Early cortical processing of natural and artificial emotional faces differs between lower and higher socially anxious persons

Mühlberger, Andreas; Wieser, Matthias J.; Herrmann, Martin J.; Weyers, Peter; Tröger, Christian; Pauli, Paul

doi:10.1007/s00702-008-0108-6

Cited by 202 publications

(185 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…Based on these previous ERP results (Vuilleumier & Pourtois, 2007), we surmised that the N170 would be larger for neutral faces used as negative feedback, compared to positive feedback. By contrast, since previous ERP studies mainly failed to provide evidence for a clear effect of anxiety at this early stage of face processing (Kolassa et al, 2007;Kolassa & Miltner, 2006;Muhlberger et al, 2009;Rossignol et al, 2005), we did not predict any strong effect of trait anxiety on the amplitude of the N170.…”

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confidence: 99%

Anxiety disrupts the evaluative component of performance monitoring: An ERP study

Aarts

Pourtois

2012

Neuropsychologia

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Thirty low and 30 high anxious participants performed a speeded Go/noGo task during which they had to rely on evaluative feedback to infer whether their actions were timely (correct) or not. We focused on FRN, an ERP component that is sensitive to the valence of feedback.Depending on the context, neutral faces served either as positive or negative feedback.Whereas the FRN of low anxious individuals did discriminate between neutral faces when used either as positive or negative feedback, the FRN of high anxious individuals did not.However, before the FRN, we also found evidence for a differential perceptual effect at the level of the N170 face-specific component between the two feedback conditions, equally so in low and high anxious individuals. These results suggest that anxiety disrupts selectively the evaluative component of performance monitoring, which presumably allows to ascribe a given value (either positive or negative) to actions.Keywords: Anxiety, ERP, FRN, N170, attribution 3 Performance monitoring and anxiety Anxiety disrupts selectively the evaluative component of performance monitoring: An ERP study Depending on the situation and circumstances, the control of behavior is based on the monitoring of either internal or external signals, or sometimes a combination of both. For example, the adequacy of a given action in response to a familiar stimulus may be determined based on an internal representation allowing to compare the discrepancy between the actual and expected or desired action, with a swift detection of any divergence between the two (Gehring et al., 1993). However, in many situations, performance monitoring cannot be achieved solely based on the processing of internal signals, but the processing of new external feedback information in the environment is required to establish whether the current action is appropriate (e.g., timely, correct) or not. Hence, the processing of feedback information available in the environment often indicates the appropriateness of certain actions and in turn allows to correct or adjust behavior if required, eventually leading to learning and preventing errors from recurring in the future (Holroyd & Coles, 2002;Rabbitt, 1966).Several ERP studies looking at outcome evaluation processes based on external feedback have described an ERP component, the feedback-related negativity (FRN) that is selectively associated with the processing of the valence or motivational significance of the feedback (Gehring & Willoughby, 2002;Holroyd & Coles, 2002;Miltner et al., 1997). The FRN is a negative component peaking at fronto-central electrodes roughly 250-300 ms after presentation of relevant feedback information. Usually, the FRN was found to be larger after negative feedback on task performance, e.g., the presentation of an evaluation signal indicating error commission or monetary loss, compared to positive feedback, e.g., the presentation of an evaluation signal indicating correct performance or monetary reward anxiety, which is usually related to depression (Beck et...

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confidence: 99%

Anxiety disrupts the evaluative component of performance monitoring: An ERP study

Aarts

Pourtois

2012

Neuropsychologia

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“…Many studies asked for simple ratings of valence and/or arousal (Amir et al, 2005;Amir et al, 2010;Evans et al, 2008;Heuer et al, 2007;Merckelbach et al, 1989;Mühlberger et al, 2009;Straube et al, 2004;Wieser et al, 2011;Wieser et al, 2009). From a psychopathological perspective, these judgments may not necessarily tap into the phenomenology of social anxiety.…”

Section: Discussion and Integration Of Results To Datementioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, some authors implemented the self-ratings as an addition to a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task (Evans et al, 2008;Stein et al, 2002;Straube et al, 2004;Straube et al, 2005) or to a study collecting electromyogram (EMG) or electroencephalogram (EEG) data (Dimberg & Thunberg, 2007;Mühlberger et al, 2009;Wieser et al, 2011). Upon completing the physiological recordings, the same stimuli used in the main task were then presented to the participants again to gather reports of perceived valence.…”

Section: Discussion and Integration Of Results To Datementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, three investigations reported findings that socially anxious participants judged neutral faces as more negative or less friendly (Amir et al, 2005;Stevens, Gerlach, & Rist, 2008;Yoon & Zinbarg, 2007). However, the majority of results did not suggest an interpretational bias in the judgment of facial expressions, as thirteen of the 26 studies did not find any group differences on valence ratings when negative, neutral, or positive facial expressions were evaluated by socially anxious and control participants (Coles & Heimberg, 2005;de Jong, Merckelbach, Bogels, & Kindt, 1998;Evans et al, 2008;Heuer, Rinck, & Becker, 2007;Lange et al, 2011;Lange, Keijsers, Becker, & Rinck, 2008;Lissek et al, 2008;Merckelbach, Vanhout, Vandenhout, & Mersch, 1989;Mühlberger et al, 2009;Stein, Goldin, Sareen, Zorrilla, & Brown, 2002;Vrana & Gross, 2004;Wieser, McTeague, & Keil, 2011;Wieser, Pauli, Weyers, Alpers, & Mühlberger, 2009). A summary of these patterns can be inspected in Table 1.…”

Section: Interpretation Of Facial Expressions In Social Anxietymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Relationship between social anxiety and perceived trustworthiness

Cooper

Doehrmann

Fang

et al. 2013

Anxiety, Stress, & Coping

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“…ERPs can provide a temporally precise, direct measure of covert attention and may detect biases not evident in behavioral data (see Kappenman, Farrens, Luck, & Proudfit, 2014). Several studies using ERPs and related approaches have suggested that socially anxious individuals display enhanced attention to emotional faces (McTeague, Shumen, Wieser, Lang, & Keil, 2011;Rossignol, Campanella, et al, 2012;Rossignol, Philippot, Bissot, Rigoulot, & Campanella, 2012), especially those which are aversive (Kolassa, Kolassa, Musial, & Miltner, 2007;Moser, Huppert, Duval, & Simons, 2008;Mueller et al, 2009;Mühlberger et al, 2009;Sewell, Palermo, Atkinson, & McArthur, 2008). For example, studies have found evidence of enhanced attention for angry faces in social anxiety as indicated by the P2 (Rossignol, Campanella, Bissot, & Philippot, 2013;Van Peer, Spinhoven, & Roelofs, 2010), although other studies suggest enhanced attention for faces more generally (Rossignol, Philippot, Bissot, Rigoulot, & Campanella, 2012) or not at all (Kolassa et al, 2009).…”

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The effects of self-focus on attentional biases in social anxiety:An ERP study

Judah

Grant

Carlisle

2015

Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci

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Cognitive theories of social anxiety disorder suggest that biased attention plays a key role in maintaining symptoms. These biases include self-focus and attention to socially threatening stimuli in the environment. The goal of this study was to utilize ERPs that are elicited by a change detection task to examine biases in selective attention (i.e., N2pc) and working memory maintenance (i.e., contralateral delay activity; CDA). Additionally, the effect of self-focus was examined using false heart rate feedback. In support of the manipulation, self-focus cues resulted in greater selfreported self-consciousness and task interference, enhanced anterior P2 amplitude and reduced SPN amplitude. Moreover, P2 amplitude for self-focus cues was correlated with reduced task performance for socially anxious subjects only. The difference in P2 amplitude between self-focus and standard cues was correlated with social anxiety independent of depression. As hypothesized, socially anxious participants (n = 20) showed early selection and maintenance of disgust faces relative to neutral faces as indicated by the N2pc and CDA components. Nonanxious controls (n = 22) did not show these biases. During self-focus cues, controls showed marginal evidence of biased selection for disgust faces, whereas socially anxious subjects showed no bias in this condition. Controls showed an ipsilateral delay activity after being cued to attend to one hemifield. Overall, this study supports early and persistent attentional bias for social threat in socially anxious individuals. Furthermore, self-focus may disrupt these biases. These findings and supplementary data are discussed in light of cognitive models of social anxiety disorder, recent empirical findings, and treatment.

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Early cortical processing of natural and artificial emotional faces differs between lower and higher socially anxious persons

Cited by 202 publications

References 69 publications

Anxiety disrupts the evaluative component of performance monitoring: An ERP study

Anxiety disrupts the evaluative component of performance monitoring: An ERP study

Relationship between social anxiety and perceived trustworthiness

The effects of self-focus on attentional biases in social anxiety:An ERP study

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