Emotional T2 attenuates attentional blink: A window to understanding the preferential processing of emotion

Subjects: Psychology >> Experimental Psychology submitted time 2023-09-07

Sun Meng Liu Zejun Jia Xi Shang Chenyang Zhang Qin

Abstract： Attentional blink (AB) is a phenomenon in which identifying the second of two targets (T2) is impaired when it appears 200~500 ms after the first target (T1). This phenomenon reflects the limitation of conscious processing in the temporal dimension. However, emotional T2 can attenuate AB compared to neutral T2. This provides an observation window and research means for understanding the preferential processing of emotional stimuli. The phenomenon of emotional T2 attenuating AB is influenced by factors such as the difficulty of T1, the task demand of T2 and emotional expectation. The brain regions primarily involved in emotional T2 attenuating AB include the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, and orbitofrontal cortex. In the temporal dimension, compared to neutral T2, emotional T2 exhibits enhanced effects in both the early and late stages of cognitive processing. The “Attentional Enhancement and Consolidation Competition Hypothesis” was proposed to explain the underlying mechanism of emotional T2 attenuating AB. The early attentional capture of emotional information mediated by the amygdala is key to reducing AB for emotion, while task demand and other top-down factors modulate the late consolidation process.

YES

 Hits 1418  Downloads 217  Comment