietally distributed sustained positivity starting around 300 ms after stimulus onset (Schupp et al, 2000). The early LPP increases in response to cues for threat of shock (Bublatzky, & Schupp, 2012) and during resolution of uncertainty (Dieterich, Endrass, & Kathmann, 2016), and decreases to signify uncertainty-related avoidance (Gole, Schäfer, & Schienle, 2012). Importantly, postsensory components reportedly capture uncertainty-related modulations in attention.…”