Emotional facial expressions reduce neural adaptation to face identity |
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Authors: | Anna M. V. Gerlicher Anouk M. van Loon H. Steven Scholte Victor A. F. Lamme Andries R. van der Leij |
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Affiliation: | 1.Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Weesperplein 4, 1018 XA Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2.Cognitive Neuroscience Group, University of Amsterdam, Weesperplein 4, 1018 XA Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and 3.Cognitive Science Center Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
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Abstract: | In human social interactions, facial emotional expressions are a crucial source of information. Repeatedly presented information typically leads to an adaptation of neural responses. However, processing seems sustained with emotional facial expressions. Therefore, we tested whether sustained processing of emotional expressions, especially threat-related expressions, would attenuate neural adaptation. Neutral and emotional expressions (happy, mixed and fearful) of same and different identity were presented at 3 Hz. We used electroencephalography to record the evoked steady-state visual potentials (ssVEP) and tested to what extent the ssVEP amplitude adapts to the same when compared with different face identities. We found adaptation to the identity of a neutral face. However, for emotional faces, adaptation was reduced, decreasing linearly with negative valence, with the least adaptation to fearful expressions. This short and straightforward method may prove to be a valuable new tool in the study of emotional processing. |
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Keywords: | EEG perception emotion adaptation fear face |
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